Ray Martin (orchestra leader)
| Ray Martin | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Kurt Kohn |
| Also known as | Marshall Ross |
| Born | 11 October 1918 |
| Origin | Vienna, Austria |
| Died | 7 February 1988 (aged 69) |
| Occupation(s) | Music director, composer, conductor, orchestra leader |
| Instruments | Violin |
| Years active | 1940s-1980s |
Ray Martin (Raymond Stuart Martin; born Kurt Kohn and later anglicised his name) (11 October 1918 - 7 February 1988) was a British-Austrian orchestra leader. He was noted for his light music compositions. Allmusic journalist, Bradley Torreano stated "Ray Martin created a legacy for himself in British popular music through his work with his orchestra during the 1950s. His regular appearances on radio and television kept him in the public spotlight, while his position at EMI Records made him an influential producer at the label. His use of pseudonyms has blurred the path of his career through the years, making his many contributions even harder to keep track of. But his original compositions are what really made him popular; tracks like "Marching Strings" have become stables of many public and city bands and orchestras since their release".
Raymond Stuart Martin was born in Vienna, Austria, and was initially a violinist. He went to the State Academy of Music and Fine Art in Vienna. In 1938, he immigrated to England and was a Carroll Levis discovery. Around this time, Ray was viewed by the British government as possible German spy during World War II, so he was arrested and placed on the Dunera ship that took him and many others to Australia where he was interned at Hay, Tatura and Loveday prisoner of war camps. He returned to England in October 1941 joining the British Army having been officially cleared. As he was multilingual, he served in the Intelligence Corps for six years. He became an arranger and composer for the Royal Air Force Band. During this time, he also managed to rescue his brother, who was imprisoned in a concentration camp or possibly a prisoner of war camp. After the war's end, he worked in radio for the British Forces Network in Hamburg, Germany, and later formed his own orchestra for a programme called Melody from the Sky which had over 500 performances.
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