Marilyn Martin (born May 4, 1954) is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 1985 hit duet with

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis (band), Genesis and had a successful solo career, ac ...

, " Separate Lives", which reached number one on several charts.

Early life

Marilyn Martin was born on May 4, 1954, in

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

but raised in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

. She was exposed to different genres of music as a child. Her father was a country and bluegrass fan, her mother liked R&B and her grandmother sang gospel. At age 18 she started singing with different bands, eventually joining one from

Akron, Ohio Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Akron metr ...

. After five years of club gigs, the band had an opportunity to tour with

Joe Walsh Joseph Fidler Walsh (born Joseph Woodward Fidler; November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Best known as a member of the rock band Eagles (band), Eagles, his five-decade career includes solo work and stints in other ...

, who was headlining with

Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasing the album ...

. Also on the tour were Michael McDonald,

Boz Scaggs William Royce "Boz" Scaggs (born June 8, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was a bandmate of Steve Miller (musician), Steve Miller in the Ardells in the early 1960s and a member of the Steve Miller Band from 1967 to 196 ...

, and

Kenny Loggins Kenneth Clark "Kenny" Loggins (born January 7, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. His early songs were recorded with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970, which led to seven albums recorded with Jim Messina (musician), Jim Mess ...

. After the tour, Martin moved to Los Angeles, California, and began a prolific career as a backing vocalist for artists including Stevie Nicks, Joe Walsh, Don Henley,

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the leader and frontman of the Rock music, rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s sup ...

and Kenny Loggins.

Career

Martin became a protégée of

Doug Morris Doug Morris (born November 23, 1938) is an American record executive. He was chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Universal Music Group from 1995 to 2011, as well as Sony Music Entertainment from 2011 to 2017. He is the founder and CEO ...

, the then-head of

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

, who had heard her backing vocals on Nicks' album, '' Rock a Little,'' and was impressed enough to ask for a demo. She recorded the Nicks' song "Sorcerer" (on which Nicks sang backing vocals) for the

Jim Steinman James Richard Steinman (November 1, 1947 – April 19, 2021) was an American composer, lyricist and record producer. He also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer. His work included songs in the adult contemporary, rock, dance, pop, mus ...

soundtrack of the 1984 film '' Streets of Fire''. Morris signed Martin to a two-album recording contract and connected her with

for "Separate Lives," part of the soundtrack for the 1985 film '' White Nights''. The song was a number one hit in the U.S. and a Top 5 hit in the United Kingdom. Martin's self-titled debut album was released in January 1986, reaching number 72 on the ''Billboard'' 200, with the single " Night Moves" reaching number 28 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Two other singles were also released from the album, "Body and the Beat" and "Move Closer," but neither charted. Her second album, '' This Is Serious'', was released in 1988, with its lead single " Possessive Love" written and produced by

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

and

Patrick Leonard Patrick Ray Leonard (born March 14, 1956) is an American songwriter, keyboardist, film composer, and music producer, best known for his longtime collaboration with Madonna. His work with Madonna includes her albums '' True Blue'' (1986), '' Who ...

. The single "Love Takes No Prisoners" was released as well, with the ballad "Quiet Desperation" as the B-side. The same year, Martin recorded the duet "And When She Danced", used in the movie '' Stealing Home''. Neither the singles nor the album were commercially successful, and Atlantic dropped her. She continued her career as a backing vocalist into the 1990s. In 1993, Martin moved to

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

where she recorded a country album, ''Through His Eyes'', for Atlantic in 1994. The album was never released, but is available through Martin's official website. it wasn't released for 30 years until it was released in 2024 In 1997, Martin recorded a duet "I Live for Love" with David Hasselhoff, which appears on his album ''Hooked on a Feeling''. On September 14, 2012, Martin released the album '' Trust, Love, Pray'', a Christian music album featuring songs written by Martin, including "Every Way and Always", which received airplay on Christian, Praise, and Worship stations. Marilyn reunited with Stevie Nicks in October 2016, singing backup vocals for the 24 Karat Gold Tour and filling in for Lori Nicks. She continued working with Stevie Nicks, touring as a backing vocalist with Fleetwood Mac in 2019.

Personal life

Martin has been married to guitarist, music producer and engineer Greg Droman since 1976.Andy Greene
"Marilyn Martin Scored a Number One Hit. Then Her Life Took Some Very Unexpected Turns."
Interview with Marilyn Martin. ''Rolling Stone.'' 10 August 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2024. The pair lived in Nashville in the 1990s and 2000s, where Martin was small business owner and a real estate agent. The couple later moved to Los Angeles and live in

Healdsburg, California Healdsburg is a city located in Sonoma County, California, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 11,340. Healdsburg is centered on a 19th-century plaza. History Early inhabitants of the local area included the Pomo ...

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Marilyn Martin'' (1986) * '' This Is Serious'' (1988) * '' Trust, Love, Pray'' (2012) * ''Through His Eyes'' (2024)

Singles

* "Sorcerer" – 1984, '' Streets of Fire'' soundtrack * " Separate Lives" - 1985, Duet with

, No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 & No. 1 Adult Contemporary * " Night Moves" - Originally released in 1985, No. 28 in 1986 Billboard Hot 100 and No. 18 Album Rock Tracks (Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart) * "Thank You" (Japanese Bonus Track) - 1986 * "Through The Night" – 1986, Duet with John Parr, Love Song From Quicksilver * " Move Closer" – 1986 * "Body and the Beat" – 1986 * " Possessive Love" – 1988 * "Love Takes No Prisoners" – 1988 * "And When She Danced" – 1988, Duet with

David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian record producer, composer, arranger, and musician. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His career began as a keyboardist for the pop group Skylark in the early 1970s befor ...

(#73 Canada) * "Your Eyes" – 1990, From Tatsuro Yamashita's Covers From Coast: The Nexus * "A Boy's Season" – 1991 * "No Regrets" – 1992, Duet with Charles Dumont * "Through His Eyes" – 1994 * "I Live for Love" – 1997, Duet with David Hasselhoff

Notes

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Marilyn 1954 births 20th-century American singer-songwriters 21st-century American singer-songwriters American women songwriters Atlantic Records artists American performers of Christian music American real estate brokers American pop rock singers American soft rock musicians American synth-pop musicians American women country singers American country singer-songwriters Living people Singer-songwriters from Tennessee Singer-songwriters from Kentucky Musicians from Louisville, Kentucky Country musicians from Kentucky Rock musicians from Kentucky 20th-century American women singers Kentucky women musicians Singers from Kentucky 21st-century American women singers Country musicians from Tennessee