MARTIN GOLDIE

 

I suppose my music journey probably started with my great grandparents who owned a boarding house in Hill Street, Glasgow. The boarding house was popular with many of the big bands who came to Glasgow at that time and my father loved the company of the musicians who would typically spend time with him at the piano and teach him new things.

My father was a great pianist and a great influence on me with regard to music and in our house, there was always music. The big bands, Sinatra, Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles loads of others and lots of Jazz. The old radiogram had pride of place with Vinyl and radio programmes being the order of the day. We did not only love the music of my parents’ Era however and they both loved the emergence of new artists like Elton John, Elvis, The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Dolly Parton and Tina Turner. Anything good was played and everything good was appreciated We had a musical house therefore but because my father was such a good musician, I did not gravitate towards playing anything. I was in  my late teens before I bought a guitar and spent about six months learning classical guitar. I got bored with this however and decided to go to the Glasgow folk centre for lessons. This was more me and I enjoyed singing along with the guitar and listening to the likes of Big Bill Bronzy and Davie Graham. It didn’t quite happen for me as a musician however and whilst I could pass myself and knew chords, progressions and different styles I was never really good.

I still had  a passion for music  and remember meeting two guys from the pop group Hot Chocolate in Reigate and discussing song writing. I had said I would love to capture the excitement of finishing work on a Friday getting dressed and going out that evening in a song. Patrick Olive  was very supportive and  suggested that I would be better making  the song about a girl. I wrote

She dances, romances as she walks down the street

She looks up to the sky and feels the whole worlds at her feet

Her weeks work is over

Weekends just begun

Tonight

She’s gonna have a good time

Tonight

She’s gonna find herself someone

 The Boutique is busy as she enters with a smile

The dress is there she wanted

 cause he’s kept it for a while

She opens up her purse and says

Got just enough to pay

And she pulls that parcel close to her

And dances on her way

Tonight

She’s gonna have a good time

Tonight

She’s gonna find herself someone

Friday night, fantasy

Friday night, fantasy

At breakfast she’s yawning and the sunlight hurts her eyes

She thinks about that Disco and especially one guy

He looked good and he laughed a lot as they hurried in the rain

Last night

She really had a good time

Last night

She really found herself someone

Friday night fantasy

Friday night fantasy

The guys put a backing track and nice riff to the lyric and recorded Friday night fantasy (my first track as a songwriter.) As said previously Patrick Olive encouraged me a lot with regard to song writing and at a later date, I watched something on TV went upstairs and wrote a song called Great Men. I sent a tape to Pat and they recorded a version of the song.

After this with family and work dominating my life, I enjoyed my music but did not finish many tracks.

A new period in my life coincided with a desire to improve my guitar skills again and I went to a place called Terminal One in Blantyre and met up with an outstanding musician and singer called Tom

Tom had a wedding band and also did things like Rod Stewart nights. He was and still is an exceptional musician and performer

Around this time, I also linked up with Mathew Hamilton another great musician who was looking for a lyricist he could work with to write songs.

It all came together therefore at Terminal One and when I played Tom some of the songs the guitar lessons were forgotten and we concentrated on recording them. I had been in South Africa and Actually met Nelson Mandela and so the first song that we recorded was “My Brother” which was inspired by this meeting. I rewrote “Great Men” putting in a middle eight and having the kids sing at the end of the track. These were followed by “I Wish that I could fall in Love again”,” “Till Faith “and “Talk “All of these tracks were sung by Tom and recorded at Terminal One.

Once again earning a living got in the way of my music until a fortunate meeting when would you believe I was out shopping in Sauchiehall Street Glasgow. Glasgow is well known for incredible Buskers but coming out of Marks and Spencer’s I was blown away by an incredible guitarist “The Glasgow Guitar Man “Jim Ward. I asked Jim if he would play at my Stepsons 21st Birthday party and after a few chats about music we became friends and he agreed to help me to improve my guitar skills. Once again however whilst I learnt a lot particularly with regard to blues music and guitar I wanted to write and played Jim a song called “where do I go from here “The song actually originated in a garage when I stepped out of the car and there was a cigarette but on the ground. Opening lines are so important in songs and hence I had “ a cigarette butt on the ground another hotel room another town “ and another song was born. Jim had an old recording set up in the Living Room and I hand held the microphone and we recorded the song. This was the first one of my own songs that I had sang on and Jim encouraged me to continue to sing my own songs. As a songwriter you really only want to put a sketch down of the song and hence to get a sketch down previously, I had no qualms with a proper singer putting the best version down. I enjoyed the end result of “where do I go from here” however and have sung most of my own songs since then.

Jim Ward has been magnificent therefore in helping with arrangements of the different songs and the living room studio has been a great place to work and enjoy creating. Others like Deke Mcghee on Saxophone have assisted with many of the tracks and I appreciate every bit of help I have had to finish the sketches of the songs

 There we have it therefore some background on my journey as a song writer. I have still to work out my reasons for doing this but does there have to be a reason. Just finish the songs and enjoy doing it

Song writing is a bit addictive and I don’t think I will ever stop coming up with some idea for a song based on what I have seen felt or discovered. This is part of who I am.

I certainly don’t write for money or fame but hopefully we can raise some money for charity with the songs. The plight of displaced people is important to me and hence the prominence of the Migrant video on this site. Video is something I have also enjoyed doing and there is no doubt in my own mind that it can powerfully enhance a song

I have in the music part of the site created three albums with lyrics included with the songs

With regard to these Albums

Sheep don’t Change

Most of the original tracks recorded at Terminal one are included in this album together with the first track recorded in Jim Wards living Room and sung by the writer. Questions, wishes, observations faith and reality. Is it sensible to question everything and keep dreaming of and have faith in a better outcome? Reality is painful and is it sometimes easier to keep on wishing and dreaming. I think it is but I am an optimist and a songwriter.” Woman you don’t love me “and “Gentle eyes” are songs about accepting there are some things that just won’t change. The rest of the tracks are about wishing for a better outcome” which I suppose I will always spend my time doing

Different Days

Different days is an album about changes to the way we view things and in my personal life

The American Dream has been shaken recently by our understanding of who it applies to and the limited identity of the main political parties. Will it recover?

This world I wrote after a conversation with a guy who was a house husband looking after three kids and with a wife who was a chief executive and he suspected of having numerous affairs.

They are still together by the way

Ordinary Man is about a family guy working in construction and the way he sees himself in today’s society and his day-to-day life

Retro is about looking back and the others are about changed relationships

Different days indeed in a changing world

A Time For Innocence

What is it that we want?

To be honest about who we are (This is who I am)

To have found love (Hey there and Choose You)

To know the importance of love in your life (Irreplaceable and Just for a Moment)

To recognise that we can overcome things (true stories Ill bet you boogie and Seagulls)

To have a better understand about things that could affect us like Dementia (Beautiful Butterfly)

To end Wars and just enjoy life(Unconditional)

To help people who have been displaced by war or other matters. (The Migrant)

Life should be less complicated

 

That’s the three albums therefore and all monies raised will be donated to UNHCR to help displaced people

Thank you,to my lovely wife Maureen,my fellow musicians, Jim Ward, Tom McFaddyn, Mathew Hamilton, Deke McGee, Patrick Olive and all the others who have helped me along the way

Martin