Skip Martin

Lloyd “Skip” Martin (b. Robinson, Illinois, May 14, 1916 – d. Hollywood, February 1976) – Saxophonist (alto and bari), clarinetist, arranger, conductor, composer, and producer. Born in Robinson, Illinois, and raised in Indianapolis, “Skip” Martin graduated from Indiana University and then worked for WLW in Cincinnati. According to Duncan Schiedt, he played saxophone and arranged for a band at Indy’s Columbia Club in the 1930s. When the big band era was in full swing, Martin moved on to arranging charts for a plethora of the country’s most famous leaders including Count Basie, Benny Goodman (1941), Glenn Miller (1941-42), Charlie Barnet (1939-40), and a little later with Les Brown. As a composer, he contributed “Tuesday at Ten,” which became a well-recorded minor hit for the Basie Band. With the bands of Barnet and Goodman, he also did some reed work. Later in his career, he was a studio arranger and conductor. As an example of his work, he conducted the orchestra for Fred Astaire’s Royal Wedding (1951). In the late 1950s, he produced some albums on Somerset by West coast musicians including fellow Hoosier Pete Candoli. At the same time, he arranged music for Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer (1958-59).