Martha Johnson is a founding member and the lead singer of the Canadian art pop band Martha and the Muffins which formed in 1977. Her career, spanning more than four decades and eleven albums, three of which were co-produced with Daniel Lanois, has had many highlights: the worldwide success of ‘Echo Beach’ (JUNO Award for Single of the Year, 1980), touring the UK with Roxy Music, reaching number 2 in the US Billboard Dance charts with ‘Black Stations/White Stations’, and finding herself with another top 10 hit in Germany, Austria and Switzerland with the song ‘Troy’ that she co-wrote with German hip hop group Die Fantastischen Vier. The song went on to be used in the O2 mobile phone company’s advertising campaign for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
After the birth of her daughter, Martha released ‘Songs From The Tree House’, a collection of children’s songs. The album was recognized with another JUNO Award for Best Children’s Album in 1996. She then embarked on a career as a children’s performer for several years with Prologue To The Performing Arts. In 2000, Martha was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and was eventually forced to stop performing live. She instead concentrated on recording projects, Martha and the Muffins reissues and new releases.
In 2013, Martha released her debut solo album ‘SOLO•ONE’ with co-producers Ray Dillard and Mark Gane. She co-wrote three songs for the album with JUNO Songwriter of the Year winner Ron Sexsmith. Today, Martha continues to collaborate with younger singer/songwriters and work on new recording projects. Recently, a Martha and the Muffins cover version of the Buffalo Springfield classic ‘For What It’s Worth’ generated over fifty thousand views on YouTube.
Martha’s latest endeavour began with the suggestion of her neurologist, Dr. Fasano at Krembil Research Institute/University Health Network in Toronto. He encouraged her to collaborate on a song with another of his patients, songwriter/musician Fabio Dwyer, to help promote awareness of Parkinson’s to a wider audience. The resulting song, ‘Slow Emotion’, was largely performed by musicians and singers with PD and will be available worldwide on all platforms on April 11, 2024 which is World Parkinson’s Day. With the support of Krembil Research Institute/University Health Network and Parkinson Canada, there will be an accompanying documentary by Toronto filmmaker Jason Cipparrone on the making of the song.
