Martyn Ware
An architect of British electronic pop, he built the synthesizer-driven soundscapes for two era-defining bands from the ground up.
Born 1956 (age 70)·English musician·Birthday: May 19·Baby Boomers
Biography
Martyn Ware emerged from Sheffield's industrial landscape in the late 1970s with a vision to make machines sing with human emotion. As a sonic architect, he co-founded The Human League, crafting the stark, futuristic tones of early classics before a creative split led him to form Heaven 17. With that group, he masterminded a sleeker, funk-inflected brand of synth-pop that delivered sharp social commentary wrapped in irresistible dance grooves. Beyond his own projects, Ware became a sought-after producer and a pioneer in the field of 3D sound design, applying his meticulous ear for spatial audio to everything from music installations to virtual reality, ensuring his influence stretched far beyond the chart hits he helped create.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Martyn was born in 1956, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Martyn Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Martyn's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 40
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 50
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 60
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 70
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-founded two seminal electronic groups, The Human League and Heaven 17, shaping the sound of British synth-pop.
- Co-wrote and produced Heaven 17's hit 'Temptation,' a defining track of 1980s electronic music.
- Pioneered the use of the Fairlight CMI sampler in popular music production.
- Founded the audio technology company Illustrious Company, specializing in 3D soundscapes and immersive audio.
Did You Know?
He originally studied cartography before fully committing to music.
Ware produced Tina Turner's 1984 single 'Let's Stay Together,' helping to revitalize her career.
He created a groundbreaking 3D soundscape for the Victoria and Albert Museum's David Bowie exhibition.
He is a Visiting Professor at the University of York's Department of Music.
“The future of music is not about the notes, it's about the space between the notes.”
