for two shows in the Bay Area, which were AC/DC's first shows in America. Martin was invited to audition for various iconic bands in the 1970s and 1980s, namely, Van Halen, Toto, and Rainbow. He received a call directly from Eddie Van Halen in 1985 who told him he liked his voice and wanted to meet the following week. Martin flew to Los Angeles to audition, and on arriving at the Airport he met Sammy Hagar who told Martin that he had already got the job, so Martin decided not to go to the audition with Van Halen. Musical influences Martin has always been able to sing either rock, soul, or even country music. He grew up listening to both soul and rock icons in the 1970s, such as Otis Redding, Paul Rodgers, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Edgar Winter, Free, and Humble Pie. When he was about 13 to 15 years old, while living in Italy, he was introduced musically to different artists under Motown Records and Stax/Volt Records. He often collaborates and performs with fellow songwriter and friend Andre Pessis. Music career 415 / Eric Martin Band, 1978–1985 Martin had decided to live independently by the age of 18. His first job was selling ice-cream. The big break he needed came when John Nymann, guitarist for the band Mile Hi, gave him a call and asked if he would want to form a new band together. The two had known each other since their former bands (Mile Hi and Kid Courage) had played together at the Mabuhay Gardens on Broadway in San Francisco. In agreement, Nymann and Martin got people together from both their previous bands, and formed a new group named 415 – which was the telephone area code for the San Francisco Bay Area, since every person in the band was from there. 415 was formed in late 1979. It marked the start of Martin's career as lead vocalist. He stated, "415 played hundreds of shows at area nightclubs, beer parties, even high school and college dances, before eventually headlining San Francisco's premiere night club – the Old Waldorf. Selling out in advance, word quickly spread about our dynamic live shows and soon we were opening for established acts like Billy Squier, Hall & Oates, Rick Springfield, Molly Hatchet, the Marshall Tucker Band, and Foreigner, to name a few. Eventually, without yet being signed