Don’t Sleep on Martin Luther- A Musician’s Musician

One of the most talented Bay Area artists around, who many like to consider a musician’s musician, is Martin Luther. The San Francisco native plays a variety of instruments but the guitar is his main tool. His voice is part Sam Cooke, part Marvin Gaye as he is intense and deeply convicted with each note sung. His swagger is Jimi Hendrix and then some.

According to his bio, Martin Luther developed his musical chops as a child raised on choir hymns. At the same time, he learned how to play piano and was exposed to the sounds of Parliament Funkadelic. These eclectic tastes redirected Martin Luther’s interests as he experimented with the sounds of funk. He later taught himself how to play the drums which allowed him to incorporate a wider range of instruments into his music.

Martin Luther over the years has worked closely with The Roots and Cody Chestnutt. He as several albums out including ‘The Calling’, ‘Rebel Soul Music’ and ‘Love is the Hero’ which were released independently. Martin Luther is a Morehouse graduate with an emphasis on business and entertainment law.

Martin is also an actor who has appeared in several projects including; 2007 Beatles musical Across the Universe in the role of “Jo-Jo”, who reflects Jimi Hendrix. In the film, McCoy performs the song “While My Guitar Gently Weeps“,

We took some great shots of Martin Luther the other night during his stellar performance with Blackalicious at the Filmore. Enjoy the photos and don’t sleep on Martin Luther.