Freddy Martin (1909-1983) was an American bandleader and tenor saxophonist. Freddy Martin was nicknamed "Mr. Silvertone" by saxophonist Johnny Hodges. Chu Berry named Freddy Martin his favorite saxophonist. He has also been idolized by many other saxophonists, including Eddie Miller. Although his playing has been admired by so many jazz musicians, Freddy Martin never tried to be a jazz musician. Martin always led a sweet styled band. Unlike most sweet bands that just played dull music, Martin’s band turned out to be one of the most musical and most melodic of all the typical hotel-room sweet bands. According to George T. Simon, Freddy's band was "one of the most pleasant, most relaxed dance bands that ever flowed across the band scene." Martin was probably one the most respected tenor saxophonist of the dance band era.

He used the banner "Music In The Martin Manner." Ironically, Russ Morgan used a similar banner when he finally landed a radio series with his own band when it was first starting out (1936). (Morgan’s title was "Music In The Morgan Manner"!). Russ had been playing in Freddy’s band and the two were good friends for years. Russ even used some of Freddy's arrangements when he started his band. Did Martin let the "Music In The ------ Manner" and the arrangement thing go? Yes. "Freddy Martin is such a nice man," said Larry Barnett. "He’s almost too nice for his own good."

Frederick Alfred Martin was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Raised largely in an orphanage and with various relatives, Martin started out playing drums, then switched to C-melody saxophone and later tenor saxophone, the latter one he would be identified with. Early on, he had intended to become a journalist. He had hoped that he would earn enough money from his musical work to enter Ohio State. But instead, he wound up becominng an accomplished musician. Martin led his own band while he was in high school, then played with in various local bands. After working on a ships band, Martin joined the Mason-Dixon band, then joined Arnold Johnson and Jack Albin.

After a couple of years, his good playing began attracting other musicians. One such musician was Guy Lombardo, who would remain friends with Martin throughout his life. There is a story about Lombardo and Martin. After graduation from high school, Martin accepted a job at a musical instrument company. When Lombardo was playing in Cleveland, Martin tried giving Lombardo some saxophones, which proved unsuccessful. Fortunately, Lombardo did get to hear Freddy’s band. One night, when Guy could not do a certain date, he suggested that Freddy’s band could fill in for him. The band did very well and that’s how Martin’s career really got started. But the band broke up and he didn't form a permanent band until 1931 at the Bossert Hotel in Brooklyn. Martin recorded for Brunswick Records.

He then took his band into many prestigious hotels, including the Roosevelt Grill in New York and was also heard on radio. But Martin’s real success came with an arrangement from the first movement of Tchaikovsky’s B-flat piano concerto. Martin later recorded the piece, but only this time lyrics were put in and was retitled "Tonight We Love," becoming his biggest hit. The success of "Tonight We Love" prompted Martin to adopt other classical themes as well, which featured the bands pianists Jack Fina, Murray Arnold and Barclay Allen.

Martin also had a good ear for singers. At one time or another, Martin employed Helen Ward (before she joined Benny Goodman), Merv Griffin, Buddy Clark, Terry Shand, Elmer Feldkamp, Stuart Wade (his most impressive male singer) and Eddie Stone, who was also a violinist, and many others. Helen Ward was a singer for Freddy Martin in the early 1930s before she joined Benny Goodman. Ironically, as far as I know of, she was the only "girl" singer to have appeared with Martin's band.

A popular bandleader, Martin’s popularity led him to Hollywood and during the 1940s, he and his band appeared in a handful of films, including "Seven Days' Leave" (1942), "Stage Door Canteen" (1943) and "Melody Time" (1948), among others.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Martin continued to perform on the radio and also appeared on TV. Untroubled by changing musical tastes, he continued to work at major venues and was musical director for Elvis Presley’s first appearance in Las Vegas. Still in demand for hotel work, Martin entered the 1970s with an engagement at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. In the early 1970s, he was part of two long TV series of one-nighters that was known as "The Big Band Cavalcade." Among the other performers on the show included Margaret Whiting, Bob Crosby, Frankie Carle, Buddy Morrow, Art Mooney and George Shearing. When the tours ended, Martin returned to the West Coast. In 1977, Martin was asked to lead Guy Lombardo’s band when Lombardo was hospitalized with a heart condition.

Martin continued leading his band until the early 1980s, although by then, hw was semi-retired. Freddy Martin died on October 1, 1983 in a Newport Beach hospital after a lingering illness. He was 77 years old.