Happy Birthday today (July 21) to Jim Martin. The former Faith No More guitarist is 58.
Big Jim Martin is best known for his time as guitarist for Faith No More from 1983-1993. Martin joined Faith No More in 1983, two years after the band formed and played on the albums We Care A Lot, Introduce Yourself, The Real Thing, and Angel Dust. He left the group for unknown reasons after the release of Angel Dust.
The Real Thing was Faith No More’s breakthrough album and most successful release. It featured the lineup of new lead singer Mike Patton (replacing Chuck Mosley), Jim Martin on guitar, Bill Gould on bass, Roddy Bottum on keyboards, and Mike Borden on drums. The album went platinum with singles “From Out of Nowhere”, “Epic” and “Falling to Pieces”. It also included a cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” which kicks total ass! The album received Grammy nominations for Best Metal Performance in 1989 and “Epic” was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1991. For more on Faith No More, check out the band’s official website here. Cheers to Jim Martin on his birthday today!