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Billie Ray Martin

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Billie Ray Martin is a female singer born in Hamburg, Germany noted for her elegant, soulful voice as much as her avante-garde persona.

Career

She has had numerous worldwide dance music hits in various collaborations and as a solo artist. Initially a guest singer for S'Express, she went on to much greater success and prominence with the electronic/pop group Electribe 101. Although their debut album Electribal Memories was critically acclaimed, Electribe 101 disbanded before they could complete their second album.

Billie Ray Martin then went on to forge her own solo career. Her very first single for WEA was the worldwide hit "Your Loving Arms," today considered a house music classic. The song hit the Billboard Hot 100 twice, peaking at #87 in 1995 and at #46 a year later. The song was also a success across Europe, peaking at #1, and remained on European charts for many weeks. It also topped the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. Follow-up singles included "Running Around Town," "Imitation Of Life" and "Honey." "Imitation of Life", also a classic, is notable for its intense emotional "downdraft" married seamlessly to a slick techno groove.

Since then Billie has worked with Al Green, Ann Peebles, Carla Thomas and members of Aretha Franklin's band on her album "18 Carat Garbage", performed her "Repulsion" show (a live score to the Roman Polanski movie) to great acclaim at both the Electric Cinema on Portobello Road and at London's Institute of Contemporary Art, and she continues to release cutting-edge electronic music, such as her current releases "No Brakes on My Rollerskates" and "Dead Again".

She is currently recording new material, including a number of collaborations with former Marc Almond co-writer and Cactus Rain member Anni Hogan. Recently she began a tongue-in-cheek career as a club dj as a means to be more social and keep busy. After numerous surprise critical nods, "Konputerliebe" is flourishing as a club "event" and Billie has taken to the road to dj in European cities as well as her current home in London.

See also

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