Mary Martin
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Beloved music industry veteran Mary Martin passed away on July 4. She was 85. An inductee into the SOURCE Hall of Fame, she was a lauded talent scout, manager and record executive who played a critical role in the careers of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Van Morrison, Rodney Crowell, Keith Urban and Vince Gill, among a long list of others. Born in 1939 in Toronto, Canada, Martin’s illustrious career began as an executive assistant to artist manager Albert Grossman, who shepherded the careers of Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Peter, Paul & Mary and more. Starting her own venture in 1966, Martin eventually made her way to the A&R department at
Warner Bros., as well as became the VP of RCA Records where she oversaw the careers of acts like Vince Gill, Clint Black, Paul Overstreet, Aaron Tippin, and Lorrie Morgan. After a brief stint as the Executive Director of Earth Communications Office, she served as an A&R consultant for Asylum Records before being tapped as Vice President of Mercury Records until 2002. With a keen eye for burgeoning talent and a fierce belief in artist’s and their craft, Martin was also a Grammy-winning producer, thanks to her work on the star-studded Hank Williams tribute album, Timeless, featuring Dylan, Johnny Cash, Keith Richards, Tom Petty and others.