Martin Steven Briley (born 1950) is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist. He was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and has recorded with and written for a variety of well-known musicians, as well as releasing several solo albums.

Music career

Beginnings and early bands

Briley began playing and writing music when he was ten years old. Arthur Brown was his events teacher. At the age of seventeen, Briley and his band "Mandrake Paddle Steamer" (later shortened to Mandrake)singles, one of which was released only in Sweden.Joynson, Vernon (1995)
''The Tapestry of Delights''
. London: Borderline Books. See entry on Mandrake Paddlesteamer. Briley was later signed to

George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the " Fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the B ...

's AIR group of companies and went on to become an important part of the London studio scene as an arranger, vocalist and sought-after session guitarist. He also had a brief stint as bassist/guitarist of the British

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

band Greenslade, touring with the group and playing on their 1975 album '' Time and Tide''. During live performances with the group he played a double-neck combination bass and guitar.

Session work in America

Briley moved to New York, where he found work as a touring and session musician for numerous artists, including

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, the

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, Engelbert Humperdinck,

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, Mick Jones,

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and

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Solo work

Briley signed a deal with Mercury Records as a solo artist in the early 1980s, going on to release three albums under his own name. His single " The Salt in My Tears" went into heavy rotation on MTV and reached No. 36 on the Hot 100 on 30 July 1983,Martin Briley USA chart history

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

. Retrieved 8 October 2012. earning him a reputation as a

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, as a follow-up single, "Put Your Hands on the Screen" did not crack the Hot 100.

Songwriting

Briley has received orchestral commissions, and has written songs for such artists as

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, Mietta,

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, Willie Nile,

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, Natascha Sohl, Ballas Hough,

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, Orianthi,

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and

Barry Manilow Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", " Somewhere Down the Road", " Mandy", "I Write the Songs", " Can ...

Personal life

Briley lives in New York City with his wife, Dana Calitri, and has two daughters, Vanessa and Olivia.

Discography

* ''

Fear of the Unknown Fear is an intensely unpleasant emotion in response to perceiving or recognizing a danger or threat. Fear causes physiological changes that may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the threat. Fear i ...

'' (1981) * ''

One Night with a Stranger ''One Night with a Stranger'' is the second album by English singer-songwriter Martin Briley, released in 1983. The album peaked at #55 on the Billboard Album chart, after debuting on May 7, 1983. This album featured the hit single "The Salt in ...

'' (1983) ( includes the hit single "The Salt in My Tears" ) * ''

Dangerous Moments ''Dangerous Moments'', Martin Briley's third album, was released in 1985. The album art (which is an up-perspective shot of Briley juxtaposed against an inverted cityscape) was nominated for a Grammy. Track listing All songs written by Martin ...

'' (1984) * ''The Mercury Years'' (2005) * ''It Comes in Waves'' (2006) * ''Iceberg Shrinking'' (2011)

References

External links

Martin Briley's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Briley, Martin English male singers English songwriters English rock singers English male guitarists English pianists English session musicians Living people Singers from London 1950 births Greenslade members British male pianists 21st-century pianists 21st-century British male musicians British male songwriters