Martin McCoy

The Man

Martin McCoy – Biography

Martin McCoy was born Martin Mischler in 1956 in Basel, Switzerland. Due to a professional blunder that occurred during his birth Martin was completely blind. After graduating from high school and 5 years of university studies he started working in the field of assistive technology for the blind, as a computer specialist so to say.

Already at the age of 6 Martin started playing piano and all kinds of Keyboard-based instruments. At the age of 15 he started writing pop songs in English.
After a brief stint to a local blues band, where he performed piano and vocals, he decided to go solo. That was around 1975.

In 1981 he published his 1st hit single "Radio Station on the Mountain", an advertising song for a local radio station which became only a minor success. Another single record "Sound Radio" followed in 1983. It made number one in the charts. His favorite artists at that time, who also impacted his music, were among others: Merle Haggard, Hank Williams Junior, Buck Owens, John Fogerty, Bob Seeger, Neil Young and the Eagles.

Realizing that in Switzerland money could hardly be made in the field of Country music, he made (and is still making) his living in the computer business. In the 90s Martin McCoy managed to move to a location in the country where he could install his first recording studio. There he did all the recording and engineering himself.

In 1999 he brought out his first CD "Different Heartbeats".

"Music is a good friend, cause it never lets you down."

That's what Martin McCoy often says, and that has been his guideline all along his life so far.
"My songs are stories about different kinds of people, so I'm no more than a storyteller", Martin says.

"A good country song, that's like holding a woman in your arms with lots of love around", is another statement of his.

In 2004 Martin McCoy released an unusual CD entitled "Music from Louisiana - Musique de la Louisiane" containing Cajun songs modernly arranged. Spiritual mentor of that project was Louisiana born Cajun musician Zachary Richard. About this project Martin says:
"Zachary is a wonderful musician. All he does he does with a lot of passion. By integrating Rock and Blues into Cajun music he made it accessible to a wider audience than it was ever before."

2 years later, in 2006, came CD number 3: "The Sound of my Soul - a Tribute to the music of John C. Fogerty". Martin only states about it: "The title says it all." Having been a Creedence fan ever since the band had existed he felt the need to record this album. It contains 13 songs of John C. Fogerty. The opener "Like John would" was written by himself and explains his relationship to John's music.

In 2015 he and his family moved to the Black Forest in Southern Germany where a 24 track recording studio could be realized. The latest CD "The Winterside of Nowhere" contains 14 songs, 12 of which are self-written.
"Our new home is in one of the most beautiful areas in the world. It inspired me a lot, so to record these 14 songs took me just about 14 months", that's Martin's comment on the new project.

Martin has been married since 2007 to Claudia-Andrea Korz, and a son by the name of Thorsten was born to them in 2009.
"I need my family very much. It's a gift of God to me."