quote:
One of the more curious characters of the new wave movement, singer/guitarist/songwriter

issued several critically acclaimed yet commercially underappreciated releases from the late '70s through the early '80s, before reappearing in the mid-'90s.
Born John Martin in Oklahoma during 1950,

played in local bands, including a rockabilly group, the Disciples, while attending the University of Oklahoma.

relocated to Los Angeles in the late '60s and paid the rent as a session musician, playing on albums by Del Shannon and Jackie DeShannon. But soon, his former Disciples bandmates followed him to the land of surf and sun, changing their name to Southwind and issuing a total of three underappreciated country-rock albums on the Blue Thumb label between 1969 and 1973: a self-titled debut, Ready to Ride, and What a Place to Land.
Upon the group's split,

returned to session work, contributing to Jesse Ed Davis' Ululu, Linda Ronstadt's Silk Purse, and a few Gram Parsons songs that have gone unreleased.

also began to focus on a solo career at this time, adopting the nickname "

" from friends, after it became an inside joke at the songwriter's penchant for mentioning that word in his compositions.