Born in Tennessee but raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Martin gained notice as a back-up singer for such artists as Stevie Nicks, Joe Walsh, Don Henley, Tom Petty and Kenny Loggins, touring with Nicks and Walsh. She became a protegee of Doug Morris, then the head of Atlantic Records, who had heard her backing up Nicks on the Rock a Little album and was impressed enough to ask for a demo. She recorded the Stevie Nicks song "Sorcerer" (on which Nicks features on backing vocals) for the Jim Steinman soundtrack of the film "Streets Of Fire" (1984). Morris signed Martin to a two album contract and connected her with Phil Collins for "Separate Lives," part of the soundtrack for the 1985 film White Nights. The song was a number one hit in the U.S. and a Top 5 hit in the United Kingdom. Her self-titled debut album was released in January 1986, with the single "Night Moves" reaching number 28 on the U.S. charts.
Her second album released in 1988, This Is Serious, was notable for containing the single "Possessive Love" written and produced by Madonna and Patrick Leonard. It also featured a duet with David Foster, "And When She Danced" which was used as the 'love theme' in the 1988 film Stealing Home. A second single was released from the album, "Love Takes No Prisoners", with the haunting ballad "Quiet Desperation" as the B-side.
However, neither the singles nor the album were successful and Atlantic released Martin from her contract, although she continued her career as a back-up vocalist into the 1990s. She is currently a realtor in Nashville, Tennessee.
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