"Sleep with One Eye Open"
 

Richard Martinez is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, singer, who was born September 14, 1955 in San Antonio, Texas.

At age 8 Richard studied piano, sang in the choir, and at 10 began his life long passion for the trombone. In the 1970's, while Richard was attending high school, he played in "The Renown Sound" dance band, playing at local country clubs and military bases.

Richard went on to study at North Texas State University as a music major. In 1977 Richard auditioned and won a position with the prestigious United States Air Force Band touring the southwestern states. Upon departure from the Air Force, Richard returned to make Dallas Ft. Worth area his home, playing in clubs with his own group "Rebound"

In the 1990's Richard toured internationally with Lucky Peterson & Bernard Allison as a featured side man and intricate part of their horn sections. In 2005 after years of playing behind accomplished jazz and blues men, he began writing what would become his debut solo album. "One Eye Open" is a life time of reflections on the adversities and joys all rolled up into a mixture of sounds, textures and musical passions.

Richard attributes much of his early jazz schooling to his mentor Gary Rosenblatt, the Lab band and music theory instructor, for igniting his passion in high school. Musical influences including, Count Basie, Duke Elllington, Nat "King" Cole, Joe Williams, Mel Torme`, Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Tower of Power, James Brown and the Jazz Crusaders to name a few.