Martin Chambers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Martin Chambers (born on 4 September 1951, in Hereford, England) is the drummer for the rock band, The Pretenders, a group that also originally included Chrissie Hynde, James Honeyman-Scott, and Pete Farndon. Martin is the only original member to serve two separate tenures with the group.

Prior to joining the Pretenders, Martin played with James Honeyman-Scott in Cheeks, a band led by former Mott the Hoople keyboardist Verden Allen. At the time Martin joined the Pretenders in 1978, he was working as a driving instructor in Tufnell Park, and he replaced Jerry Mackleduff on drums (Uncut, 1999). At Martin's first rehearsal with the group, Hynde recalled "We plugged in and started playing "Precious", and I remember clearly, I had to turn around and face the wall, I was laughing so hard, because as soon as Martin started playing with us, I knew this was it. We had the band." (Uncut, 1999). Martin also recalled the rehearsal "We knew it straight away. We just locked in." (Rhino Entertainment Company, 2006).

Martin proved to be a versatile drummer within the group, with a hard-hitting style that is evident on songs such as "Middle of the Road." Guitarist Adam Seymour has acknowledged that "there's a definite thing going on in the rhythm between Chrissie's guitar and Martin's drums that you would need a scientific equation to explain. Martin kind of pulls back on the beat while Chrissie's pushing it forward." (Rhino Entertainment Company, 2006).

Martin's first tenure with the group lasted from mid-1978 until the mid-1980's. Coping with the death of fellow bandmates James-Honeyman Scott and Pete Farndon proved difficult, and his consequent lack of enthusiasm resulted in his departure from the group during the Get Close sessions. According to Hynde, "I felt his playing had deteriorated. I think he was still very traumatized by [the loss of] Pete and Jimmy." (Uncut, 1999) Martin concurred, admitting "I wasn't really into it to be honest."

Martin rejoined the group in 1994 during the sessions for Last of the Independents and has been with the group ever since (Uncut, 1999). When he rejoined, guitarist Adam Seymour recalled "When Martin sat down, it began to feel like a real band." Martin summed up his reunion with the group, saying "at the end of the day [Chrissy] asked me back because no one could make it work quite like we did." (Rhino Entertainment Company, 2006).

In addition to playing with the Pretenders, Martin also plays in the band 'Miss World' fronted by song writer Johnathon Perkins, who had worked with artists such as Little Richard and Keith Richards.

[edit] Sources

Rhino Entertainment Company, 2006, This is Pirate Radio, by Ben Edmonds. Pirate Radio Box Set booklet.
Uncut, June 1999, Rock and Roll Heart (Pretenders Special), by Allan Jones, pp. 46-65.