Paul Martin obit

Paul Martin Has  Died

 He was not on the list.

Paul Martin, a Toronto guitarist, singer-songwriter and music publisher best known as a member of the Blushing Brides, died on Feb 24, his 67th birthday. A cause of death has not been officially reported

The origins of the Blushing Brides date back to the late '70s when vocalist Maurice Raymond agreed to join Martin's Kingston band Consilium. The Canadian Pop Encyclopedia reports that "In early 1979, two Kingston, Ontario, musicians, Maurice Raymond (vocals) and Paul Martin (guitar), decided to fill the musical gap left with the absence of a tour every four or five years by their mutually favourite band The Rolling Stones. Soon they laid down the groundwork for a tribute band called, simply, The Blushing Brides.

"They hooked up with bassist Martin Van Dijk, drummer Ricco Berthiaume and second guitarist James 'DB' Green and began their odyssey of imitating one of the most enduring bands in rock and roll while peppering their set list with original materials as their popularity increased. The group provided a perfect outlet for Stones craving fans during a period in the ’70’s when ‘tribute bands’ didn’t exist.

"Critics were even quick to praise the act as being a role model for what the ‘real’ Rolling Stones should sound like. The Blushing Brides’ popularity grew so quickly they soon were playing at amusement parks where attendance could get over 10,000 people.

"A major label bidding war began and in 1980 RCA Records offered the group a five-year recording contract. Their popularity quickly grew, and seeing as how tribute acts in large part didn’t exist much back then, and the Stones were always a huge draw in Quebec, they naturally did well there as well."

The group's debut album, Unveiled, came out in 1981, but would be their only full-length recording as The Blushing Brides. A Stones-styled song, “What You Talkin’ About," became a hit single and to capitalize on their popularity in the Quebec market they re-dubbed four songs in French and issued a self-titled EP there.

It wasn’t long before the band began augmenting their shows with some of their own original material. According to Canadian Pop Encyclopedia, "the band thought it would be a better idea to drop the Stones’ schtick and focus on the original side of their material if they hoped to sell the album. A tour with Chilliwack proved so disastrous that after finishing the gigs they returned home in debt, and without a record deal. Raymond headed stateside for an ill-advised solo career but returned soon after. The Blushing Brides regrouped in 1983 and tried to make a comeback as a recording unit but were unsuccessful at attracting label interest. They returned to their Rolling Stones roots and continued wowing them on the live scene."

There were personnel changes and then the band was dropped by RCA before a second album was released. A new lineup from 1984 featured Raymond, Martin and Van Dijk, along with original road manager Richard Diamond as the second guitarist, ex-Goddo drummer Doug Inglis and Mike Mozak on sax. Along with occasional keyboardist Cam Butler & Sasha Tukastch, formerly of Platinum Blonde, they again made their mark playing live shows across eastern Canada and in the U.S., playing upwards of 200 shows per year while again switching personnel over the next six years.

A different lineup fronted by Raymond but missing Martin (he left in 1990) later coalesced, and, named The Brides, they signed to Toronto-based Strawberry Records (distributed by A&M), and released a self-titled debut in 1995. It did not have a big commercial impact, but the group kept playing clubs, performing both original material and Stones cover tunes.

BestCanadianBands wrote that "Raymond and Martin occasionally reformed the band with various lineups for select dates on both sides of the border. The Blushing Brides name came back to the forefront in the early '00s, when Raymond took the band back to its roots, billing themselves as 'The World’s Most Dangerous Tribute To The Music of the Rolling Stones.'"

In 2008, American music journalist Steven Kurutz published Like A Rolling Stone: The Strange Life Of A Tribute Band,, an exploration of a year in the lives of two rival Rolling Stones tribute bands: Sticky Fingers and the Blushing Brides.

Over the past two decades, a lot of Martin's attention was focused upon two groups inspired by the legacy of Bob Dylan, The Dylan Tree and Kensington Shake. The Dylan Tree formed in 2006 and comprising five noted GTA area area musicians, Richard Kahl, Paul Martin, Doug Inglis, Martin Aucoin and Matt Greenberg.

A feature story in Inside Halton noted that "All members sing the music, often working together in harmony or alternating verses in a song. The band doesn’t cover Dylan material in an exact format. Often The Dylan Tree will perform another band’s version of his music. 'All the songs we play are written by Dylan but we may interpret it like other artists,' said Kahl."

The Dylan Tree attracted attention while performing regionally and it subsequently morphed into another Dylan-inspired combo, Kensington Shake. Martin remained active in other local outfits, including a number with his good friend Matt Greenberg. To Billboard Canada, Greenberg explains that "I played music with Paul in a number of different bands, some he had started, some we joined, a couple we created together: Blushing Brides, Kensington Shake, Pop Cherry, The Dylan Tree, BooM (Brothers of Other Mothers – a two-year stint at North America's greatest booze can/stage, the Matador), and Pablo Plays with Mattchezz, our duo."

Martin also started Martinworks, an online music source for film and TV. According to Greenberg, "this gave opportunity and a platform to all the musicians he knew so that they could offer their original material for commercial use, and from which they made a few bucks. Paul probably spent more than he ever made – he made a point of helping musicians.

"I should add that Paul, although primarily concentrating on music his whole life, was also an accountant, whose expertise was helping people out of tight financial situations with the Taxman – he had a plethora of clients, again, helping people, that’s what he was all about."

The intense affection of the Toronto music community for Paul Martin quickly became apparent as news of his passing spread. Fellow musicians and bandmates contacted by Billboard Canada paid eloquent tribute to their friend.

Derek Downham (The Beauties, Andy Kim): "Paul had a great passion for the music of Bob Dylan and started The Dylan Tree. I was asked to play keys with his current band Kensington Shake, playing all Dylan material. It was always an honour and a joy to play with Paul. I met him over 20 years ago through his longtime friend and my old manager Sascha Tukatsch (Platinum Blonde, Blushing Brides).

"He was a natural musician with impeccable timing and feel for days. He elevated others while always shining, effortlessly. His respect for the song always came first. I was always honoured when he would call me for a gig. I could never say no to him. He was one of the nicest people I’ve ever known in music. His wife Lynn was with him every step. He was truly a legend. Everyone loved Paul."

Matt Greenberg describes Martin as "my longtime friend/musical partner, an extraordinary musician, exemplary human. He was a magnanimous musician’s musician – some people learn and adapt and become good musicians, and some people, like Paul, just have it in their guts from birth. His pursuit of music never had a commercial design. Paul wrote songs, played them for people across several continents, and did it all regardless of outcome because he needed to.

"In the beginning, Paul Martin started the Blushing Brides (I heard you can credit the Brides with being the inspiration behind the coined term ‘clone band’), but for Paul, a Stones clone band was just a practical means to an end – to find Paul Martin’s unique place in the music industry. So, playing music he loved, the Stones, was a fun way to make a living, but never an end in itself – and it worked – they developed a huge following and got signed by RCA U.S.

"A critical piece of information that I can offer about Paul Martin is a technical, practical observation; The two hardest things to find in a musician, as far as I’ve learned anyway, are drummers who can keep time and keep it simple, and solid rhythm guitar players.

"Outside of the master Keith Richards, Paul Martin was the greatest, consummate rhythm guitar player I have ever known. You walked on stage with Paul, you didn’t have to even think about it, he just put it there the way it was supposed to be – BOOM! There are some people out there who understand what a profound loss the passing of Paul Martin is on so many levels. He was the man, you could count on him. I will miss him every day."

Musician/actor Kevin Jollimore offers Billboard Canada this tribute: "I have known Paul Martin since 1981. The Blushing Brides came to Halifax and blew me away. A few years later, I moved to Toronto and put a band together called the Sin City Boys. I would notice occasionally that Paul would show up at our gigs.

"We'd often discuss our adventures in the music business. Paul, coming from a show where they played other people's material, and myself, coming from a band that did largely material I wrote. As Paul stepped away from the Brides, he gravitated more and more towards writing and playing his own stuff. Paul was a formidable songwriter. His original stuff blew me away.

"Anytime he came to see The Sin City Boys, he'd get up and play a couple of songs with us, and he would always have a kind word. He would come up with actual notes on stuff. Sometimes it might just be a pat on the back and him saying, 'Great job, lads.' Sometimes it was 'Why don't you put the chorus here, and then put some harmony over this?' Stuff that had real insight, and also showed that he actually listened. Paul had a great set of ears.

"He was the biggest cheerleader, he was the biggest fan, and he always had an encouraging word to those of us that were in the trenches of rock and roll. An absolutely awesome guy to hang out with, a great conversationalist, and a really great friend. Paul Martin is going to be greatly missed by myself, by the Sin City Boys, and by the huge community of friends and fans that he left behind. May he rest in peace."

On Facebook, Toronto musician Michael O'Grady posted: "We lost a pillar of the musical community yesterday with the passing of Paul Martin. I’ve known Paul for over 20 years and worked with him on various projects including music and art. He was beyond talented and his genuine interest in helping those around him was both humbling and inspiring. I will cherish our time together and am proud to have his art on my wall. RIP to a legend."

Chris LeFrancois, co-owner of LOLA bar in Kensington Market, Toronto, on Facebook: "Paul was an extraordinarily talented musician and songwriter, but more importantly, a very good man. My partner Cori and I got to know Paul a few years ago when he started to frequent the open mic at LOLA (at that time hosted by his friend Finny McConnell).

"It was a rare Tuesday when Paul didn't join us, and his impact was profoundly positive. An absolute master at accompanying anyone on any song at a moment's notice, his joy and enthusiasm for musical collaboration was infectious. Paul was so supportive and encouraging to other musicians, particularly those just starting out. He could always find something positive to say, and it was never false praise. And if you were lucky enough to have Paul join you on stage to jam along to one of your tunes....well, it doesn't get any cooler or more rewarding than that."

"Paul eventually became one of the hosts of the LOLA open mic, and played a few (packed) patio shows, and his presence was a true blessing. We feel so fortunate that Paul was part of our musical community in Kensington Market and we are all indebted to him."