Brad Martin obit

Country Hitmaker Brad Martin Dead at 48

 

He was not on the list.

Country singer Brad Martin has died. The singer-songwriter, who scored one solo hit via Epic Records in the early 2000s and also played in a county duo signed to Curb Records, died on Friday (March 11) at the age of 48.

According to his biography at Allmusic.com, Martin grew up in Ohio, and he counted traditional country artists including Merle Haggard and Conway Twitty among his early musical influences. Martin learned to play guitar at an early age, and he moved to Nashville in his mid-20s to pursue his dream of a country music career.

Martin signed to Epic Records in 2000, and he released his debut album, Wings of a Honky-Tonk Angel, in 2002. The album achieved mild commercial success, reaching No. 34 on Billboard's Country Albums chart and scoring a No. 15 hit with its lead single, "Before I Knew Better."

Two additional singles from the album, "Rub Me the Right Way" and "Just Like Love," missed the Top 40, and Martin released just one more solo single, 2003's "One of Those Days," via Epic before his deal came to an end.

Martin subsequently joined singer-songwriter John Ramey to form a duo called Martin Ramey, which signed to Curb Records in 2008 and released a single titled "Twisted" in 2010. According to the duo's Facebook page, they remained active intermittently until at least 2018.

John Ramey turned to social media to share the news of Martin's death on Friday, writing, "I can't believe I'm saying this.. My dear friend and music brother Brad Martin passed away this afternoon.. I am absolutely heartbroken. He's in the hands of the Lord now. Rock on my brother!!! You were a great friend, true talent and it was an honor making music with you."

Ramey also shared some photos of the duo in happier times on his personal Facebook page on Friday.

    I can't believe I'm saying this.. My dear friend and music brother Brad Martin passed away this afternoon.. I am...

    Posted by John Ramey on Friday, March 11, 2022

Martin's cause of death has not been disclosed publicly.