1996-2002 Sexton released Black Sheep, The American, Wonder Bar and Live Wide Open. The activity and worldwide touring behind these records laid the foundation for the career he enjoys today with an uncommonly loyal fan base, selling out venues from New York’s Nokia Theatre to LA’s House of Blues.
Happily and fiercely independent, Martin Sexton launched his own label KTR in 2002. Since then, his continual success through his diversity infiltrates many musical worlds. It’s not uncommon to find Sexton performing at events ranging from the pop world (collaborating with John Mayer) to the Jam scene to classic rock (collaborating with Peter Frampton) to Newport Folk Fest to Bonnaroo to New Orleans Jazz Fest to a performance at Carnegie Hall.
Yet, regardless of his reputation of being a musician’s musician, Sexton can’t keep Hollywood away. His music can be heard in many feature films and television including NBC’s Scrubs, Parenthood and Showtime’s hit series Brotherhood.
Stage, film, and television asidewhen Sexton isn’t touring he often mixes entertainment with his sense of social responsibility. Playing at Paul Newman’s Hole in The Wall Gang camp benefits, The Children’s Tumor Foundation, John Lennon Tribute/Japan Earthquake benefit, and the recent Hurricane Irene Victim benefit in Burlington Vermont are among the many.
“Martin Sexton is ripe with raw, expansive talent. His voice comes in a hundred impossible shades. His songs are sweet and spirited and soulful. His repertoire is like a cross-country tour of the American musical vernacular.” Boston Globe
The New York Times wrote that this artist “jumps beyond standard fare on the strength of his voice, a blue-eyed soul man’s supple instrument,” adding that “his unpretentious heartiness helps him focus on every soul singer’s goal: to amplify the sound of the ordinary heart.”
Since 2007/08 Sexton began his most successful years to date with the release of his studio offering, Seeds. The album debuted at #6 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart, and the Los Angeles Times writes, “Call him a soul shouter, a road poet, a folkie or a rocker and you wouldn’t be wrong.”
On the heels of Seeds, the CD/DVD set Solo released October 2008. The album captures Sexton’s critically acclaimed incendiary live set in theatres coast-to-coast featuring an acoustic cover of Purple Rain. It also includes a DVD of his performance at Denver’s Mile High Festival.
In 2010 the album Sugarcoating is released finding this one-of-a-kind-troubadour doing what he does best: locating larger truths. After hearing it, NBC anchor Brian Williams seeks Martin out to sit down for an interview backstage at the Beacon Theatre New York. It’s now featured on MSNBC’s BriTunes.
Fall Like Rain, Sexton’s latest offering, an EP, finds this artist again asking relevant questions and challenging the status quo. He continues to call for unity in the song One Voice Together, there’s no left and right, no red and blue, no black and white, just me and you, and continues with, in a world of warfare, peace is bad for business…
His soul-marinated voice (Rolling Stone) shimmers on the soaring falsetto on the title track I wanna feel, I wanna fall like rain, without the shelter so I can see which way the wind is blowin’ today.
When asked, why an EP? Sexton replies, “I could have written another 8 songs and recorded and produced them and waited another 6 months or whatever, but I felt that these songs were relevant today, and in a down economy, we’re getting new music to people for the price of a soy latte.”