Martin L. Gore

Martin Lee Gore (born July 23, 1961 in Dagenham, Essex, England) a member of the band Depeche Mode since its inception in 1980. He is currently the primary songwriter, and also plays keyboard and guitar. He is also the backup singer, and sometimes the lead singer. In 2003, Martin released Counterfeit2, a solo cover album follow-up to his 1989 Counterfeit EP. Both feature his takes on other people's material, and he has stated publicly before that he considers himself not the most prolific songwriter, and prefers to keep his own material for Depeche Mode albums.