Ray Martin

Raymond Stuart Martin (born Kurt Kohn; 11 October 1918 – 7 February 1988) was an Austrian-British orchestra leader. He was noted for his light music compositions. Allmusic journalist Bradley Torreano stated, "Ray Martin created a legacy for himself in British popular music through his work with his orchestra during the 1950s. His regular appearances on radio and television kept him in the public spotlight, while his position at EMI Records made him an influential producer at the label. His use of pseudonyms has blurred the path of his career through the years, making his many contributions even harder to keep track of. But his original compositions are what really made him popular; tracks like "Marching Strings" have become stables [sic] of many public and city bands and orchestras since their release".

Career Raymond Stuart Martin was born as Kurt Kohn into a liberal Jewish family in Vienna, Austria. In 1938, he immigrated to England and was a Carroll Levis discovery. He returned to England in October 1941, joining the British Army, having been officially cleared. Whilst working as an executive and talent scout for EMI/Columbia in the early 1950s, he spotted Ruby Murray, and was the first to put her on record. During this period, he wrote many scores for TV and movies, including the score to the Diana Dors film Yield to the Night in 1956.