Martin Zellar is the talented singer/songwriter who fronted Minnesota’s Gear Daddies. They released two discs in the late ’80’s before they were picked up by PolyGram/Polydor for a hot minute in the early ’90’s. They made it to David Letterman’s late night show with a performance of Zellar’s “Stupid Boy.” The band broke up in 1992 while Zellar continued his career as a solo artist.
I loved Zellar’s covers of “Little Red Corvette” and “My Maria” with the Gear Daddies on Can’t Have Nothin’ Nice (live tracks, studio outtakes and rarities, 1992). My disc is GDA0001, which seems to reflect a pressing on their own label.
I caught up with Zellar for one of his NEIL! (Diamond) shows late one Sunday evening at O’Gara’s in St. Paul back in the ’90’s. He recorded the Neil Diamond number “If You Know What I Mean” as a bonus track for Born Under (1995). Zellar’s site is here. It looks like he has reunited with the Gear Daddies for shows around the state this summer.
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