1950s to 1960s Martins was part of a small jazz combo called the Nigerian Jazz Club which was founded by
Bobby Benson in 1953. The ensemble included Zeal Onyia on trumpet, Paul Isamade on saxophone, Martins on drums and Benson on Piano. They just played modern jazz. In 1959, Martins and his professional boxer older brother came to London. At some stage he undertook a course in journalism. Martins was a member of the
Koola Lobitos, a band that was formed by
Fela Kuti in 1960. The ensemble also included Wole Bucknor on piano. In 1964, Martins formed the
African Messengers with
Mike Falana; eventually, the band included
Peter King, Humphrey Okoh and Paul Edoh in the line up. The group recorded
7-inch including "Highlife Piccadilly" and "Blues for Messengers", which was released on
Carnival CV 7013 in 1964. They won the World International Jazz Contest in Switzerland. In addition to appearing at clubs and festivals, the ensemble had provided backing for the
Four Tops,
The Temptations and
Diana Ross.
1970s to 1990s Bayo Martins worked with Grand Marcus, also known as Marcus Mvouka, playing congas on his
Rythmes Et Voix Du Congo album. Martins worked with the group Ikwezi, a group which consisted of Billy Allen, Don Ridgeway, Gerhard Schäfer, and Joan Faulkner. He played congas on their self-titled 1981 album that was released on Biton BIT 2122. He later had had heavy involvement with the
Rhythms and Voices of Africa by A.K.V. Collective, which was released on Biton 2016. In addition to co-producing and co-designing the album with Don Ridgeway, he composed the tracks "Oniyangi", "The Way" and "Next Time Your Colour Talk". He also handled percussion, sang and provided narration. He also compiled the book,
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti Abami Esa which was published in the late 1990s. ==Personal life==