Martin Lee Gore (born 23 July 1961) is an English musician and songwriter. He is one of the founding members of the

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

band

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...

and is the band's main songwriter. He is the band's guitarist and keyboardist, and occasionally provides lead vocals. Gore possesses a

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

singing voice which contrasts with lead vocalist Dave Gahan's dramatic

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

. He is also known for his flamboyant and (sometimes)

androgynous Androgyny is the possession of both masculine and feminine characteristics. Androgyny may be expressed with regard to biological sex or gender expression. When ''androgyny'' refers to mixed biological sex characteristics in humans, it often r ...

stage persona. Gore has also released several solo albums and collaborated with former Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke as part of VCMG. Gore's songs include themes such as sex, religion and politics. He has said he feels lyrical themes that tackle issues related to solitude and loneliness are a better representation of reality, whereas he finds "happy songs" fake and unrealistic. At the same time, he asserts that the band's music contains "an element of hope". In 1999, he received the

Ivor Novello Award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...

from the

British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors The Ivors Academy (formerly known as British Academy of Songwriters Composers and Authors – BASCA) is one of the largest professional associations for music writers in Europe. The academy works to protect and support and also campaigns the int ...

for "International Achievement". He was given the Moog Innovation Award "for his many contributions to the exploration of sound in popular music" in 2019, and became a

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

member in late 2020 with fellow active Depeche Mode members Dave Gahan and Andy Fletcher, as well as past members Clarke and Alan Wilder. Following the death of Fletcher in May 2022, Gore became the longest-serving member of the band.

Early life

Martin Lee Gore was born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England. His biological father was an

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

G.I. stationed in Britain. Gore was raised by his stepfather David Gore and biological mother Pamela, who both worked at the

Ford of Britain Ford Motor Company Limited,The Ford 'companies' or corporate entities referred to in this article are: * Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Michigan, USA, incorporated 16 June 1903 * Ford Motor Company Limited, incorporated 7 December 1928. Current ...

motor plant in

Dagenham Dagenham () is a town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Dagenham is centred east of Charing Cross. It was historically a rural parish in the Becontree Hundred of Essex, stretching from Hainault Fo ...

. He believed his stepfather was his biological father until the age of 30, when he learned of his biological father. Gore later met his biological father in the

American South The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is census regions United States Census Bureau. It is between the Atlantic Ocean and the ...

. Gore has described his upbringing as "normal" and "stable" and has said that he was an introvert who preferred to spend time reading alone rather than with school peers. However, he also stated that he enjoyed his time at school and took part in foreign exchange trips. His family briefly lived in

Hornchurch Hornchurch is a suburban town in East London in the London Borough of Havering. It is located east-northeast of Charing Cross. It comprises a number of shopping streets and a large residential area. It historically formed a large ancient par ...

during his upbringing before moving to

Basildon Basildon ( ) is a town in Borough of Basildon, the borough of the same name, in the county of Essex, England. It had a recorded population of 115,955 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census. In 1931, the town had a population of 1,159. ...

, where he attended the Nicholas Comprehensive School. During school he was the guitarist in a local band called Norman and the Worms. Gore taught himself to play keyboard from the 1970s, never receiving formal training. He learned to perform chart hits, figuring out their structures via the magazine '' Disco 45''. He shared a class with Andy "Fletch" Fletcher,

Alison Moyet Geneviève Alison Jane Ballard (; ; born 18 June 1961), formerly known as Alf, is an English singer. Noted for her powerful bluesy contralto voice, she came to prominence as a member of the synth-pop duo Yazoo (band), Yazoo (known as Yaz in Nor ...

and

Perry Bamonte Perry Archangelo Bamonte (born 3 September 1960) is an English musician and artist, best known as a guitarist/keyboardist for The Cure from 1990 to 2005, and again since 2022. He is also the bassist of Love Amongst Ruin. Biography Bamonte was ...

. Gore left Nicholas Comprehensive after completing his

A-levels The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...

in 1979 and took a job as a bank cashier. During evenings, weekends and any other spare time, he remained involved with Norman and the Worms. He became interested in

upon hearing acts such as

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, ) is a Germany, German Electronic music, electronic band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk was among the first successful a ...

the Human League The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic music, electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their t ...

and OMD. He borrowed a Korg 700S from a friend, before purchasing a Yamaha CS5, his first synthesizer. Gore has two younger half-sisters, Karen, born in 1967, and Jacqueline, born in 1968.

Depeche Mode

In 1980, Gore reunited with classmate Andy Fletcher at the Van Gogh club. Fletcher recruited him into his band Composition of Sound, along with Vince Clarke. Soon the band drafted Dave Gahan to be the band's lead singer after hearing him sing " Heroes" by

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

. Gore is the band's keyboardist, guitarist on several songs, contributes backing vocals, and occasionally provides lead vocals. When explaining the band's choice for their name, 'Depeche Mode' (which was taken from French

fashion magazine Fashion journalism is a component of fashion media, with a focus on journalism, writing and photojournalism. Fashion journalists write about and critique fashion events and trends as well as cultivate and maintain relationships with stylists and ...

''Dépêche Mode''), Gore said, "It means 'hurried fashion' or 'fashion dispatch'. I like the sound of that." However, the magazine's name (and hence the band's) correctly translates to something like "Fashion News" or "Fashion Update". Gore wrote two tracks on Depeche Mode's debut album, '' Speak & Spell'': "Tora! Tora! Tora!" and the instrumental "Big Muff". "Any Second Now (Voices)" features Gore's first lead vocals for the band. When Clarke announced his departure from Depeche Mode in 1981, Gore became the principal songwriter for the band. Songs Gore wrote for Depeche Mode's second album, '' A Broken Frame'' (1982), differed musically and lyrically from Clarke's. Gore's writing became gradually darker and more political on subsequent Depeche Mode albums. He sings lead vocals on several of the band's songs, notably ballads – his

voice provides a contrast to Gahan's dramatic

. Gore sometimes plays guitar (typically his Gretsch White Falcon or Gretsch Double Anniversary) on Depeche Mode songs. The first time guitar was used as the main instrument was on "

Personal Jesus "Personal Jesus" is a song by the English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was released as the lead single from their seventh studio album, '' Violator'' (1990), in 1989. It reached 13 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 28 on the US ''B ...

", although he used small guitar parts on previous songs, such as " Behind the Wheel" and " Love, in Itself". Gore's guitar playing developed even more on ''

Songs of Faith and Devotion ''Songs of Faith and Devotion'' is the eighth studio album by the English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was first released on 22 March 1993 in the United Kingdom by Mute Records and a day later in the United States by Sire Records and ...

''. In live performances, he switches his keyboards for his guitar on some older Depeche Mode songs, such as " Never Let Me Down Again" and " A Question of Time". In mid-1990, Gore said, "I think in a way we've been at the forefront of new music; sort of chipping away at the standard rock format stations."

Other work

Gore has released the following solo albums: '' Counterfeit EP'' (1989), '' Counterfeit²'' (2003), '' MG'' (2015) and '' The Third Chimpanzee'' (2021). He covered the song "Coming Back to You" for the

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...

tribute album '' Tower of Song: The Songs of Leonard Cohen'' (1995).

VCMG

Former Depeche Mode colleague Vince Clarke collaborated with Gore for the first time since 1981 as techno duo VCMG on an instrumental minimalist electronic dance album called ''Ssss'', released on 12 March 2012. The first single, ''Spock'', was originally released worldwide exclusively on Beatport on 30 November 2011. The second, ''Single Blip'', was also released exclusively on Beatport on 20 February 2012, and the third one, ''Aftermaths'', was released on 20 August 2012.

MG

In late February 2015, several teaser images were displayed on Gore's official Facebook page, citing a

hashtag A hashtag is a metadata tag operator that is prefaced by the hash symbol, ''#''. On social media, hashtags are used on microblogging and photo-sharing services–especially Twitter and Tumblr–as a form of user-generated tagging that enable ...

"MGxMG", which was later revealed to be a promotional tool for his new solo studio album, titled '' MG'' (named similarly to his previous collaborative album, ''VCMG'', with Vince Clarke from 2012). In a news post on his official website and various social media on 2 March, this confirmation of his new studio album announced its release would be on 27 or 28 April and previewed a track, ''Europa Hymn'', from the new album.

Electric Ladyboy studio

Gore has a personal studio in Santa Barbara with a sizeable collection of Euroracks, Moog and Erica synthesizers (among others), where he has recorded solo work and written music for

Awards

On 27 May 1999, Gore was presented with an award by Daniel Miller for "International Achievement" by the

at the 44th

Ivor Novello Awards The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...

. In 2019, Gore received the Moog Innovation Award "for his many contributions to the exploration of sound in

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

Personal life

Gore lives in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...

. He started dating lingerie designer and model Suzanne Boisvert after meeting in Paris in 1989. They married in August 1994, had three children and divorced in 2006. In June 2014, he married Kerrilee Kaski, with whom he has two daughters. Gore became a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

for health and moral reasons (along with bandmate Alan Wilder) in 1983. He had stress-induced seizures during the band's 1993 Devotional Tour and publicly acknowledged his past

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

. During a break on the Devotional Tour in

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, he was arrested by local police and fined $50 for holding a loud party in his hotel room. He is a supporter of

Arsenal Football Club The Arsenal Football Club, commonly known as simply Arsenal, is a professional association football, football club based in London Borough of Islington, Islington, North London, England. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of ...

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

with VCMG

*'' Ssss'' (Mute, 2012)

Other appearances

Remixes

* 1994 Spirit Feel – "Rejoice" (Mystic Span mix) * 1995

Garbage Garbage, trash (American English), rubbish (British English), or refuse is waste material that is discarded by humans, usually due to a perceived lack of utility. The term generally does not encompass bodily waste products, purely liquid or ...

– "

Queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

" (The Most Beautiful Woman in Town mix) * 1999 ON – "Soluble Words" (Sublingual remix) * 2003 Señor Coconut and His Orchestra – "Smooth Operator" (In-Disguise remix) * 2013 Diamond Version – "Get Yours" (Martin L. Gore remix) * 2022

Jean-Michel Jarre Jean-Michel André Jarre (; born 24 August 1948) is a French composer, performer and record producer. He is a pioneer in the Electronic music, electronic, Ambient music, ambient and New-age music, new-age genres, and is known for organising out ...

– "Brutalism Take 2"

Sources

* Malins, Steve. ''Depeche Mode: Black Celebration: The Biography''. Andre Deutsch, 2007. * Miller, Jonathan. ''Stripped: Depeche Mode'' 2003, 2004, Omnibus Press * Tobler, John. NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd, 1992. CN 5585.

References

External links

*
Martin Gore Interview
in SPIN
Martin Gore's DJ Chart
from

Beatport Beatport is an American electronic music-oriented online music store owned by LiveStyle. The company is based in Denver, Los Angeles, and Berlin. Beatport is oriented primarily towards disk jockey, DJs, selling full songs as well as resources that ...

Martin Gore on BBC Radio 1's Residency programme (interview and mix)
from

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gore, Martin 1961 births Living people English people of African-American descent English record producers English male songwriters English tenors Depeche Mode members Ivor Novello Award winners People from Basildon English expatriate musicians in the United States Mute Records artists People from Dagenham Musicians from the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham English multi-instrumentalists English rock keyboardists English synth-pop new wave musicians 20th-century English musicians 21st-century English musicians English male new wave singers English new wave singers Autistic musicians English people with disabilities Singers with disabilities