Blues singer, who played mandolin, guitar and bass, born April 1, 1906 near Stone Gap, Virginia, died May 10, 1979 in Pontiac, Mississippi.
He moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1920, working with Roland Martin in Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia in the early 1920s, teaming up with Howard Armstrong to form Tennessee Chocolate Drops, who recorded for Vocalion in 1930. He recorded under his own name 1934-1936, having moved to Chicago in 1933, but worked mostly outside of music after 1945, recording again for Testament Records in 1966 and forming Martin, Bogan & Armstrong in the early 1970, with which group he recorded for Rounder Records and Flying Fish (2).

For the hip hop producer, see Carl "Groove" Martin.