Meet Paul Martin

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has never been smooth, but I believe that is how life works no matter what vocation you choose to make your living with. I wake up thankful every day that I have been able to make my living doing what I love most. Now I do it with the people I love the most! Truly a win/win situation.

I have played and sang on several hit records, and even won a Grammy while with Marty Stuart. Those have been wonderful accomplishments, and it’s those particular things that help keep you from losing sight of why you would even make this journey. At this point in my life, I wouldn’t change one thing.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As a young boy, I became a multi-instrumentalist while working in my father’s recording studio. I have also been a recording engineer and producer for many years. I have played lots of different genres from Bluegrass, country, and Gospel to Heavy Metal I still take everything I do very seriously and continue to try to learn new things about every aspect of the music business.

I study every genre of music to try and understand what is being done to create that particular sound. I am proud of the fact I am known to be easy to get along with, also a hard worker, and when called to play a certain instrument or sing backing vocals, the client seems to always be happy with what I have added to their project.

As a father of 4 children who are extremely talented artists in their own right, I have always tried to nurture them with love, truth, and guidance without being the typical “stage parent.” I have told them that having remarkable talent is wonderful, but without a strong work ethic to go along with it, you might not get to fulfill your dreams. I am very proud of each of them and their efforts.

What are your plans for the future?
The goal is to get the band Rockland Road to a sustainable level of success where we are able to tour in a consistent fashion. All four kids (ages 23,20,16, and 14) are individual artists that are emerging at a pretty rapid pace. Each will be releasing their own projects in the near future, and we will provide the musical backing in our live shows. My vision has always been akin to the old Dick Clark Caravan Of Stars shows from the 60s.

There would be a backing band and the artist would come out and sing their current single. We believe that what we are doing now can bring a lot of musical diversity that could feel as though it’s much like one of those multiple-act shows. The sound the band Rockland Road makes with its 6 part harmony is very unique. Yet the sound each of the individuals in the band make is completely different. If you think of groups like The Eagles or Fleetwood Mac, they had very strong individual artists in their band, that went on to have successful solo careers themselves.

So if you see one of those acts perform today, they tend to do the artists’ solo hits in their shows, right along with the bands’ hits. Jamie and I provide financial and musical support, plus we wear many other hats that go along with touring. We hope to delegate some of those chores to others down the road and mostly participate in the live performances. But we even expect a time where we will limit our time onstage too.