Martin C. Strong
{{Short description|Scottish discographer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox writer
|name=Martin C. Strong
|birth_date={{birth year and age|1960}}
|birth_place=Musselburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, UK
|children=3
|birth_name=Martin Charles Strong
|occupation=Music historian
}}
Martin Charles Strong (born 1960 in Musselburgh) is a Scottish music historian known for compiling discographies of popular music including The Great Rock Discography. Strong has been described in broadsheet newspaper profiles as a "compiler of acclaimed mammoth discographies"{{cite web|url=http://www.scotsman.com/what-s-on/music/top-of-the-pop-scots-1-629658|title=Top of the pop Scots|last=Gilchrist|first=Jim|date=22 November 2002|website=The Scotsman|publisher=Johnston Press|access-date=30 August 2014}} and "a man who knows more about rock music than is healthy for one individual".{{cite journal|last=Taylor|first=Alan|date=17 December 2000|title=Disc man's latest hit of musical history|journal=Sunday Herald|publisher=Newsquest}}
Career
Strong has researched music extensively since the early 1980s, dedicating 70 hours per week to his craft as of 2004.{{cite journal|last=Jamieson|first=Teddy|date=9 October 2004|title=Life lines|journal=The Herald|publisher=Newsquest}}
He is perhaps best known for The Great Rock Discography, with the 7th edition being published in 2004; the foreword was penned by disc jockey John Peel.[http://www.books-by-isbn.com/1-84195/1841955515-The-Great-Rock-Discography-John-Peel-Martin-C.-Strong-1-84195-551-5.html The Great Rock Discography at books-by-isbn.com] The book has garnered acclaim,{{cite web|url=http://www.fishpond.co.uk/Books/Essential-Rock-Discography-Martin-C-Strong/9781841959856|title=The Essential Rock Discography|publisher=Fishpond|access-date=31 August 2014}} with United States music critic Robert Christgau recommending it as one of the three best rock music encyclopaedias, and the one with the "maddest completism".{{cite web|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/bk-cg90/ack.php|title=Albums of the '90s: Acknowledgments|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=2000|publisher=RobertChristgau.com|access-date=30 August 2014}} Author Ian Rankin named it as one of the "5 Books Every Man Should Read", calling it "a great book" that "would keep [him] happy on any desert island".{{cite web|url=http://uk.askmen.com/entertainment/special_feature_200/225_hardware.html|title=Ian Rankin: 5 Books Every Man Should Read|last=Budak|first=Bertan|publisher=AskMen|access-date=30 August 2014}} It was re-released as The Essential Rock Discography, a condensed version, in 2006.{{cite journal|last=Guthrie|first=Sean|date=11 November 2006|title=The Essential Rock Discography|journal=The Herald|publisher=Newsquest}}
Strong has also authored The Great Metal Discography (2 editions), The Great Psychedelic, The Great Alternative & Indie (2 volumes) and Lights, Camera, Soundtracks (with Brendon Griffin). Along with The Great/Essential Rock Discography – on which Griffin also worked sporadically – these titles have been published by Canongate Books.[http://www.bookfinder.com/author/martin-c-strong/ Martin C. Strong] at BookFinder.com Mercat Press published a history of Scottish contemporary music, The Great Scots Musicography, in 2002.{{cite web|url=http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/books/delving-into-the-valley-of-musical-heritage-1-1380488|title=Delving into the valley of musical heritage|last=Johnstone|first=Doug|date=21 December 2002|website=The Scotsman|publisher=Johnston Press|access-date=30 August 2014}} Strong's final tomes were two volumes of The Great Folk Discography, published by Birlinn in 2010 and 2011; a third part of the trilogy, The Great Folk Discography: The Celtic Connections, has been shelved.
Aside from his books, Strong has written for The List,{{cite web|url=http://www.list.co.uk/articles/writer:martin-c-strong/|title=Articles by Martin C. Strong|website=The List|access-date=30 August 2014}} Record Collector, Songlines, HMV Choice and the Rough Guides series. He served as researcher for Jimmy Cliff's 2003 Anthology release.{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/anthology-mw0000036565/credits|title=Anthology - Jimmy Cliff|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=31 August 2014}}
Personal life
Strong lives in Falkirk and has three daughters.{{cite web|url=http://www.birlinn.co.uk/Martin-C.-Strong/|title=Martin C. Strong|publisher=Birlinn|access-date=31 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019115809/http://www.birlinn.co.uk/Martin-C.-Strong/|archive-date=19 October 2014|url-status=dead}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20201101053854/https://thegreatrockbible.com/ The Great Rock Bible]
- [http://www.folklib.net/index/discog/bibliog_strong.shtml FolkLib Index - Music Reference Books by Martin C. Strong]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Strong, Martin C.}}