Martin Boyd was born in 1994 and grew in Middlecroft in Derbyshire surrounded by country music. His grandparents were the lovers of country music in the house and especially Irish country. His grandad loved singers like Merle Haggard and George Jones. When he was young country music was all that was all that was played at home.
At a very young age, he started hitting pots and pans and when he was five his parents and grandparents clubbed together and bought him a small drum kit for Christmas.
The first concert he saw was a Daniel O’Donnell concert in Nottingham when he was 9. His grandma took him and he thought Daniel was brilliant and he was mesmerised and even at that age he knew that is what he wanted to do when he was older; he thought Daniel was a real showman. He didn’t actually want to be a singer, more a country musician and in particular a country drummer.
Martin went to St Joseph’s Catholic and Church of England Primary School in Middlecroft where he had to go to church once a week and sing hymns. One year, the school was hosting the regional singing championship for all the schools in the county and as his music teacher knew he could hold a note he was nominated him to sing a solo to 500 people. He was asked to sing, The World In Union (the 1991 Rugby World Cup anthem). Something went wrong with the music and he actually sung the song acapella. He admits he was a nervous wreck but really enjoyed the experience. It would be many years before he was to sing in public again. He did however continue drumming including dep work for musical theatre groups, small orchestras and some bands. He really enjoyed being conducted and learning musical skills and even became a band leader for a while. He was never however paid for drumming, it was just a hobby.
He didn’t sing again until 2014 when he joined a local amateur dramatics group and, it’s with this group, that he met and performed with his now wife Charlotte singing in musicals.
Martin never wanted to sing as a profession and never saw himself as the front man of anything. On 4th September 2015 he was in the Elm Tree pub in Middlecroft. The pub hosted karaoke every Sunday afternoon and friends he was with persuaded him to have a go. He didn’t need much persuasion and sang two songs he knew well, Wagon Wheel and Ronan Keating’s When You Say Nothing At All. To his amazement, the barman asked him if he would do a gig at the pub. He was gobsmacked that someone might want him to sing in public. The barman persisted saying he wanted to book him and was prepared to pay £80 for three hours. Martin couldn’t turn down the opportunity to sing for money although he didn’t have a PA system or any backing tracks.
Another karaoke DJ in the pub said he would supply a sound system and offered to set up the sound for him. In order to do the gig Martin had to work out a set list, and buy lots of suitable backing tracks. In the past, live music in the Elm Tree hadn’t attracted much of an audience but when Martin appeared in late 2015 the pub was packed with friends and family. The show started at 7pm and Martin didn’t get off stage till 11.30. His programme was a mix country, 60s and rock ‘n’ roll which he hoped would to cater for all tastes.
Even though has spent money on tracks and did his best to provide an entertaining and well balanced evening, he didn’t think for one minute that this would be anything more than a one off performance – but that’s not how it worked out. Once word of mouth had got round, other pubs and hotels in the area wanted to book him. One of these was the Three Horseshoes in Clay Cross where he was booked a couple of times a year. Mark Allday manager of the Twin Oaks Hotel in Chesterfield asked if he would do a dedicated country and western night which he agreed to do. All performances until then had been a mix of country, 60s and rock ‘n’ roll.
Martin’s country influences at this time were artists like Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Merle Haggard, George Strait, Alan Jackson etc. He liked good voices and good music but all traditional country.
The country gig at the hotel went well and a friend, Paul Taylor made a video which he sent to Sylvia McMaster at Sylvan Entertainments. Within a couple of days Sylvia rang to ask Martin to go down to the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley, Surrey where there was a regular taster where new and up and coming country artists could perform. The Lakeside taster has launched the careers of a number of country artists as it did for Martin Boyd in 2016. From that day, bookings started coming in very rapidly and Martin began performing regularly on the country circuit with Sylvia McMaster as his manager.
At this time Martin knew nothing about line dancing and he doesn’t consider himself a line dance entertainer but he is very happy to cater for a line dance audience and he learnt a lot of line dance songs very quickly. He stresses he is just as happy playing for line dance clubs, western clubs and festivals. 2018 was his first full year on the club circuit and he was he was very busy at this time travelling all over the country.
Martin released two singles in 2018 that he co-wrote with Charlotte. They were produced by his good friend Russell Kitchen (front man of Badlands). One of them, his debut single ‘Time To Play Some Country Songs’ did really well hitting No 5 on the iTunes country chart proving his fast-growing appeal on the touring circuit. This was the first time he had written anything. It still gets played today. The second single was called Road To Country. He was nominated for CCN Newcomer of the Year in 2019 (losing out to Ryan Payling) and has since earned nominations as a UK Touring Act at the Scottish Country Music Awards.
When he started on the country scene he couldn’t play an instrument apart from drums and Russ Kitchen taught him how to play guitar at the end of 2018.
Just before covid forced all clubs to close temporarily, Martin was planning on taking a break from singing as he wanted to spend more time at home and was about to get married to Charlotte. As they wanted to buy a house, Martin knew he needed a regular guaranteed income. Although he had only just started as a country singer he retired from the scene with no expectation of ever coming back.
Initially, Martin worked as a car valeter and went on to join the ambulance service doing both patient transport and emergency care. He took training and achieved the necessary qualifications. Once covid regulations lifted, Martin was still enjoying his job and stuck at it. There were still absolutely no thoughts of going back on the road.
In 2024 he and Charlotte had their daughter Beau but they had a traumatic time with her birth and Martin was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which made it difficult for him to work in a clinical environment. This meant he couldn’t go into a hospital which meant he wasn’t able to do his job. He was offered other jobs doing healthcare from home but that didn’t suit him as he wanted to be on the road. Martin was medically retired.
At this time Charlotte suggested that he should pick up his guitar again and sing her a song. He didn’t want to do this as he was in now in a bad place and was suffering from depression and had mental health issues and he had started drinking. He really had no interest in music at all.
One day he had a phone call from John Groome who runs the Brewers Saloon CWMC in Burton on Trent. John told him “ I know you aren’t playing anymore but I have a problem. I am running a day festival and have one space that needs filling. It can only be filled by one person and that’s you.”
Martin didn’t really want to do it but would think about it, in any case he was thinking about selling his guitar and PA on EBay. Charlotte wasn’t impressed with this response and told him to ring John back straight away and accept the booking; which Martin did. If it hadn’t been for John Groome putting pressure on him to play again Martin feels there is a good chance he wouldn’t be playing today!
The word quickly got round that Martin might be back on the scene and he got many enquiries. Within a few days he had a huge number of phone calls. He wasn’t expecting this response, thinking people had probably forgotten him but said “yes” to the gigs and his career quickly took off again. After a few gigs which he really enjoyed Martin took the decision that he was back on the road. His mental health rapidly improved and he feels he is now in a much better place than he was.
I asked Martin what he saw for the future to which he said “what I see for the future is people continuing to support this wonderful country scene we have and that I am still able to do my job to my best ability. It’s a big privilege to be able to travel the UK and also abroad (4 consecutive years working in Spain), it’s a blessing and a privilege that I am able to call this my job”.
Martin also works with Charlotte in a duo called The Boyds. He is also in a duo with Darren Knight called Honky Tonk 45.
In early 2026 Martin released a third self penned single called Cow Boys Can Cry Too, He wrote the song in 2024 and its tells about his struggles with mental health. It’s OK to talk about it and don’t bottle things up. Darren played all the instruments on the track but Martin played guitar and had drums on his knees. He is happy to sing any of his own songs at gigs if asked.
Martin still plays drums from time to time including some gigs recently with the Jeff Gallant Band.
Click below to see a video of Martin Boyd.
The first concert he saw was a Daniel O’Donnell concert in Nottingham when he was 9. His grandma took him and he thought Daniel was brilliant and he was mesmerised and even at that age he knew that is what he wanted to do when he was older; he thought Daniel was a real showman. He didn’t actually want to be a singer, more a country musician and in particular a country drummer.
Martin went to St Joseph’s Catholic and Church of England Primary School in Middlecroft where he had to go to church once a week and sing hymns. One year, the school was hosting the regional singing championship for all the schools in the county and as his music teacher knew he could hold a note he was nominated him to sing a solo to 500 people. He was asked to sing, The World In Union (the 1991 Rugby World Cup anthem). Something went wrong with the music and he actually sung the song acapella. He admits he was a nervous wreck but really enjoyed the experience. It would be many years before he was to sing in public again. He did however continue drumming including dep work for musical theatre groups, small orchestras and some bands. He really enjoyed being conducted and learning musical skills and even became a band leader for a while. He was never however paid for drumming, it was just a hobby.
He didn’t sing again until 2014 when he joined a local amateur dramatics group and, it’s with this group, that he met and performed with his now wife Charlotte singing in musicals.
Martin never wanted to sing as a profession and never saw himself as the front man of anything. On 4th September 2015 he was in the Elm Tree pub in Middlecroft. The pub hosted karaoke every Sunday afternoon and friends he was with persuaded him to have a go. He didn’t need much persuasion and sang two songs he knew well, Wagon Wheel and Ronan Keating’s When You Say Nothing At All. To his amazement, the barman asked him if he would do a gig at the pub. He was gobsmacked that someone might want him to sing in public. The barman persisted saying he wanted to book him and was prepared to pay £80 for three hours. Martin couldn’t turn down the opportunity to sing for money although he didn’t have a PA system or any backing tracks.
Another karaoke DJ in the pub said he would supply a sound system and offered to set up the sound for him. In order to do the gig Martin had to work out a set list, and buy lots of suitable backing tracks. In the past, live music in the Elm Tree hadn’t attracted much of an audience but when Martin appeared in late 2015 the pub was packed with friends and family. The show started at 7pm and Martin didn’t get off stage till 11.30. His programme was a mix country, 60s and rock ‘n’ roll which he hoped would to cater for all tastes.
Even though has spent money on tracks and did his best to provide an entertaining and well balanced evening, he didn’t think for one minute that this would be anything more than a one off performance – but that’s not how it worked out. Once word of mouth had got round, other pubs and hotels in the area wanted to book him. One of these was the Three Horseshoes in Clay Cross where he was booked a couple of times a year. Mark Allday manager of the Twin Oaks Hotel in Chesterfield asked if he would do a dedicated country and western night which he agreed to do. All performances until then had been a mix of country, 60s and rock ‘n’ roll.
Martin’s country influences at this time were artists like Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Merle Haggard, George Strait, Alan Jackson etc. He liked good voices and good music but all traditional country.
The country gig at the hotel went well and a friend, Paul Taylor made a video which he sent to Sylvia McMaster at Sylvan Entertainments. Within a couple of days Sylvia rang to ask Martin to go down to the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley, Surrey where there was a regular taster where new and up and coming country artists could perform. The Lakeside taster has launched the careers of a number of country artists as it did for Martin Boyd in 2016. From that day, bookings started coming in very rapidly and Martin began performing regularly on the country circuit with Sylvia McMaster as his manager.
At this time Martin knew nothing about line dancing and he doesn’t consider himself a line dance entertainer but he is very happy to cater for a line dance audience and he learnt a lot of line dance songs very quickly. He stresses he is just as happy playing for line dance clubs, western clubs and festivals. 2018 was his first full year on the club circuit and he was he was very busy at this time travelling all over the country.
Martin released two singles in 2018 that he co-wrote with Charlotte. They were produced by his good friend Russell Kitchen (front man of Badlands). One of them, his debut single ‘Time To Play Some Country Songs’ did really well hitting No 5 on the iTunes country chart proving his fast-growing appeal on the touring circuit. This was the first time he had written anything. It still gets played today. The second single was called Road To Country. He was nominated for CCN Newcomer of the Year in 2019 (losing out to Ryan Payling) and has since earned nominations as a UK Touring Act at the Scottish Country Music Awards.
When he started on the country scene he couldn’t play an instrument apart from drums and Russ Kitchen taught him how to play guitar at the end of 2018.
Just before covid forced all clubs to close temporarily, Martin was planning on taking a break from singing as he wanted to spend more time at home and was about to get married to Charlotte. As they wanted to buy a house, Martin knew he needed a regular guaranteed income. Although he had only just started as a country singer he retired from the scene with no expectation of ever coming back.
Initially, Martin worked as a car valeter and went on to join the ambulance service doing both patient transport and emergency care. He took training and achieved the necessary qualifications. Once covid regulations lifted, Martin was still enjoying his job and stuck at it. There were still absolutely no thoughts of going back on the road.
In 2024 he and Charlotte had their daughter Beau but they had a traumatic time with her birth and Martin was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which made it difficult for him to work in a clinical environment. This meant he couldn’t go into a hospital which meant he wasn’t able to do his job. He was offered other jobs doing healthcare from home but that didn’t suit him as he wanted to be on the road. Martin was medically retired.
At this time Charlotte suggested that he should pick up his guitar again and sing her a song. He didn’t want to do this as he was in now in a bad place and was suffering from depression and had mental health issues and he had started drinking. He really had no interest in music at all.
One day he had a phone call from John Groome who runs the Brewers Saloon CWMC in Burton on Trent. John told him “ I know you aren’t playing anymore but I have a problem. I am running a day festival and have one space that needs filling. It can only be filled by one person and that’s you.”
Martin didn’t really want to do it but would think about it, in any case he was thinking about selling his guitar and PA on EBay. Charlotte wasn’t impressed with this response and told him to ring John back straight away and accept the booking; which Martin did. If it hadn’t been for John Groome putting pressure on him to play again Martin feels there is a good chance he wouldn’t be playing today!
The word quickly got round that Martin might be back on the scene and he got many enquiries. Within a few days he had a huge number of phone calls. He wasn’t expecting this response, thinking people had probably forgotten him but said “yes” to the gigs and his career quickly took off again. After a few gigs which he really enjoyed Martin took the decision that he was back on the road. His mental health rapidly improved and he feels he is now in a much better place than he was.
I asked Martin what he saw for the future to which he said “what I see for the future is people continuing to support this wonderful country scene we have and that I am still able to do my job to my best ability. It’s a big privilege to be able to travel the UK and also abroad (4 consecutive years working in Spain), it’s a blessing and a privilege that I am able to call this my job”.
Martin also works with Charlotte in a duo called The Boyds. He is also in a duo with Darren Knight called Honky Tonk 45.
In early 2026 Martin released a third self penned single called Cow Boys Can Cry Too, He wrote the song in 2024 and its tells about his struggles with mental health. It’s OK to talk about it and don’t bottle things up. Darren played all the instruments on the track but Martin played guitar and had drums on his knees. He is happy to sing any of his own songs at gigs if asked.
Martin still plays drums from time to time including some gigs recently with the Jeff Gallant Band.
Click below to see a video of Martin Boyd.
Research by Nick Catford.