Biography
Vince Martin secured his chief renown through a short-lived partnership with the far more celebrated singer/songwriter Fred Neil, cutting the uncommon album Tear Down the Walls immediately prior to Neil’s shift to solo work. Martin had already broken into the business as a teenager, scoring a Top Ten hit in 1956 with “Cindy Oh Cindy,” supported by the Tarriers, and first crossed paths with Neil near 1960, though the pair did not formally unite until 1964. Neil’s input—roughly half the songs, the balance consisting of folk standards—lends the record its greater distinction, while Martin’s more conventional delivery remains secondary. The set veers between intimate coffeehouse folk and the blues-tinged idiosyncrasy of Neil’s own numbers, whose original compositions might have fared better alone than in the duet settings chosen for release. Still, the album holds appeal as a collectable and hints at folk-rock through its session players, including Felix Pappalardi, later Cream’s producer, and a pre-Lovin’ Spoonful John Sebastian on harmonica. Martin subsequently issued further little-known solo sides for Capitol, beginning with If the Jasmine Don’t Get You the Bay Breeze Will. Nik Venet, who had also overseen Fred Neil’s Sessions, produced the LP, which carries a relaxed, jam-oriented atmosphere. Although it echoes Neil’s style in places, the tone here feels lighter and leans more toward country-folk. A second Capitol release, Vince Martin, followed in 1973.
Albums
