| Birth Name: | Alan Raymond Brearley |
| Birth Date: | 1944 12, df=y |
| Birth Place: | Newcastle upon Tyne, England |
| Genre: | Jazz, pop |
| Occupation: | Bassist |
| Associated Acts: | The Tornados, The Saints, The Peddlers |
Tab Martin (born Alan Raymond Brearley; 24 December 1944) is an English bass guitarist. He has been a member of well-known English bands from the 1960s. He was a member of the Tornados and played on their hit "Globetrotter". He was also a member of the Peddlers and played on their hits "Birth" and "Girlie". He also founded 1960s group the Saints.
Martin was born in Newcastle on 24 December 1944.[1] Martin was known for his technique of playing his bass in an upright fashion.[2] [3] [4]
In 1967, Martin was no. 9 in the Bass Guitarist section of the Beat Instrumental Gold Star Awards.[5]
Martin became a member of the Tornados when he replaced Chris Hodges. He left the group a month after they released the single "Globetrotter" and was replaced by former Pirates member Brian Gregg. He went on to form his own band, the Saints.[6] In April 1964, along with Roy Phillips and Trevor Morais, Martin formed the Peddlers.[7] The Peddlers had a minor hit with "Let the Sunshine", followed by a top twenty hit with "Birth" and followed by another hit, "Girlie".[8] The group's album Birthday which was released on Epic also charted.[9] [8] Martin continued with the Peddlers, with New Zealand drummer Paul Johnston replacing Morais in 1972. He stayed with the group until their breakup in the mid-1970s. After that, he became a session musician.[7] [8]
Martin produced a single for the Otis Waygood Band. The single "Get It Started" b/w "Red Hot Passion" was released on Decca in 1977.[10] He also produced "Making Up Again" which was a hit single for UK group Goldie.[11] [12] In 1978, he and Dominic De Sousa were working for MAM Records.[13] They worked together, producing the "Disco Hell" single for Dafne and the Tenderspots which was released the following year.[14] In an interview with Radio New Zealand in May, 2020, Roy Phillips said Martin was living in Lisbon and battling Alzheimers disease,https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/2018747745/roy-phillips-still-going-strong-50-years-after-girlie
