Martin Lee Gore (born 23 July 1961)^[1] is an English musician and songwriter. He is one of the founding members of the electronic rock band Depeche Mode and is the band's main songwriter.^[2] He is the band's guitarist and keyboardist, and occasionally provides lead vocals.^[3] Gore possesses a tenor singing voice which contrasts with lead vocalist Dave Gahan's dramatic baritone. He is also known for his flamboyant and (sometimes) androgynous stage persona. Gore has also released several solo albums and collaborated with former Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke as part of VCMG.^[4]

Gore's songs include themes such as sex, religion and politics.^[5] He has said he feels lyrical themes that tackle issues related to solitude and loneliness are a better representation of reality, whereas he finds "happy songs" fake and unrealistic.^[6] At the same time, he asserts that the band's music contains "an element of hope".^[7]

In 1999, he received the Ivor Novello Award from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors for "International Achievement". He was given the Moog Innovation Award "for his many contributions to the exploration of sound in popular music" in 2019, and became a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member in late 2020 with fellow active Depeche Mode members Dave Gahan and Andy Fletcher, as well as past members Clarke and Alan Wilder.^[8] Following the death of Fletcher in May 2022, Gore became the longest-serving member of the band.

Martin Lee Gore was born in London, England. His biological father was an African-American G.I. stationed in Britain.^[9] Gore was raised by his stepfather David Gore and biological mother Pamela, who both worked at the Ford of Britain motor plant in Dagenham.^[10] He believed his stepfather was his biological father until the age of 30, when he learned of his biological father.^[11] Gore later met his biological father in the American South.^[9] Gore has described his upbringing as "normal" and "stable" and has said that although he was a well-behaved child, he was an introvert who preferred to spend time reading alone rather than with school peers. However, he also stated that he enjoyed his time at school and took part in foreign exchange trips.^[10] His family briefly lived in Hornchurch during his upbringing before moving to Basildon, where he attended the Nicholas Comprehensive School. During school he was the guitarist in a local band called Norman and the Worms.^[9][10]

Gore taught himself to play keyboard from the 1970s, never receiving formal training. He learned to perform chart hits, figuring out their structures via the magazine Disco 45.^[12] He shared a class with Andy "Fletch" Fletcher, Alison Moyet and Perry Bamonte.^[13] Gore left Nicholas Comprehensive after completing his A-levels in 1979 and took a job as a bank cashier. During evenings, weekends and any other spare time, he remained involved with Norman and the Worms.^[14][15] He became interested in electronic music upon hearing acts such as Kraftwerk, the Human League and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD).^[12] He borrowed a Korg 700S from a friend, before purchasing a Yamaha CS5, his first synthesizer.^[12]

Gore has two younger half-sisters, Karen, born in 1967, and Jacqueline, born in 1968.^[10]

In 1980, Gore reunited with classmate Andy Fletcher at the Van Gogh club. Fletcher recruited him into his band Composition of Sound, along with Vince Clarke. Soon the band drafted Dave Gahan to be the band's lead singer after hearing him sing "Heroes" by David Bowie.^[16] Gore is the band's keyboardist, contributes backing vocals,^[3] and occasionally provides lead vocals.^[17][18]

When explaining the band's choice for their name, 'Depeche Mode' (which was taken from French fashion magazine Dépêche Mode),^[19] Gore said, "It means 'hurried fashion' or 'fashion dispatch'. I like the sound of that."^[20] However, the magazine's name (and hence the band's) correctly translates to something like "Fashion News" or "Fashion Update".^[21]

Gore wrote two tracks on Depeche Mode's debut album, Speak & Spell: "Tora! Tora! Tora!" and the instrumental "Big Muff".^[22] "Any Second Now (Voices)" features Gore's first lead vocals for the band.^[16] When Clarke announced his departure from Depeche Mode in 1981, Gore became the principal songwriter for the band.^[2] Songs Gore wrote for Depeche Mode's second album, A Broken Frame (1982), differed musically and lyrically from Clarke's. Gore's writing became gradually darker and more political on subsequent Depeche Mode albums.^[16] He sings lead vocals on several of the band's songs, notably ballads – his tenor voice provides a contrast to Gahan's dramatic baritone.^[23][24][25]

Gore sometimes plays guitar (typically his Gretsch White Falcon or Gretsch Double Anniversary) on Depeche Mode songs.^[26][27][28] The first time guitar was used as the main instrument was on "Personal Jesus", although he used small guitar parts on previous songs, such as "Behind the Wheel" and "Love, in Itself". Gore's guitar playing developed even more on Songs of Faith and Devotion.^[29] In live performances, he switches his keyboards for his guitar on some older Depeche Mode songs, such as "Never Let Me Down Again" and "A Question of Time".^[30][31] In mid-1990, Gore said, "I think in a way we've been at the forefront of new music; sort of chipping away at the standard rock format stations."^[32]

Gore has released the following solo albums: Counterfeit EP (1989), Counterfeit² (2003), MG (2015) and The Third Chimpanzee (2021).

Gore has a personal studio in Santa Monica with a sizeable collection of Euroracks, Moog and Erica synthesizers (among others), where he has recorded solo work and written music for Depeche Mode.^{[30][39][40][41]}

On 27 May 1999, Gore was presented with an award by Daniel Miller for "International Achievement" by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors at the 44th Ivor Novello Awards.^[42][43]

In 2019, Gore received the Moog Innovation Award "for his many contributions to the exploration of sound in popular music".^[44]

Musical pioneer Martin Gore's masterful electronic meditations on the human condition have illuminated the connection between transformative sound and pure emotion for decades. A founding member of the band Depeche Mode, Gore's sensual electronic compositions and introspective lyrics have resonated with faithful audiences around the world and impacted the direction of countless visionary artists from Trent Reznor to Johnny Cash. Gore's enduring ability to connect the rawest aspects of the human experience to the dance floor defined an era and perpetually reminds us what it means to be human through the emotional power of electronic sound.

— Moog^[44]

Gore lives in Santa Barbara, California.^[45] He started dating lingerie designer and model Suzanne Boisvert after meeting in Paris in 1989. They married in August 1994, had three children and divorced in 2006.^{[46][47][48][16]} In June 2014, he married Kerrilee Kaski, with whom he has two daughters.^[49][46][50]

Gore became a vegetarian for health and moral reasons (along with bandmate Alan Wilder) in 1983.^[51][52]

He had stress-induced seizures during the band's 1993 Devotional Tour^[53] and publicly acknowledged his past alcoholism.^[54] During a break on the Devotional Tour in Denver, Colorado, he was arrested by local police and fined $50 for holding a loud party in his hotel room.^[55]

In a 2017 interview, Dave Gahan described both himself and Gore as autistic.^[56]

He is a supporter of Arsenal Football Club.

• Malins, Steve. Depeche Mode: Black Celebration: The Biography. Andre Deutsch, 2007. ISBN 978-0-233-00178-4
• Miller, Jonathan. Stripped: Depeche Mode 2003, 2004, Omnibus Press ISBN 1-84449-415-2
• Tobler, John. NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd, 1992. CN 5585. ISBN 0-600-57602-7