| Birth name | Kurt Kohn |
| Born | October 11th, 1918, Vienna, Austria |
| Died | February 7th, 1988, Johannesburg, South Africa (aged 69) |
| Also known as | Raymond Stuart Martin (anglicised name) Marshall Ross (pseudonym) Buddy Cadbury | Tony Simmonds | Lester Powell (alternate names) |
| Occupations | music director, composer, conductor, orchestra leader |
Martin was born in Vienna, Austria, on October 11, 1918. He studied at the Vienna Academy of Music and
Fine Arts when he was old enough, spending five years there
until he moved to Britain in 1938. He began to tour with orchestras and bands
for various gigs until World War II came around.
Nearly two thousand refugees were dispatched to Australia on the Dunera as
enemy aliens and initially sent to a complex of camps in Hay in rural New
South Wales.
Within two months, internees had established a theatre with stage lights
contrived from empty jam and petrol tins. They performed musical comedies
written on arrival in the camp: Hay Fever in camp 7 and Hay Days are Happy
Days, to which 120 internees contributed in one way or another, in camp 8.
The musicians' improvisation skills were put to good use in a mock jazz band
with internees mimicking instruments with their mouths. Ray Martin (the new
name chosen by Kurt Kohn), who later became known in England and America for
popular and film music, wrote ironic lyrics about internment in the outback
heat: "Make your Hay Days your gay days / Yours is all the fun / Yours is all
the sun. In 1941 he joined the
Intelligence Corps until his playing abilities brought him to leading a radio
dance band for the British Forces. He also booked variety shows for the
soldiers, bringing many popular acts to see the troops in Germany. After
leaving the military, he returned to England where he immediately dove back
into composing. He was given his first radio series in 1947, leading to
further exposure to the British public, and he even released a single through
singer Vera Lynn. He conducted comedian Danny Kaye's U.K. tour and formed the
BBC Northern Variety Orchestra, which he conducted until 1951. He started
recording in 1949, working for several big-name labels and releasing many
orchestral favorites.
Martin became one of the joint A&R managers at Columbia Records when he
left the orchestra, leading to his entry into television. Due to its growing
popularity, he decided to try his hand at writing scores for various TV shows.
After successfully working in that industry (while maintaining his A&R job at
the same time), he left England and signed to RCA Records in America. His
career was starting to slow from increasing age, and he only made occasional
visits to Britain after making the move. He recorded six LPs in Paris for
Polydor in the '60s, but his deteriorating health brought him back to Britain
in 1972. He still continued to move around, finding himself in South Africa by
1978 despite an increasingly difficult battle with cancer. He fought long and
hard against the disease, even building a broadcasting career in his new
country. But on February 7, 1988, his health problems became too much and he
died at the age of 69. His influence on British music was quite large, and
although he did not produce much material in the latter part of his life, his
legacy will live on for years to come.
| Year | Album | Label |
| 1957 | Vibrations | EMI Music Distribution |
| 1958 | Million Dollar Melodies | EMI Music Distribution |
| 1959 | Rockin' Strings | RCA Victor |
| 1961 | Dynamica | Cloud 9 Records |
| 2005 | Ray Martin & Bernie Bennings Celebrate Elvis' 70th Anniversary |
| 1958 | Pop Goes The Swingin' Marching Band (LP, Mono) | RCA Victor |
| 1959 | Pop Goes The Swingin' Marching Band (LP) | RCA |
| 1961 | The Rockin' Strings Of Ray Martin (LP, Album) | RCA |
| 1964 | The Sound Of Sight | Decca |
| 1963 | The Sound Of Sight (LP, Album) | Decca |
| 1964 | The Sound Of Sight (LP, Album, Gat) | London Records |
| 1964 | The Sound Of Sight (LP, Album) | Decca |
| 1964 | The Sound Of Sight (LP, Album, Gat) | London Records |
| 1964 | The Sound Of Sight (Reel, 4 T) | London Records |
| 1964 | Dancing After Dark (LP, Mono) | Summit (3) |
| 1975 | Romance In Wien (LP) | Music For Pleasure |
| Unknown | Music In The Ray Martin Manner (LP) | Columbia |
| Singles & EPs | ||
| 1958 | Rah-En-Gay (7", Single) | United Artists Records |
| 1961 | Who's Sorry Now? / Blueberry Hill (7", Single) | RCA Victor |