Gerald L. Martini (born October 1, 1942) is an American musician, best known for being the saxophonist for

Sly and the Family Stone Sly and the Family Stone was an American band from San Francisco. Active from 1966 to 1983, it was pivotal in the development of funk, soul, rock, and psychedelic music. Its core line-up was led by singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi-i ...

. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 as a member of Sly and the Family Stone.

Early life

Martini was born in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Colorado. He was introduced to music at an early age. By 12 years old, he had learned to play the ukulele, accordion, and clarinet. It was at 13 he learned the saxophone, his instrument of choice. Only two years later, he began gigging at local bars. While gigging, Martini attended

San Francisco City College City College of San Francisco (CCSF or City College) is a public community college in San Francisco, California. Founded as a junior college in 1935, the college plays an important local role, annually enrolling as many as one in nine San Franci ...

for three years attending music classes. Meanwhile, he played in a local band called Joe Piazza and the Continentals. It was here he befriended and first played alongside

Sly Stone Sylvester Stewart (born March 15, 1943), better known by his stage name Sly Stone, is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer who is most famous for his role as frontman for Sly and the Family Stone, playing a critical role in the ...

.Lewis, Miles Marshall (2006). ''Sly and the Family Stone's There's a Riot Goin' On''. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing USA. The group frequently provided music for the popular television show KPIX Dance Party hosted by Dick Stewart. Martini's reputation grew even more when the Continentals backed the popular group

The Viscaynes The Viscaynes were an American doo-wop group from Vallejo, California, United States, that released a few singles in the early 1960s. They also had a regional hit with the song "Yellow Moon". One of their members Sylvester Stewart, later known as ...

on the recording of their hit single "Yellow Moon". The Continentals were also believed to be the backing group for an early Janet Ericco recording, "It Was A Lie" bw "Come Along With Me" under the pseudonym The Twilights. After leaving the Continentals, Martini joined a popular interracial cover group called George and Teddy and the Condors, where he built his reputation even more. Sly Stone even used Martini to play on

Bobby Freeman Robert Thomas Freeman (June 13, 1940 – January 23, 2017)"Bobby Freeman"
Ace Records.co.uk. Retrieve ...

's 1964 single, "

C'mon and Swim "C'mon and Swim" is a song by Bobby Freeman, written by Thomas Coman and Sylvester Stewart (later known as Sly Stone) and produced by Stewart. It reached #5 on the U.S. pop chart in 1964. It was featured on Freeman's 1964 album ''C'mon and Swim'' ...

". After scoring a deal with Warner Brothers, George and Teddy and the Condors were sent to Italy in 1965 to build their fanbase. The tour bombed, and Martini realized that the band was going nowhere. While Stone held a disc jockey gig at

KSOL KSOL (98.9 FM "Que Buena 98.9 y 99.1") is a Spanish language radio station in San Francisco, California. KSQL (99.1 FM) simulcasts the station in Santa Cruz. KSOL and KSQL program a format consisting of regional Mexican music and talk shows. ...

, Martini stopped by once a week to visit. He approached him with an idea of forming a band, which Stone eventually took him up on.

Sly and the Family Stone

It was at Martini's suggestion that Sly and the Family Stone came about, and he became one of its key figures. He performed with the band from its inception in 1967 to its demise in 1975. In 1975, he appeared on Sly Stone's first solo album, '' High on You''.

Outside Sly and the Family Stone

In 1977, he also performed on Larry Graham's

Graham Central Station Graham Central Station was an American funk music, funk band named after founder Larry Graham (formerly of Sly and the Family Stone). The name is a pun on New York City's Grand Central Terminal, often colloquially called Grand Central Station. ...

fifth album, ''

Now Do U Wanta Dance ''Now Do U Wanta Dance'' is the fifth album by Graham Central Station. Released on April 1, 1977, the album peaked at number twelve on the Billboard Top Soul Albums. Track listing All songs written by Larry Graham except where indicated. #"H ...

''. He was also in the band

Rubicon The Rubicon ( la, Rubico; it, Rubicone ; rgn, Rubicôn ) is a shallow river in northeastern Italy, just north of Rimini. It was known as Fiumicino until 1933, when it was identified with the ancient river Rubicon, famously crossed by Julius Ca ...

during the late 1970s. In 2004–2005, he helped form the tribute band FamilyStoneExperience bringing together several Family Stone alumni, including

Greg Errico Greg Errico (born September 1, 1948) is an American musician and record producer, best known as the drummer for the popular and influential psychedelic soul/funk band Sly and the Family Stone. Background Errico was born and grew up in San Franc ...

Cynthia Robinson Cynthia Robinson (January 12, 1944 – November 23, 2015) was an American musician, best known for being a founding member, the trumpeter and a vocalist in Sly and the Family Stone. Her voice and presence were featured in the hits "Dance to the ...

, Dawn Silva and Gail Muldrow amongst others. In February 2017, Martini was performing with band Family Stone at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts. In August 2019, Martini toured with Family Stone.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martini, Jerry 1943 births Living people American people of Italian descent American rock saxophonists American funk saxophonists American male saxophonists American soul musicians Musicians from Denver Sly and the Family Stone members 21st-century saxophonists Rubicon (American band) members