I'm Goin' Sane

Eric began singing at such an early age, he can't remember exactly how young he was. When he was a bit older, he sang in military base kid-musicals. Eric grew up listening to favorites such as Otis Redding, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. The family settled in the San Francisco Bay Area about 1976. There, Eric attended Foothill High School first gaining acclaim with the band 415. With 415, Eric played hundreds of shows opening for established acts like Billy Squier, Hall & Oates, Rick Springfield, Molly Hatchet and Foreigner, to name a few. 415 was signed to Elektra/Asylum Records and "Sucker for a Pretty Face" was released after a name change to the Eric Martin Band (EMB). "Sucker" debuted in 1983 and brought arena tours with the likes of ZZ Top, Night Ranger and Journey. The EMB managed to get one bonafide rock album under their belts, but it was not to last. The band parted ways after returning from a 1984-85 ZZ Top tour. After the breakup, Eric continued to belt out songs and in 1985 and 1987 released "Eric Martin" and "I'm Only Fooling Myself," solo efforts, which are lathered with Eric's signature soulful voice and candid lyrics. In 1988-89, Eric would team with Billy Sheehan (David Lee Roth, Talas), Pat Torpey (Jeff Paris, Stan Bush) and Paul Gilbert (Racer X) to form Mr. Big. They would enjoy enormous success with the release of 6 studio albums, numerous hit singles and six top-selling live CD's. All combined, worldwide sales topped the seven million mark! The studio releases included 1991's "Lean Into It" which debuted "To Be With You" (a number one song in 12 countries) and launched the band into superstardom. After several years of continuous recording and touring, the band took a much-needed break. Upon regrouping to record a fifth studio album, Paul Gilbert announced his decision to leave the band and new guitarist, Richie Kotzen was added to the lineup. Eric and his Mr. Big band mates had a relaxed, enjoyable time while writing and recording. Eric's third solo effort "Somewhere in the Middle", was written during the 2-year hiatus from Mr. Big, kept Eric busy and the process proved therapeutic. The CD was completed in 1998 and later released in Asia and Europe. During the summer of 2001 and Eric and the rest of the Mr. Big guys released their last effort "Actual Size". In between promoting and preparing for the upcoming tour, Eric continued to record songs for his fourth solo CD. He promised a return to his "rawk" roots and definitely the resultant album: "I'm Goin' Sane" proves that he succeeded in his task. This cd totally rocks! Eric has emerged as a force to be reckoned with, proving that there will indeed be life after Mr. Big even though the sound is more in your face showing Eric can be as contemporary as Goo Goo Dolls or Marvelous 3.