Marilyn Martin (born May 4, 1954) is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 1985 hit duet with

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...

, "

Separate Lives "Separate Lives" is a 1985 song recorded by Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin and featured on the soundtrack to the motion picture ''White Nights''. It reached No. 1 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts as well as in Can ...

", her only number one.

Early life

Marilyn Martin was born on May 4, 1954, in

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

but raised in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

. She was exposed to different genres of music as a child. Her father was a country and bluegrass fan, her mother liked R&B and her grandmother sang gospel. At age 18 she started singing with different bands, eventually joining one from

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County, Ohio, Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 C ...

. After five years of club gigs, the band had an opportunity to tour with

Joe Walsh Joseph Fidler Walsh (born November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has been a member of three successful rock bands: the James Gang, Eagles, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr B ...

, who was headlining with

Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasi ...

. Also on the tour were Michael McDonald,

Boz Scaggs William Royce "Boz" Scaggs (born June 8, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. An early bandmate of Steve Miller in The Ardells and the Steve Miller Band, he began his solo career in 1969, though he lacked a major hit until h ...

, and

Kenny Loggins Kenneth Clark Loggins (born January 7, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. His early songs were recorded with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970, which led to seven albums recorded as Loggins and Messina from 1972 to 1977. His ...

. After the tour, Martin moved to Los Angeles, California, and began a prolific career as a backing vocalist for artists including Stevie Nicks, Joe Walsh,

Don Henley Donald Hugh Henley (born July 22, 1947) is an American musician and a founding member of the rock band Eagles. He is the drummer and one of the lead singers for the Eagles. Henley sang the lead vocals on Eagles hits such as "Witchy Woman", "Despe ...

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the lat ...

and Kenny Loggins.

Career

Martin became a protégée of

Doug Morris Doug Morris (born November 23, 1938) is an American record executive. He is the current chairman of 12Tone Music Group. He previously served as chairman and CEO of the Universal Music Group from 1995 to 2011 and Sony Music Entertainment from 20 ...

, the then-head of

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

, who had heard her backing vocals on Nicks' album, ''

Rock a Little ''Rock a Little'' is the third solo studio album by the American singer and songwriter Stevie Nicks. Released in late 1985 while Fleetwood Mac were still on a lengthy hiatus following their album ''Mirage'' (1982), ''Rock a Little'' hit the top ...

,'' and was impressed enough to ask for a demo. She recorded the Nicks' song "Sorcerer" (on which Nicks sang backing vocals) for the

Jim Steinman James Richard Steinman (November 1, 1947 – April 19, 2021) was an American composer, lyricist and record producer. He also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer. His work included songs in the adult contemporary, rock, dance, pop, mus ...

soundtrack of the 1984 film '' Streets of Fire''. Morris signed Martin to a two-album recording contract and connected her with

for "Separate Lives," part of the soundtrack for the 1985 film ''

White Nights White night, White Night, or White Nights may refer to: * White night (astronomy), a night in which it never gets completely dark, at high latitudes outside the Arctic and Antarctic Circles * White Night festivals, all-night arts festivals held in ...

''. The song was a number one hit in the U.S. and a Top 5 hit in the United Kingdom. Martin's self-titled debut album was released in January 1986, reaching number 72 on the ''Billboard'' 200, with the single " Night Moves" reaching number 28 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Two other singles were also released from the album, "Body and the Beat" and "Move Closer," but neither charted. Her second album, ''

This Is Serious ''This Is Serious'' is the second solo studio album by American singer Marilyn Martin. Except for two tracks, the album was produced entirely by Jon Astley, who had also produced some of Martin's debut album. Michael Verdick and Patrick Leonard pro ...

'', was released in 1988, with its lead single "Possessive Love" written and produced by

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

and

Patrick Leonard Patrick Ray Leonard (born March 14, 1956) is an American songwriter, keyboardist, film composer, and music producer, best known for his longtime collaboration with Madonna. His work with Madonna includes her albums '' True Blue'' (1986), ''Who's ...

. The single "Love Takes No Prisoners" was released as well, with the ballad "Quiet Desperation" as the B-side. The same year, Martin recorded the duet "And When She Danced", used in the movie '' Stealing Home''. Neither the singles nor the album were commercially successful, and Atlantic dropped her. She continued her career as a backing vocalist into the 1990s. In 1993, Martin moved to

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

where she recorded a country album, ''

Through His Eyes Marilyn Martin (born May 4, 1954) is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 1985 hit duet with Phil Collins, "Separate Lives", her only number one. Early life Marilyn Martin was born on May 4, 1954, in Tennessee but raise ...

'', for Atlantic in 1994. The album was never released, but is available through Martin's official website. In 1997, Martin recorded a duet "I Live for Love" with

David Hasselhoff David Michael Hasselhoff (born July 17, 1952), nicknamed "The Hoff", is an American actor, singer, and television personality. He has set a Guinness World Record as the most watched man on TV. Hasselhoff first gained recognition on ''The You ...

, which appears on his album ''Hooked on a Feeling''. On September 14, 2012, Martin released the album ''

Trust, Love, Pray ''Trust, Love, Pray'' is the fourth studio album from American singer Marilyn Martin, released independently in 2012. The album is a collection of original songs of trials, temptations, love, and faith. All of the album's songs were written solely ...

'', a Christian music album featuring songs written by Martin, including "Every Way and Always", which received airplay on Christian, Praise, and Worship stations. Marilyn reunited with Stevie Nicks in October 2016, singing backup vocals for the 24 Karat Gold Tour and filling in for Lori Nicks. She continued working with Stevie Nicks, touring as a backing vocalist with Fleetwood Mac in 2019.

Personal life

Martin currently is a real estate agent in Nashville, where she lives with her husband (guitarist, music producer, and engineer)

Greg Droman Greg Droman is an American record producer, mixing and audio engineer. He has made hit singles and albums for some of the biggest artists in pop, rock, and country music. He has been Grammy and ACM nominated, winning an CMA as producer for A ...

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

Marilyn Martin Marilyn Martin (born May 4, 1954) is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 1985 hit duet with Phil Collins, "Separate Lives", her only number one. Early life Marilyn Martin was born on May 4, 1954, in Tennessee but raise ...

'' (1986) * ''

'' (1988) * ''

'' (2012)

Unreleased album

* ''

'' (1994)

Singles

* "Sorcerer" – 1984, '' Streets of Fire'' soundtrack * "

" - 1985, duet with

, No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 & No. 1 Adult Contemporary * " Night Moves" - 1986, No. 28 Billboard Hot 100 and No. 18 Album Rock Tracks (Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart) * "

Move Closer "Move Closer" is a song by American singer-songwriter Phyllis Nelson that topped the UK Singles Chart in April 1985. History Nelson wrote the ballad in 1984. It was a complete departure from the type of music she had been recording; she had been ...

" – 1986 * "Body and the Beat" – 1986 * "Possessive Love" – 1988 * "Love Takes No Prisoners" – 1988 * "And When She Danced" - 1988, duet with

David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His music career spans mor ...

(#73 Canada) * "No Regrets" – 1992, duet with Charles Dumont * "Through His Eyes" – 1994

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Marilyn 1954 births 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers American women songwriters Atlantic Records artists American performers of Christian music American real estate brokers American pop rock singers American soft rock musicians American synth-pop musicians American women country singers American country singer-songwriters Living people Singer-songwriters from Tennessee Singer-songwriters from Kentucky Musicians from Louisville, Kentucky Country musicians from Kentucky Rock musicians from Kentucky 20th-century American women singers Kentucky women musicians Singers from Kentucky 21st-century American women singers Country musicians from Tennessee