john Arthur Martinez has won the 2010 Texas Music Awards Record of the Year because of his latest release “Purgatory Road” and one of its top songs “Utopia”. The album was his first with his new label Apache Ranch Records.

The album is the result of a long career as a singer and his style of weaving together the different cultures that make up the musical mosaic culture of Texas. He is an interpreter of Americana, Country, Latin music whose inspiration was from diverse artists such as Carlos Santana, James Taylor, and Dan Fogelberg among others.

He also received inspiration from the rich environment of Texas such as listening to music from mariachis in his family’s house to the country and rock prevalent in the Lone Star State. While he studied at Texas State University and the University of Arizona [which is located in Tuscon], the music and love of it took him away from a potential career as a teacher and tennis coach.

john Arthur Martinez was once asked the question of why a lower case letter to identify him. The response was a down to earth one in which he states that it was based on people knowing him by his middle name since his kindergarten period. He also talked about how there were too many children with the name John in his class.

The album “Purgatory Road” took a long time to record taking into account the music that was composed. The song “Que No Puede Ver” was composed by Mr. Martinez in the decade of the 1980’s while songs such as “The Ride”, “Cobalt Blue” as well as “Thunder and Lightning” were written in the 1990’s.

john Arthur Martinez has also recorded other albums such as “Spinning Our Wheels” with one of its greatest songs being the title song, “Amor Amor” with the greatest hit “Seguro Que Hell Yes”, “Stand Your Ground”, “Lone Starry Night”, “Live In New England” during which the people in New England responded in a positive fashion to “Frijoles Con Arroz”.

Frijoles Con Arroz is Spanish for Beans with Rice which is a staple food in Latin America and the US Latin Community. The people of New England also responded in a positive fashion to his rendition of the medley “Down In South Texas/La Bamba” in the famous “Live In New England” album.

He collaborated with another Texas artist Mike Blakely to record “Blakely/Martinez”. The album produced great songs such as “Midnight Blue”, “Two Hearts Are Better Than One”, and “Change Your Mind”. It was an unforgettable album. The album “Rodeo Night” was filled with great hits such as “What Good Is I Live You” and “All Hat And No Cattle”.

john Arthur Martinez has been all over the world and has performed in the capital of country music Nashville, Tennessee with Charley Pride and Carrie Underwood. He is also the recipient of the Grammy Award.  He has not let the glory affect him as it has other artists.

He is still faithful to his family, friends, and home in Texas. He even wears a cowboy hat as a sign of reverence, respect, and love for the Lone Star State which is his home in heart, soul, and birth.