Jodi Miranda Martin is an Australian singer-songwriter. Her professional music career began in mid-1996 while she was still a student, when she was the opening act for

Arlo Guthrie Arlo Davy Guthrie (born July 10, 1947) is an American folk singer-songwriter. He is known for singing songs of protest against social injustice, and storytelling while performing songs, following the tradition of his father, Woody Guthrie. Gut ...

's first Australian tour. ''Brisbane Times'' called her "one of Australia's most up and coming singer songwriters." She has been influenced by

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her sta ...

and compared to

Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. Chapman is best known for her hit singles "Fast Car" and "Give Me One Reason". Chapman was signed to Elektra Records by Bob Krasnow in 1987. The following year she released ...

and

Suzanne Vega Suzanne Nadine Vega ( Peck; born July 11, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter best known for her folk-inspired music. Vega's music career spans almost 40 years. She came to prominence in the mid-1980s, releasing four singles that entered the ...

Career

1980–1996: Early years and career beginnings

Martin grew up in

Ceduna Ceduna may refer to: *Ceduna, South Australia, a town and locality *Ceduna Airport Ceduna Airport is a public airport in Ceduna, South Australia. The airport, which is owned by the District Council of Ceduna is located adjacent to the Eyre ...

. She began spontaneously composing songs as a three-year-old. By the time she was four, her mum, a schoolteacher, had taken notice of Jodi's compositions and suggested Jodi record the songs on her cassette machine. Jodi grew up listening to her parents' country and folk record collection from

Slim Dusty Slim Dusty, AO MBE (born David Gordon Kirkpatrick; 13 June 1927 – 19 September 2003) was an Australian country music singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He was an Australian cultural icon and one of the country's most awarded stars, ...

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

. By the time Jodi was sixteen, she had taken up guitar and her brother Tony, who was two years younger, had taken up drums. Jodi taught her twelve-year-old sister Robyn bass guitar, and the teenagers began performing their original songs, along with rock and country covers from

Cold Chisel Cold Chisel are an Australian pub rock band, which formed in Adelaide in 1973 by mainstay members Ian Moss on guitar and vocals, Steve Prestwich on drums and Don Walker on piano and keyboards. They were soon joined by Jimmy Barnes (at the ...

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted mo ...

in the pubs and football clubs across South Australia. At the age of sixteen, Jodi began to receive invitations to perform at country music showcases and festival talent quests. Jodi met Kasey and

Nash Chambers Nash Chambers (born 8 May 1974, Mount Gambier) is an Australian record producer, talent manager, audio engineer and multi-instrumentalist. He is a former member of the family country music group, Dead Ringer Band (1986–98), with his father Bil ...

of The Dead Ringer Band at the Victor Harbour Country Music Festival, and they shared stories of growing up on the

Nullarbor Plain The Nullarbor Plain ( ; Latin: feminine of , 'no', and , 'tree') is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its ...

. Nash asked Jodi to send him a recording of her songs, which culminated in Kasey recording Jodi's song "Why" for the Dead Ringer Band's album '' Homefires'' in 1995. In 1995, Jodi enrolled in

Southern Cross University Southern Cross University (SCU) is an Australian public university, with campuses at Lismore and Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales, and at Coolangatta, the most southern suburb of the Gold Coast in Queensland. It is ranked in the top ...

’s contemporary music course to further her studies in songwriting and composition, as well as audio production At the age of 19, Jodi was playing a set at the Lismore Festival's Unplugged stage, which lead to her supporting

on his 1996 Australian tour.

1997–present: Recording career

In 1997, Jodi released ''Sandcastles''. In 2000, Jodi released ''Water and Wood''. The album won the North Coast Entertainment Industry's Dolphin Award for Album of the Year in 2001.

Discography

Albums

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Jodi Living people Australian women guitarists Australian folk musicians Australian folk singers Australian singer-songwriters Slide guitarists Southern Cross University alumni People from Ceduna, South Australia 21st-century Australian singers 21st-century Australian women singers 21st-century guitarists Year of birth missing (living people) Australian women singer-songwriters 21st-century women guitarists