Martin Holland

from the start of my professional career as bassist, way back in 1975, i have been honored to perform and record with many amazing players in wide range of genres.  for all they have taught me, given me the opportunity to grow, i will forever be grateful. this is a list of everyone well known and not so well known. you are my teachers! i love and thank you all !     

  MELVIN SEALS - jgb   STANLEY TURRENTINE    ‘godfather of reggae’ joe higgs    the mighty sparrow    frankie Lee jones    STEVE KIMOCK    KIM WESTON   LENNY WILLIAMS   ramblin' jack elliot  hux brown   BUZZY LINHART   DON PRESTON   BUNK GARDNER   WARREN HAYNES   BILL KREUTZMANN    lloyd gregory   DAVID GARIBALDI    mediterranean soul   TONY LINDSEY    LYDIA PENSE   DONNA GODCHAUX    ernesto brown    PAUL MCCANDLESS   JACKIE GREENE   TOM CONSTANTEN   BILL WALTON   RODNEY FRANKLIN    BRIAN COLLIER   WILL SCARLETT   DAVID KAFFENETTI   ian samwell   steve jordan   ivan najara   tony unger   RONNIE MONTROSE   miz dee   MERLE SAUNDERS   BILL SPOONER   ‘lady’ bianca thorton   DANNY KALB   DAVID PEEL   filmore slim    janice maxie reed   bill mackay   freddy hughes   vince herman    peter philis   nat bolden   the pointless sisters    the human code   ‘dr’ percy scott    kim wilson   freddy roulette   eric henderson    jules broussard    billy ‘shoes’ johnson    the platters    the coasters    the drifters    achilles wheel   david kemper    bodhi busick & the world leaders   eric mcfadden   mind x   chris skidmore    big nurse   gail muldrow    alvin youngblood hart    stephen holland    the hot links    johnny heartsman   tom ryan    henry kaiser    the funky gators    tom macdonald    drake levin    rand anderson   peter wilson    ron hull    nathan lapointe    easy wind    rosalie sorrels   wavey gravy   bob coons    richard howell   deaddreams    johnny harper    diane swan    danny campbell    ronnie stewart & the east bay blues society band    zakiya  hooker    danny eisenburg    electric wasteband    scott guberman    clapton hook    rankin scroo & sistah ginger    don paul   jennifer jolly   chris james    bt hiro    james henry    minor williams   richie aquan    john girton    susan tedeski    garrett deloian   the new monsoon    buddy craig   john baker    beverly watson    robert harvey   ray weston   tom brogan    the ponies    will knapp   floyd ‘redcrow’ westerman    patti jo king   austin bach    bobby webb    vince welnick    ashton slater    lamar chase   kofi baker   gloria jones    jackie labranch    jerry jennings    johnny knox    migs and the pigs    mike shapiro    chopsmaster j    david carano    hempstring orchestra    kentucky dead    british invasion    dave shaffner   nick quartarone   albert margolis    richie uhl    michael ‘spiderman’ robinson   chris sandoval    doug freeman    paul pinto   neil campensano   neil hampton    eric gabriel   dave chesavage    ‘magic’ murf    chris martinez    michael cotinas blues band   eric bowen   tanya scarlett    fernando norjana    ricardo scales    rick zamora   sandy rothman    vince littleton     rick redington   jimmy pailer   carl lockett   propeller   rob holland   martin fierro    rick higgs    bruce spencer    matt rainy & dippin sauce    TOMMY BRADFORD    greg elmore   john hanaho    allen vega   paul kamm & eleanore macdonald    nick sandoval   vision    loca mota    ez money    bill vitt   david vega   jenessa noland    stu allen   darleen colman   derick hughes     eric david tillman    larry green    ed lyon    ted tesoriero    scott mcDowell    bana witt   george barnado    oc groove    michael russeck    jonathan richman    izzy tooinski    dima panich    oleg sweet    judith harris coleman    mary holland   jerry woods    ‘big’ john evans   eric solton     rod webber    robert stewart    blazing redheads    kate livoni    zorina london    nichole da luz    randy green    angel reyes   sam cox    taylor p collins    marco acosta   michael peed   faye carrol   shirley starks    cheryl rucker    peter horvath    felipe ferrez    todd gardner    chad hollister    arapuka    scott law    mark little    brian knave    jonny mojo    bobby warren    bob jones   mike devine    casey simpson    jorge solovera   chris fraire    brian ‘nucci’ cantrell    mikail graham    spencer allen    alligator    mitch stein   glen pierson    gary wright    paul wood    quadrabop   jahari sai    emerson rose    charles unger    moody scott    tony galioto    jimmy malone    aftershock    minus zero    julie jo hughes    lowell ‘banana’ levinger    greg antons    tony colman    eric everett   jim wednt    trey sabatelli   tractor gut    doc west    tony archimedes    greg richardson   tim eads   tony dey    paul brown    jenny kerr    levi lloyd    a times square reunion    john griffin   rick zamora    jody sanguinetti    glen stern   bernard anderson    mark fisher    insect fear   ed fletcher    no head   the fabulous hasbeens   zero   harry harpoon & the housewreckers   mark bentley   skeleton crew    steve johnson     driving the bus    mindwinder   rolf carl    charles steinloft    avarado brothers   west coast rhythm section    mystery train    cathy hackett    melissa robin    julie sax    tommy bryant    jimmy miller    dale head    frank lazarro   ralph davies   chase pado    bob campion    mike rose   danny brant   grant walthal   zac johnson    joel martin   george makrinos    steve dunn    ge smith    john devine    carolyn mcnabb   joe nipper   jose ramos    wingnut adams   mark mccarthy    dan shapiro    terri new    dave friedman  gary hamilton    dave pinkerton    brett davis   john kadlecik   sean barfly   chris devito    leo boots    jimmy bagshaw    jeffrey feltcher    shawn king   henry robinett   cody sherman   will snyder   king henry alexander   erik kleven    jeff cooper    johnny nugget   dale carlson   the sundogs   james gossett    matt wallace     johnny toomey   emma zekhtser   tatianna archangel   guy messenger   the maykers    dj bonin    gk jones    fish & the seaweeds    jerry duty  

   if i missed anyone, please let me know, thanks!

    Once upon a time way back in 1957, in the city of Pasadena, California I was born, the third of three boys.

My father grew up on a farm near Altoona, PA, the fifth of twelve siblings. My mother was an only child born in West LA and raised in Pacific Beach, San Diego.   

Though we weren’t a musical family to begin with (as my dads family back east was) my mother collected records and music was always in our ears.  I grew up listening to everything from Broadway show tunes to classical, from artists like Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Erroll Garner, to Aaron Copeland, Igor Stravinski, Maurice Ravel, and many other artists.

 Of course I had my older siblings which gave me my first tastes of R&B and Rock n Roll music listen to Chubby Checker,Chuck Berry and the Beach Boys. I remember when the Beatles hit and we would buy every Beatle albom the day it was released.  

  I got my first guitar at age 8. 

When I was 14 I met an older kid, an accomplished guitarist named Sonny who just moved with his parents from Mill Valley, CA where he regularly sat in with a band called  ‘Too Loose to Truck’ which featured bassist Phil Lesh from the Grateful Dead.  It was through Sonny where I first immersed myself into the music of the Dead as I was taught basslines for  Sonny to play guitar parts to. It was during this period I became a fan of bassist Jack Cassady  (Jefferson Airplane-Hot Tuna) who I tried to model my sound after. 

  I played my first professional gigs at age 17.  At that time no one aside from the band itself played Grateful Dead music, at least in Northern California. In my first bands we played hard rock, blues, then R&B & disco. Then C&W, then to folk and more eclectic forms, styles. Latin, Afro Cuban, Brazilian, etc… Many of these came through my older (middle) brother, Stephen who studied music at UCLA, UC Santa Cruz and SF State. We formed a duo, sometimes trio called the Fabulous Hasbeens, it’s most active years 1981 and 1990. 

From 1977 to 84 I played with a number of acts throughout NoCal including the Reno, Tahoe area when is was common to work the same club 6 to 7 nights a week performing top 40, rock and country. Important to note that back then when you said Country, it wasn’t Country Rock. If you played Charlie Daniels, Eagles, that was considered as Rock (to the C&W crowd). In the fall of 1983 I moved to the San Francisco. I would remain in and around the bay area until 2015 when I moved to Southern California.

 In 1984 I joined the Reggae group ‘Vision’, learning a style that hereafter would become foundational to my approach to the electric bass. In 1986 I met Rolf Carl and formed a funky jazz quartet called ‘A Times Square Reunion’. This was a period of growth playing music that greatly challenged my playing abilities and broadened my scope of musical knowledge. 

  In 1987 I landed a gig with Lloyd Gregory (brother of Record heavyweight, Atron Gregory). Lloyd and his band, ‘Friends’ held the Saturday spot at Oakland’s 5^th Amendment where I was the first chair bassist from 87 till 92. I gave up my chair to tour nationally and internationally with ‘Little’ Frankie Lee Jones from 93 through 99. 

Other artists I played with from this period include Lenny Williams, David Garibaldi, Tom Constanten, Buzzy Linhart, members of Digital Underground, Will Scarlett, Lydia Pense, Steve Kimock. During this period I still played gigs as the 2^nd chair bassist at the 5^th with Lloyd Gregory. Lloyd would often have long, sometimes hilariously funny introductions for his players.

 He would often introduce me ‘Marty the Deadhead’. Somehow, that quip found its way to Melvin Seals who auditioned me in the fall of 99. That year I became a member of JGB and played with at least 5 versions of that band until 2008 -