Years active 1980s–present | Labels Various Record label Various | |
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Occupation(s) Songwriter, composer, record producer, singer Similar Steve Robson, Olly Murs, Paul Tucker, Tunde Baiyewu, Adam Argyle | ||
Martin Brammer (born 13 May 1957) is an English songwriter, composer, record producer and singer. Originally the main vocalist with the 1980s pop rock trio Kane Gang, Brammer later developed his songwriting abilities to pen many successful tracks for a variety of notable musicians.
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Brammer has been nominated for an Ivor Novello Award, and has been involved in the making of records that have sold over 20 million copies worldwide.
Biography
Brammer was born in Seaham, County Durham, England. Part of a trio of local North East musicians, Brammer was a founding member of the Kane Gang which started in late 1982. Brammer was their main songwriter and he penned their smooth ballad, "Closest Thing to Heaven", which was a UK Top 20 chart hit in 1984. He also wrote other chart successes for them including "Smalltown Creed" (1984), "Gun Law" (1985) and "Motortown" (1987). Kane Gang broke up in 1991.
Brammer then continued his career as a songwriter to the present day. Songs that he has written or co-written have been recorded by Tina Turner, James Morrison, Marco Mengoni, Josh Kumra, James Bay, Olly Murs, Nolwenn Leroy, Julian Velard, Melanie C, Urszula, Mr Hudson, Jack McManus, Beverley Knight, Rachel Stevens, Nick Carter, Lighthouse Family, Roland Gift, Sheena Easton, Mark Owen, Reigan Derry, Foxes and Stevie McCrorie. In addition, Brammer has contributed as record producer on various albums including Good Things Come to Those Who Don't Wait (Josh Kumra); Olly Murs and In Case You Didn't Know (Olly Murs); plus Now or Never (Nick Carter).
He also sang backing vocals on an 1994 album by Opus III (Guru Mother).
Brammer has his own recording studio in which he both writes and records, and he favours using microphones manufactured by sE Electronics. Brammer's most recent work includes writing material for John Newman, Ella Eyre, Joel Compass, Karen Harding and Luke Friend.
Personal life
Brammer has a wife, Bibi, and two daughters. He told BBC Radio 2 that he does not employ a manager. Brammer is presently a company director of Poetic Soup Limited and Lookout Mountain Limited.
Songwriting credits
Apart from those written for the Kane Gang, Brammer's songwriting credits include:
Songs
Closest Thing to HeavenBad & Lowdown World · 1985
MotortownMiracle · 1987
Respect YourselfBad & Lowdown World · 1985