The Golden Voice DEREK MARTIN was born in 1938 in Detroit, Michigan. From his earlier days on, he embraces the musical world and starts to sing in shows. Like many artists in the United States, he starts his career with gospel music, a genre that brought us the biggest stars in black music. Noticed at a very young age by DUKE ELLINGTON, he gets hired at age 17 as a singer in the Duke’s big band. This adds to his success and leads him to start a solo career. Read more on Last.fm