Martha Ladley

Martha Ladly
Martha Ladly 2011
Nationality	Canadian
Occupation	Associate Professor of Interaction Design
Known for	Academic, Designer & former international popstar

Martha Jane Ladly is a Canadian academic, designer and musician. She is professor of design at OCAD University. Ladly also has had a long career as a musician and achieved international fame as part of rock band Martha and the Muffins. She had a solo career in the mid-1980s and then worked in design and education.

A student at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto, Ontario, Ladly was invited to join new wave band Martha and the Muffins in 1978. She became one of two vocalists and keyboard players named Martha in the band. The other Martha was Martha Johnson, who sang lead on the majority of the group's songs, including their biggest hit, 1980's "Echo Beach".

Ladly played with the band from 1978 to 1980 and sang lead vocals on the group's seventh single, "Was Ezo", which she co-composed. Ladly left the band in August 1980 for an art scholarship. She subsequently relocated to the United Kingdom. During her time in England, while pursuing her twin interests in music and visual art, Ladly became friends with a number of popular British musical acts. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark credits Ladly for suggesting the titles of their 1981 hit album Architecture & Morality and their 1984 hit single "Tesla Girls". In 1982, Ladly provided backing vocals for Roxy Music and joined cult Scottish post-punk act The Associates appearing with them on Top of the Pops. She left The Associates in 1986 and subsequently worked with Robert Palmer's band.

Ladly established a short solo career in the early 1980s, releasing two singles: ("Finlandia" and "Light Years from Love"). She concurrently worked in visual arts and design with designer Peter Saville. Her painting Factus 8 was used by Saville for the sleeve of New Order's EP 1981 - Factus 8 - 1982.