Martha's Work
Discography
1963 saw the debut album of the folk group The Gaslight Singers, with Martha as the lead vocalist on the album, The Gaslight Singers. This would be one of two albums she would record for Mercury Records and also the first in two records with the band comprised of Earl Mann, Al Alcabes and Jeff Hyman. Also their single, Railroad Bill, would be performed for America on the Merv Griffin Show and the Gaslight singers would be introduced my Merv Griffen himself and Carol Channing.
1964 Brought their follow up Record, Turning It On! , produced by Milt Okun.
Okun was the skilled producer behind the success of Peter,Paul and Mary, the Chad Mitchell Trio, etc. 
Martha released her debut blues-rock album Fiends And Angels on the Sire/Blue Horizon Records label in 1969; backing musicians included Eric Clapton, Stan Webb (Chicken Shack), and Paul Kossoff (Free) on guitar, Christine McVie (Fleetwood Mac) on keyboards, Jack Bruce (Cream) on bass, and Brian Auger on organ. The album was produced by Mike Vernon, producer for the Yardbirds, John Mayall and the Blues Breakers, etc.
1972 saw the release of her second album, Hypnotized, which is her only album not currently available on CD. It is her singer/songwriter debut. One critic called it the "neglected masterpiece of 1972."
In 1974, she released Matinee Weepers, a collection of adult-contemporary pop, recorded with the famed British session stars, the Olympic Runners.
Escape From Babylon remained a continuation of Martha's excellence in music making. This album was significant, as it was one of only two records Bob Marley ever produced, the first was Bob Marley and the Wailers LIVE!(1975). Martha and Bob co-wrote Disco Night on Escape from Babylon. This album featured the I-Three. A back up group of singers comprised of Rita Marley (Bob Marleys wife), Judy Mowatt and Marica Griffiths. With Martha's Folk Music and Blues Rock roots and Bob Marley and the I-Threes Reggae style, Martha continued her passion for exploring and mixing musical sounds to make something entirely new and all her own. The album received rave reviews from Rolling Stone Magazine and Marley explained he "felt a philosophical kinship" with Martha.
After Escape From Babylon, Velez released, American Heartbeat (1977). Many of the songs for her new musical play, American Heartbeat,were culled from this beautiful album and reformatted for the theatrical experience. The play this album inspired in Martha is a bold one, tackling the issues of war, PTSD, family, immigration and what it really means to feel the heartbeat of America.
This compilation, Angels Of The Future Past was released in 1989. It is a gem of an album which highlights the many-faceted musical styles of Martha Velez.
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Filmography
Produced by Norman Lear, a.k.a Pablo focused on struggling Hispanic stand-up comic Paul Rivera and his large Mexican American family. Rounding out the boisterous family was his sister Lucia(Martha Velez) and brother-in-law Hector and their five children, his "stuffed shirt" brother Manuel and flirty sister-in-law Carmen and their two children, and his very-anxious-to-wed spinster sister Sylvia.
The cast included Paul Rodriguez, Joe Santos,Katy Jurado, Hector Elizondo, Martha Velez and Mario Lopez. 
Featuring Burt Reynolds and Judd Nelson. Shattered...If Your Kids On Drugs details the trials and tribulations of families when children abuse and become addicted to drug use. Playing Janice, a mother and wife, Martha also showed the struggles a woman may go through to keep her home and family safe.
Faerie Tale Theatre (also known as Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre) is a multi-award winning live-action children's television series retelling popular fairy tales.
In the episode titled "Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp", Martha played a lady-in-waiting to Princess Sabrina(Valerie Bertinelli) and acted along side the likes of James Earl Jones, Leonard Nimoy and Robert Carradine. The Episode was directed by Tim Burton. 
Falcon Crest was a primetime soap opera which aired on CBS for nine seasons(1981 to 1990). In its eighth season Martha guest starred in a recurring role (Grand Delusions & Solomon's Choice.) as Mercedes Vargas, Aunt to Pilar Cumson(Kristian Alfonso) and secret adoptive mother to Pilar's daughter, Lisa. In these episodes Mercedes tries to get Pilar to sign away adoption papers for Lisa.
L.A. Law was a television Legal Drama series that ran for eight seasons on NBC(1986 to 1994).
Created by Steven Brocho and Terry Louise Fisher.The show was popular and won 15 Emmy Awards throughout its run, four of which were for Outstanding Drama Series. In 1989 Martha played the role of Gloria Stilton in the episode, "Placenta Claus Is Coming To Town." 
Tour of Duty ran on CBS for three seasons from 1987 to 1990. Also in 1990, Martha guest starred in the episode Payback.
The show follows an American infantry platoon on a tour of duty during the Vietnam War. Not simply an action program, Tour of Duty was also groundbreaking as it addressed the issues of politics, faith, teamwork, racism, suicide, fragging, terrorism, civilian deaths, drug abuse and the shattered lives and confused feelings of those troops who finally made it home alive. 
Side Out is a 1990 film about a beach volleyball competition, featuring
C. Thomas Howell, Peter Horton, Harley Jane Kozak, Courtney Thorn-Smith Peter and Martha Velez. 
Live From Death Row was a television movie. It starred Bruce Davison and Joanna Cassidy. Martha played Sergeant Sheehan an Irish prison guard.
This remarkable story was about a prisoner who takes a TV crew hostage and, ultimately, the entire Death Row block. The takeover is televised LIVE to riveted audiences at home. Pre-curser to reality TV. 
1992 made for TV movie. Dennis Hopper and Academy Award winner, Anne Archer. Martha played Anne's faithful friend in the film (Nails).
Father Hood is a 1993 comedy-drama film starring Patrick Swayze and Halle Berry and directed by Darrell Roodt.Mrs. Carter was the long suffering foster mother to a girl who was friends with Patrick Swayze’s (characters) daughter. The girl was rebellious and taken from her to Juvie.
[Safe] is a 1995 British/American drama film. In [Safe] Martha worked along side with writer director Todd Haynes, producer Christine Vachon and four time Academy nominated actress and Golden Globe winner, Academy Award winner Julianne Moore. It was voted the best film of the 1990s in the 1999 Village Voice Film Poll.
Star Maps (1997) is the directorial debut of Miguel Arteta that was first presented at the Sundance Film Festival. It was a critical hit, receiving five Independent Spirit Award nominations, including Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay.
This Allegorical tale concerns the gap that exists between East and West Los Angeles as Latino kids try to pursue the American Dream. 
1997 remained a busy year for Martha. As Mrs. Chacon Martha played along side Samuel L. Jacksons in what would be his first starring role as Trevor Garfield in the 1997 film One Eight Seven. A drama crime thriller directed by Kevin Reynolds. That depicts the life of a teacher(Samuel L. Jackson) struggling to get by in a urban school under the siege of gang violence.
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Theatre
Just off the road with the Gaslight Singers, Martha decided to try her hand at her first passion, Broadway.
She attended a “cattle call” , we call it an open audition these days, where everyone was permitted an audition. She went in, the director, Vicent Minnelli (American In Paris), the lyricist Martin Charnin (Annie),asked her to turn around when she sang. So she did. She got a part in the chorus and understudy to the lead. Turns out she looked just like the lead actress from behind and that was needed for transitional scenes.The big surprise was when the lead decided singing and dancing was too much for her. She asked Martha to play the lead. Martha was prepared and took over the lead role for the duration of the show. A storybook moment!
She attended a “cattle call” , we call it an open audition these days, where everyone was permitted an audition. She went in, the director, Vicent Minnelli (American In Paris), the lyricist Martin Charnin (Annie),asked her to turn around when she sang. So she did. She got a part in the chorus and understudy to the lead. Turns out she looked just like the lead actress from behind and that was needed for transitional scenes.The big surprise was when the lead decided singing and dancing was too much for her. She asked Martha to play the lead. Martha was prepared and took over the lead role for the duration of the show. A storybook moment!
I'm Solomon starred Dick Shawn, who was one of the premier comics of the day. Martha's role was as Princess Nofrit, his favorite wife…of many. On opening night he gave everyone in the cast a small fake hot dog. Martha will never know the meaning!! The title of the show was changed to “Someone Else’s Sandals” and closed quickly…A blast while it lasted and a definite learning curve.
After her distinguished career as a singer songwriter, Martha pursued her career as an actress in which she played the lead in Hair on Broadway. Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the Hippie counterculture of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam-War peace movement. The musical's profanity, its depiction of the use of illegal drugs, its treatment of sexuality, its irreverence for the American flag caused much comment and controversy. The musical broke new ground in musical theatre by defining the genre of "rock musical", using a racially integrated cast, and inviting the audience onstage for a "Be-in" finale.
Being recognized for its revolutionary work, Hair has been nominated 17 times by the Grammy's, Drama Desk Awards and The Tony's. These categories include Best Musical, Best Score from an Original Cast, Best Direction of a Musical and so on. Hair still to this day remains one of the most influential Musicals in America.
Being recognized for its revolutionary work, Hair has been nominated 17 times by the Grammy's, Drama Desk Awards and The Tony's. These categories include Best Musical, Best Score from an Original Cast, Best Direction of a Musical and so on. Hair still to this day remains one of the most influential Musicals in America.
Comedy of Errors was a Shakespearean romp, set in present day California. Martha played Adriana the jilted grand dame. This was a Los Angeles production with the Will & Co. group.
As a playwright, Martha wrote the award-winning play Power of the Powerless which focused on social issue like immigration, solders suffering PTSD and economic uncertainty. she has now adapted this play into the musical play, AMERICAN HEARTBEAT. Velez continues to use her voice as a singer and playwright for good will and social change. And Power of the Powerless was the recipient Of the Los Angeles Write On Woman's Award for Acting / Best Playwright.
In 2013 Martha felt inspiration from her earlier work to make a new play based on her original, Power of the Powerless. American Heartbeat is the result. A bold play mixing drama, humor and a strong narrative with a musical theme. It takes place in 1992 Los Angeles, but, has a striking relevance today. by using songs from her albums and adapting them for this production- threading the music throughout the play to drive the story. AMERICAN HEARTBEAT, the musical play, is a socially responsible story, set in the Recession of 1992, that puts a face on an unemployed American Viet Nam Vet sharing the same dilemma with a Mexican immigrant. These are two men from opposite worlds who change each other's lives.
