Bobbi Martin (a more accurate, descriptive biography of the Pride of Baltimore)
Barbara Ann "Bobbi" Martin was born in Brooklyn, New York on November 29, 1938. As a girl, she was raised in Baltimore, Maryland where her grandparents lived. Her mother Virginia was in the military and her father was unknown. Bobbi would visit her mother in Oslo, Minnesota, where her stepfather also lived, but she only sometimes “lived” there. She mainly stayed in Baltimore where she was discovered by a man named Kahn and sang at night for $10. The printed birth year of 1943 served as her "stage" age. Bobbi began her career around Baltimore venues and in 1960 with the release of (Ay, Ay, Ay) I'll Wait Forever/ Is It True (What They Say About Al) on Maypole in Canada. The record did well enough to get some airplay in Canada and a year later Bobbi was discovered by manager Miriam Love. Miriam brought her to the attention of A&R director of Coral Records, Henry Jerome where she was signed to a contract. Four years of frustration plagued Bobbi as sh...