Raised in the St. Henri district of Montréal, Martin Goyette was 18 when he began listening to Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson, and picked up the harmonica. His music is a concoction of blues, funk, rock and soul, accompanied by vocals that have a gravelly, whiskey-soaked sound. In 1997, performing with The Dirty Blues Band, he won first prize at the Valleyfield en blues event. In 2002, playing with The Riverside Blues, he was named Revelation of the Year at the Festiblues de Montréal. He was slated to open for Bob Walsh at the Festival Blues sur Seine in 2003, but replaced him on stage when Walsh was suddenly hospitalized. He came second in the Toronto Blues Talent Search in 2006 and the following year performed at the Toronto Blues Summit.