Lloyd "Skip" Martin (1916-1976) was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. He immediately began arranging for big bands. Seriously, according to his mother, at the age of one and a half he toddled over to the piano and sounded middle C. After spending the required amount of years getting an education, he headed for his objective. Almost before he was out of short pants (he had heard about Benny Goodman going to work at the age of eleven), he began his climb to the musical heights (none of them Horace).

While he was in high school he was a well-known clarinet player in a junior symphony, and played all through his curriculum at Indiana University, then went on to work at the famous WLW radio station in Cincinnati. Around 1936 he began his career as a side man and arranger with the Gus Arnheim Orchestra, also arranging for Count Basie which he has continued to do up for years. Following this he went on to join and contribute arrangements to the swinging bands of Charlie Barnet, Jan Savitt, and Benny Goodman. Although he did not act in that capacity with Glenn Miller, he did play with that organization for some time before he joined the staffs of NBC and CBS in New York. A three-year sabbatical in the U.S. Army followed, where he learned to become, so I understand, a “hot pilot.” He still flies occasionally.

His most prominent accomplishment, in the eyes of the general public, is undoubtedly as an arranger for Les Brown. I doubt if there is anyone extant who does not know, practically by heart, his tremendous version of “I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm.” He now spends most of his time arranging for motion pictures, and this album is kind of a “busman's holiday”: during his spare time he's busy arranging musicals for 20th Century Fox and MGM, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, etc.

He is most interesting to talk to; alert, fun, and a tenacious questioner. He wants to know exactly what you mean, and has no hesitancy in telling you what he means. But he can be wrong, as is borne out by the fact that he has been married twice and is now living with his dog. However, he bears this stoically. His personality is sort of a cross between Rabelais and Tom, the fun loving Rover. Being a real family sized gourmet, he insists on the best food and plenty of it —not only for himself but for everyone present.

While he was growing up in Indianapolis he used to hang around the speedways and formed an affectionate attachment for racing cars —calling them by their first names. He is still a rotund, aging pit boy and may be seen at any of the meets, changing tires, filling up the tanks, and generally being useful. He is available at all times for these events; also arrangements or anything connected with any kind of a party, where he will have a swinging time and consume an enormous amount of groceries and beverages, then get up and do a prodigious amount of musical writing [...]

—Johnny Mercer (Taken from the inside liner notes of FSRCD 1120)