Updated as of 6/24/08

Happy Summer!  :)  
Hope everyone is well and enjoying the crazy summer
weather... thunderstorms, heat waves, hail stones...
oh my!  Watch yourselves!!!

Wanted to mention I've listed a new link on the
Home
page where you can sign a petition sponsored by the
Lifetime network to have Congress put pressure on the
Insurance companies to allow women the appropriate
time to recover from their breast cancer surgeries.
It's important.  Please think about signing.


I will be back at the Belvidere Market for two more
appearances this summer:
July 26  and  August 9.
Mark your calendars!!! :)
(See the thumbnail at the bottom of this update for the
flyer details! :) )  And check out my MySpace page -
I've also joined
Top 40 Charts, which you can visit
from the link on my page there -- I'm still working on
linking it directly on my site.... :)

Don't forget --  The Tullahoma Songwriter's Circle is
meeting at the Sweet Aroma Cafe
every third (3rd)  TUESDAY, 6 to 8pm.  
If you are in the Tullahoma area, are a songwriter, or
are just someone who wants to listen to some live
music, please come by and join us!  We will be there
next on
Tuesday, July 15th!
We're open to the public!!!   
More details on the TSC page!  

Check out the MS Support page for anyone
interested...  the Tullahoma MS Self Help meeting for
July will be Monday, July 14th at Western Sizzlin' on
Jackson Street in Tullahoma -- 11 AM in the back room.
 See you then!

Remember to check the
Memories page for any news
or mail I get regarding "the boys"! :)  

Ted Garber's myspace website:
http://www.myspace.com/tedgarbermusic


And I'm a once-again-published-poet! :)  
My poem "Be Silent No More" was published in a
compilation called
Collected Whispers by the
International Library of Poetry.  The poem is on my
Poetry page....

That's about all the updates for this month! Have a
great June! :) :) :)  Stay safe!  And use Sunscreen!!
Kathy
Kathy Martin
Singer ~ Songwriter ~ Guitarist ~ Poet ~ Computer Artist
Counter
Visitors to this site
June
Her music can add the perfect
touch to any occasion.
"I've played for everything from huge,
outside weddings to a tiny,
hole-in-the-wall bar with a stage cage...  
from a wake for a little boy in Northeast
DC to a baby shower in Potomac,
Maryland.  I feel as if I've seen it all!"
Click above or TSC on the Menu
Kathy most recently performed
with the band "The River", also
featuring Lou Pfrang, Bobby
Flurie, Bill Bates and
Michael Mayo.
"It's a lot of fun playing with the guys.
 It's not all on your shoulders then...
and I love singing harmony.  But it's
still fun to play solo, when I get the
chance.
When asked what her plans
for the future are, Kathy says,
"I think I'm learning how not to make
a ton of plans and just to take things
as they come.  Doesn't mean I'm not
always thinking of different things I
might want to do, and I'm still
writing... I hope I'll always be able to
do that!"
Please continue to keep our military personnel in your thoughts and prayers.  They are
serving their country in these troubled, troubled times. These are our own kids out there...
whether or not we know them personally.  Please keep them always on your mind!

God Bless Everyone!  

...yes, the price of glory is high...
still paid by the fortunes of war......
Kathy Martin is a former Air Force brat, born in Fort Dix, NJ.  Singing started in church and school
choirs, leading to wedding work.  And that led to her decision to try an open mike night at a local Virginia
restaurant in 1978.  Kathy worked the open mike circuit like a job – 4 different places, 4 nights a week – for
about a year and a half.  Before she knew it, she’d spent 12 years as a solo artist, playing the clubs and bars
and restaurants all over the area.  The last 5 of those 12 years were also spent sitting in with Holly & Lou, a
local duo act – Holly Garber and Lou Pfrang.  Jobs together became more frequent and soon they were doing
club gigs, weddings, private parties and New Year’s Eve dates.  Also during that time, Kathy did some
recording work for Charlie Barnett (whose band at the time was called The Correctones).  He was writing
jingles, and asked Kathy to sing on his demo tapes.  Some of those demos became radio commercials,
including a short-lived one for Oldsmobile and one for Banner Glass, which aired off and on for about 2 years
in the Washington/ Baltimore area.  

It took about 4 years total, but she was able to release her own cassette tape, entitled “
Kathy Martin – NOW”.   
The title song, written by Lou Pfrang, was performed with
Sanford Markley, another local artist, who did all the
arranging and recording of her original material.  The half studio, half live tape was well received, but sold a
little less than 500 copies.  “Marketing is everything, you know”, she laughs.

Kathy moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1991.  With the live music scene in Vegas almost non-existent at the
time, she kept her foot in the music biz by going to the Karaoke clubs – even made some money that way.  
She opened for the “Elvis” act at the El Morocco on the strip (she was the show’s Patsy Cline), and was also
able to start her own open mike night at a tiny place called The Glass Pool.  From contacts there, she fell into
more recording work, doing background vocals for some of the “Legends”-type shows in Reno and Laughlin.

When Kathy came back from Las Vegas in 1994, she found that Lou Pfrang was working in a duo with
Ross Firey – they called themselves Riverbend.   She started sitting in and, when they found they had a great
trio sound, started playing more and more with the guys as their 3rd part harmony.  She also started working
with Lou as the duo Green Lights.

Over the years, Riverbend/Green Lights went through many metamorphoses.  The band simply became The
River.  As the core of the group, Lou and Kathy worked with many different players, including Bobby Flurie, Bill
Bates, and Michael Mayo.

Kathy learned in 1998 that she has had multiple sclerosis since at least 1991 (more probably since 1985),
and now Type 2 Diabetes has been added to her mix.  It’s more difficult for her to play for long periods of
time, but she still likes to sing and play the music she loves when the opportunity presents itself.  And
writing… she wants very much to continue to write more songs.  She's currently playing and singing music
for masses at St. Paul's Catholic Church with Mark & Carlos every week, and she's one of the founding
members of the Tullahoma Songwriter's Circle that meets monthly to sing and play original music.  And
she's branched out into children's books and poetry ventures as well (poetry has been published --- books,
not so much yet...).  She’d also love to be able to sing blues and jazz standards at a piano so she wouldn’t
have to concentrate on playing guitar.   Who knows... Any players out there?   
If you would be interested in finding out more
about the rising Diabetes epedemic in the US,
please click on the butterfly icon below labeled
DB and it will take you to the American Diabetes
Association Website.
If you would be interested in finding out more
about Multiple Sclerosis, please click on the  
butterfly icon below labeled for MS and it will
take you to the NMSS Website.
MS
DB
If you'd be interested in learning more about what
we with MS deal with every day, here's a really  
interesting page on the NMSS site.  It's called
"The Faces of MS"
My story is under
"Facing MS with Attitude
"
Article
not
available
Bangkok,
Thailand, 1969
Washington Post, 1998
Riverbend Publicity Photo,
1996
Cape Gazette, 1996
Reston-Herndon Folk
Club Showcase, 2004
Favorites...
What Artists Were Your Biggest Influences in Music?

Billy Joel
I was and still am in awe of his songwriting talent, not to mention the piano playing AND he could sing it seemed
like everything!  I knew every one of his songs by heart and for about 8 years when I was able, I went to every
concert I possibly could.  He's an amazing artist who is still going strong!

Barbra Striesand
I saw her in "Funny Girl" on a 2-story high theatre screen in Bangkok, Thailand, and said WOW!  I want to be able
to sing like that!  I used to practice in the mirror with a hairbrush for a mike, belting out "Don't tell me not to live,
just sit and putter" at the top of my lungs along with her record.  (Yes, that's right people.  I said record!)  :)  She's
the ultimate "voice" to aspire to.  And I always tried to match her note for note.   I'm sure that's what helped me
gain what range I ended up with later in my career.

Glen Campbell
When we returned from Thailand, it was 1970, and there was a lot of strangeness going on in the Washington DC
area.  I stayed in a lot and TV was my friend.  So Glen Campbell became my friend, with his Goodtime Hour.  He
doesn't know it, but he taught me to pick the guitar.  I used to watch him every week and that's how I learned to do
it.  Friends helped me with bar chords and things later, but my original "picking style" came from Mr. C.  
Thanks, Glen!

Bette Midler
She helped me appreciate what Rock & Roll really, really was.  I didn't REALLY get it until I saw her performance in
"The Rose".  Everything changed for me after that.  The light bulb went on!  I got it.

Linda Ronstadt
Maybe my biggest influence in the '70's because I could sing all her material since we had such similar ranges and
I loved everything she seemed to choose to cover; from Smokey Robinson to Willie Nelson to Warren Zevon - she
did it all.  And I wanted to do that.  Plus it didn't hurt that The Eagles were her back-up band!  :)
What's in the CD player lately?
Sherry Lawson's "Leap and the Net will Appear" -- her newest!  It's great!!! :)
Seen any good movies?
Been re-seeing all the Pirate movies on TV... and just got to see the DVD of the 2nd National
Treasure!  
What are you watching on TV?
Never changes!  CSI, CSI-Miami, and CSI-NY, Numb3rs, Criminal Minds and NCIS.  We also
started watching Eureka - really like the quirkiness!  ;)  And I've taken to watching The Closer
with Kyra Sedgwick!  Love her, thank you very much!

HOWEVER... I have become a Design Show junkie as of late!!!  Color Splash, Design on a
Dime, Divine Design and the like...  watch 'em every chance I can catch 'em!!!!  Can't seem to
get enough!

Otherwise, Headline News, The History Channels, The Military Channel, Hallmark or The
Biography Channel are usually on in our house!  :)  
What are you reading these days?
All things Nora Roberts and/or J.D. Robb... can't seem to get enough... and I'm reading Janet
Evonovich... gotta love her Stephanie Plumb... :)
If you want more information on Oral
Cancer and what you can do, click
on the Oral Cancer Foundation logo
to go to their website.
Click this ribbon
to go to
The
Susan G. Komen
Breast Cancer
Foundation

website.
Click the hat at
right to go to
another cool
website:
http://www.check
yourboobies.org/
The Battle
This is dedicated to anyone out there battling with the dreaded Big C, whether
it's breast cancer or any other kind, like my sister did with oral cancer.  In the
last statistics I saw, 1 in 33 breast cancer patients loses their fight with cancer.  
That's hopeful for the 32, but we need more help for the one we're losing... click
on the ribbon at right if you'd like to find out how you can help.
Pretty in Pink
Ringlets
These are some other items from the "Art Gallery".  
If you want to take your life in your own hands and peruse the rest of the collections, click on the flower pot above.  :)
Emotional Heart
Orchid Moons
Thanks for the visit - come back again anytime!
Welcome to My Website!
www.kathymartinmusic.com
Any comments or problems with this site,
please contact the
Webmaster on this link.
Biography

Kathy's
Art Appreciation &
Poetry Corner
This started out as a joke, but has become fun and even sometimes inspirational!
I won't win any awards, but we sometimes get some laughs with the art and now I've found a place to post
my poetry!  If you want to peruse the "Art Gallery" click on the flower pot above and it will take you to the
entire collection -- but at your own risk!  I take no responsibility!!!  :)  
And to browse through "Poet's Pantry" click on the tea cup!
Press/Articles
June 9th at the Jackson Civic Center..
We were there!  Check it out!  
Click on the thumbnails:

GO GREEN COFFEE COUNTY!
Kathy Martin's singing style is reminiscent of Patsy Cline with the soul of Mahalia Jackson.  Whether it's singing
covers or her own original compositions, Kathy wows her audiences with a heartfelt delivery that comes from deep
within and has folks asking for more.  If I'd been a car, then the first time I heard Kathy Martin sing she'd have blown
my doors off.  Kathy is a woman who sings with such deep down feeling… that I can't help but feel she's singing just
for me.
Karen from Annapolis, MD

Kathy’s music is like medicine for my ears.
Vince from Cumberland, RI

I always enjoy Kathy's songs, but the thing I think I like best is that they tell interesting stories.  "The story behind the
song" is one of the most entertaining parts of listening to Kathy.
Sara from Tullahoma, TN

My description of (Kathy) would be "awesome voice, awesome delivery".
Kathleen from Vienna, VA
How would you describe Kathy's music?
Tullahoma News, 2007
Click the link below to join Garth Brooks through the Susan
G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation to donate today!
Click on the thumbnail for
more info on "After Hours" at
the Belvidere Market  
Six Sunflowers
Peace and Love
Sign the petition!  Insurance companies are
forcing women who have to have mastectomies to leave the
hospital before they are really ready.  Allow them their 2 days
for heavens sake!  The doctors and nurses know they need it!  
Make Congress force the insurance companies to stop their
tyranny.  It will take you 1 minute, and it's free.  Just click the
link or the banner to the left!  And thank you!!!
Click on the butterfly to go
back to the top of the page