Nik Martin Talent Show Beginnings
Nik Martin the Vocalist started out at aged 11 by entering a talent show at Butlins Filey and winning a free holiday. I got the entertainment bug, built up a 3-half hour act and started performing in clubs. After several years of working most weekends I formed a boy/ girl duo with a girl that I met at school. Her father helped by driving us backwards and forwards to all the gigs and humping all the PA equipment in. This was a great time but after a couple of years it was time to move on. We split up and went our separate ways.
The Band Years in Scandinavia
I answered an ad in a music paper called the Melody Maker. They were looking for a lead vocalist/lead guitarist to work with a pro band touring Scandinavia. I auditioned, got the gig and after 1 month’s rehearsals was aboard a ferry with the rest of the guys bound for Copenhagen. We spent 7 years touring Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. Our main work was residencies in large entertainment pubs and hotels. We were basically a covers band recreating all the chart hits of the time.
Creating Nik Martin
Seven years was long enough touring with the band and once again it was time to move on to the next chapter in my life. Through a “by chance” meet up with a friend I had known several years before, when I came back to Scarborough, this great friendship was re-ignited. Nick Phillips also became my manager. Between us we created the PA system, the Act and the name Nik Martin. I recorded my first backing tracks by using my guitar and a Hammond organ! This was all done in Nicks mothers’ front room. At that time, nobody had heard of backing tracks and I was probably one of the first acts to use them. The backing music at that time was played back on a cassette.
TV Performances
Between us, Nick and I schemed up some great publicity stunts. Out of nothing Nick got me on a local TV channel performing “Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer” with a group of local school kids. That was a long day! He also put me forward for a slightly low budget talent show called Sky Star Search. It was that low budget; they didn’t even have a mic stand at the audition. Someone had to hold the mic while I played the guitar and sang. I passed the audition, went on the show and won. A grand total of £250.
Touring Haven Park Shows
I worked with Nick for quite a few years and through us both having different commitments we separated as act and manager. Although we still remain great close friends. I began looking for different ways to improve my act. Through another friend of mine I got the job in a touring holiday park review show for Nick Thomas (Qdos Entertainments). This toured for over 18 weeks around the UK during the summer season.
Its Panto Time
When the summer tour came to an end, I was invited to play Dandini in Cinderella in one of Qdos’s number one pantos in Crawley. The lead was played by the sexy weather girl Ulrika Johnson and the muddles character was played by Ross King. It was great to be working with such great TV celebs at the time and the rest of the gang were like a new family.
The Birth of Rik & Nik
I was invited to join the touring show again the following year and this is where I met a crazy guy called Rik Gaynor. We got on like long lost brothers. Both equally as crazy and mischievous as each other. This where we began writing kids fun party dances. One of the entertainments managers said in passing, that everyone was tired of all the usual evening party dances and wished that someone would write some new ones.
Doing The Mexican Wave
Rik said let’s do one. I wasn’t so sure we could do it. I’d been writing all the usual standard pop songs for years and getting nowhere with them, but wasn’t sure about kid’s party dances. But, on our way to one of the shows driving from Scarborough to Prestatyn in Wales we wrote “The Mexican Wave”. We went into my studio and recorded it. It must have been quite good, because we began promoting it around the parks and everybody went crazy for it.
We created the name Rik & Nik The Party Kick. Next came the merchandise. Cassettes, then CDs. T Shirts and baseball caps with our logo on. Keyrings and Posters. We began writing and recording more fun songs. The Caribbean Way, Oodoo the Voodoo Man and Old King Kool to name just a few. We even recorded a live video with Nick Phillips that showed you how to do the dances.
Writing The Big Fish Song
We rode this fun wave for several years and due to living more than 2 hours away from each and having our own gigs to do Rik & Nik stuff got slightly left behind. It was around about this time that I had a crazy idea for a song that I wrote myself. This song was “Big Fish Little Fish Cardboard Box”. The main chorus was about the silly moves that ravers did when out clubbing, but nobody had written a song about it. I recorded it and sent it around all the holiday parks to see if they would promote it, but nothing seemed to happen.
Bob The Builder and M & S
Suddenly out of the blue, a year later I began getting interest for it. It was picking up momentum and the rest is history. Bob the Builder recorded it and it actually became one of the bookies favourites to be a Xmas number 1. And recently M & S licensed it to be used in their online promotion for Big Shop Little Shop with Louis Spence.
Sunday Monday Happy Days
During this time, I was asked by Jon Conway (the then business partner of Nick Thomas), to do a private audition for a show he’d written. This was for the part of Potsie in his new Musical based on the hit American TV series Happy Days. I went down to London for the audition and met the other guys already cast for Richie and of course The Fonz and I got the part. We rehearsed for a month and I even got to work with the legendary Henry Winkler, the actual Fonz. When I met him, he was wearing a cardigan and was about 5 feet 6 tall. Not quite how I’d imagined him to be. But was soooooo cool still.
National Tour
We toured all the main theatres in the cities in the UK for 6 months. The plan was to take the show into the Westend but unfortunately, we couldn’t get a slot in any of the theatres. It got put on the back burner and never got revisited. We had all been told to clear our diaries and plan for at least 2 years to be in the Westend. Suddenly were all unemployed! It was still an amazing privilege to have been involved with such an amazing show.
Nik Martin Still Going Strong
Luckily, I was able to build my relationship back up with the agents and hotels I had been working previously. And within a couple of months I was back to performing at least 6 nights a week. I rarely travel very far for my gigs now. In Scarborough there are a lot of entertainment venues that book me on a regular basis so it’s not necessary.
Radio Jingles, Voice Overs and Show Production
I have a lot of free time in the days and its filled with working for various Radio Stations around the UK. I write and record advertising jingles and perform voice overs for a wide and varied mix of clients. Holiday Parks around the country also use my services for writing Character songs and producing in-house shows.
Nik Martin Cd’s
I have some great Cd’s that I promote at my shows. If you would like to purchase any downloads of them, please use the links below.
