Guitarist
Martin Belmont began his professional musical career as the lead guitarist for the pub rock band
Ducks Deluxe.
The Ducks toured the U.K. constantly during the mid-'70s and released four albums before breaking up in 1975.
Belmont moved on to
Graham Parker's backing band,
the Rumour. For the next five years, he was part of
the Rumour, who supported
Parker on tour and on his records and also recorded three albums on their own. Following
the Rumour's disbanding,
Belmont played in supporting roles for various artists, including on records by
Carlene Carter,
Paul Carrack, and
John Hiatt before eventually becoming the guitarist for
Nick Lowe's mid-'80s group,
the Cowboy Outfit. Once
the Cowboy Outfit bit the dust,
Belmont continued to support a number of artists, including an appearance on
Billy Bragg's 1988 album
Worker's Playtime. In the late '80s, he recorded his only solo album,
Big Guitar, which was released on the Demon label. During the '90s,
Belmont quietly faded from the spotlight, but in the 2000s, he appeared as a sideman on albums by
Los Pistoleros and
Hank Wangford, and in 2007, he was part of a
Ducks Deluxe reunion concert at London's 100 Club. The reunion gig led to new rounds of recording and touring for the group, and
Ducks Deluxe released the EP
Box of Shorts in 2009 and the album
Side Tracks & Smokers in 2010. As
Ducks Deluxe returned to action,
Belmont released his second solo album, 2009's
The Guest List, which featured guest spots from several of his old mates, including
Nick Lowe,
Graham Parker,
Paul Carrack, and
Carlene Carter. In 2012,
Graham Parker & the Rumour reunited for an appearance in
Judd Apatow's film
This Is 40, with
Belmont reclaiming his place on guitar, and the group went into the studio and cut a new album,
Three Chords Good, that came out the same year. An international tour followed, and in 2015
Parker & the Rumour were back with a second reunion set,
Mystery Glue.
