Ep. 36 Craig Martin (Sac, London, Marina Del Ray)
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“You can’t fire me!” 

Was it an inside joke this week’s guest shared with friends and confidants or was it a statement of fact, out there in the open? Craig Martin, son of Tower Records CFO Walter “Bud” Martin started working at the 16th & Broadway store in the summer of 1975 at age 15 with  Carl Michelakos  as the store’s General Manager. As a young man he got turned on to a variety of jazz guitar players and went down that road learning all that he could

After Michelakos left, Craig stayed with Tower in the summers, but instead worked at the Sacramento warehouses before a couple years later moving to San Diego to work with Wayne Ennes. Craig went to great lengths to quiet his relationship to his father so that he would be accepted amongst the crew.  Once Wayne left, his replacement was said to have told the whole store about Bud & Craig, father & son. 

Working on some of the A Teams, Craig helped open the original store in Seattle, Lincoln Center’s original NYC location, Washington DC and London Picadilly Circus. It was in London Craig ran into legal issues and was deported for not having proper work papers. He made his way back, continued to work at Piccadilly and was the General Manger of the London store for four years. After more than five years in London (he was originally supposed to be there for six months) he talked to Stan Goman about coming back to the US. 

Craig ended his career running the Marina Del Rey store from 1992-2005. Craig recalls his lifelong relationship with Tower Records founder Russ Solomon, whose office he used to pilfer promos as a child.