Martha Veléz

Martha Velez-Reid
Born	Martha Veléz (1945-08-25)August 25, 1945 New York City
Occupation(s)	Television actress,singer
Spouse	James N. Reid (married 2003 - present) Keith Johnson (married 1968 - 1982)

Martha Veléz(born inNew York Cityon August 25, 1945) is an American singer and actress of Puerto Rican descent.

Biography

Veléz started singing at age five and won an opera scholarship at age 12, as amezzo-soprano.She studied for three years, then went to theHigh School of Performing ArtsinNew York City.Veléz holds a master's degree fromAntioch Universityin Clinical Psychology and a Ph.D. from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Cultural Mythology and Depth Psychology. She is a founding Fellow of the Imaginal Institute of Ojai, California. As a playwright, she wrote the award-winning playPower of the Powerless.Veléz is interested in using her voice as a means for social change.

Veléz began her recording career with the folk singing group The Gaslight SingersonMercury Records.She was the female singer with Earl Mann, Al Alcabes, and Jeff Hyman.

Veléz released her debut blues-rock albumFiends and Angelson the Sire/Blue Horizon Records label in 1969. Backing musicians includedEric Clapton,Stan Webb(Chicken Shack), andPaul Kossoff(Free) on guitar,Christine McVie(Fleetwood Mac) on keyboards,Jack Bruceon bass,Mitch Mitchell(The Jimi Hendrix Experience) on drums, andBrian Augeron organ. The album was produced byMike Vernon.

1972 saw the release of Veléz's second album,Hypnotized.In 1973, she releasedMatinée Weepers,a collection of adult-contemporary pop.

In May 1975, Veléz traveled toJamaicafor three weeks to record with reggae artistBob Marley.She is the only American artist for whom Marley functioned as a music producer — the results wereEscape from Babylon.ProducerCraig Leonalso contributed to this association. He asked Marley about doing the album with her; Marley listened to her composition, "Living Outside the Law" from her 1972 album,Hypnotized,and felt a philosophical kinship. He also was impressed by her voice. Marley's positive response took them into the studio with his earlier producerLee "Scratch" Perryto work on producingEscape from Babylon,released in 1976. The album also featured four Marley covers (Bend Down Low,Happiness,There You Are,Get Up, Stand Up) and a Veléz-Marley composing collaboration,Disco Night.The songwriting credits were given toRita Marleybecause of Marley's dispute with his publishers at the time.

AfterEscape from Babylon,Veléz only released one more album:American Heartbeat(1977). A compilation,Angels of the Future Past,was released in 1989. This did not include any songs fromHypnotized(due to cross-licensing issues) or fromAmerican Heartbeat(because the masters were missing at the time). Veléz resumed her acting career, which began with playing the lead inHairon Broadway. She moved on to acting in movies and TV series. Veléz was a series regular in theNorman Learsitcoma.k.a. Pabloin 1984, and played a recurring role inFalcon Crest(1986). In 1997, she acted inOne Eight Sevenalong withSamuel L. Jackson.Veléz also worked in films withJulianne Moore(Safe),Halle BerryandPatrick Swayze(Father Hood),Dennis Hopper(Nails), and played a lead role in the (Sundance) winnerStar Maps,directed byMiguel Artetaand produced by Mathew Greenfield.

Personal life

Veléz is the current wife of Juliard violist and symphonic performer, James Reid.

She is also the former wife of trumpet player Keith Johnson. Her son Taj Johnson is a performance artist, writer-poet, and singer. Taj appeared as a series regular for two years onParker Lewis Can't Lose.

Her brother is the percussionistGerardo Velez,who has worked withSpyro Gyra,Patti LaBelle,Jimi HendrixandVan Morrison.

Discography

• The Gaslight Singers(1963)
• Turning it on(1964)
• Fiends and Angels(1969)
• Hypnotized(1972)
• Matinée Weepers(1973)
• Escape from Babylon (1976)
• American Heartbeat(1977)
• Angels of the Future Past(1989)

Filmography

• AKA Pablo(1984) (Norman Lear TV series)
• Shattered if Your Kid's on Drugs(1986)
• Falcon Crest(1989) (TV series)
• L.A. Law(1989)
• Tour of Duty(1990) (TV series)
• Side Out(1990)
• Live! From Death Row(1992)
• Nails(1992) (television film)
• Father Hood(1993)
• Safe(1995)
• Star Maps(1997)
• One Eight Seven(1997)

Theater

• Mata Hari(1965) (Washington, D.C. National Theater)
• I'm Solomon(1966)
• Hair(1967) (Broadway - Biltmore Theater)
• Comedy of Errors - Shakespeare(Los Angeles)
• Power of the Powerless(1994) (Los Angeles, CA)

External links

• Martha VelézatIMDb