Martha Emily Davis (born January 19, 1951) is an American rock and new wave singer-songwriter from Berkeley, California.

She is most famous for being the lead singer of the band The Motels, but has also made several solo albums, contributed many songs to motion pictures, been on television, and worked onstage with Teatro ZinZanni.

Davis recounted that her love of music not only came from her parents, but also from a babysitter (a law student at the time) who eventually became a renowned judge: Thelton Henderson.

However, upon discovering her late mother's diary, Davis learned that her mother—a UC Berkeley English major who once belonged to Phi Beta Kappa—had aspired to be an author but had given up on her dreams to fulfill her domestic role.

[10][11] Davis theorized that "My mother became the wife she thought my father wanted her to be...It was a brutal and lonely lesson when she died, but I learned from her not to give myself up."

[6][9] In 1973, Davis' father died due to an illness, and she relied on older sister Janet for familial support.

[3][2] By 1975, Davis had to leave behind her family and home in Berkeley so that The Warfield Foxes could try to launch their musical career in Los Angeles.

[14] The band resided in Echo Park, and Davis began her first significant romance since her marriage with bandmate Dean Chamberlain (guitarist).

Their relationship dissipated by 1977 when Chamberlain left The Motels, and Davis used the breakup as the inspiration for her song "Total Control".

[18] By the end of 1981, lead guitarist Tim McGovern (who had replaced Jeff Jourard) departed, as his four-year romantic relationship with Davis culminated in a bitter power struggle on his part.

While Davis partially retired from producing music afterwards, she still had a small part in the movie Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.

[23] In addition to working with artists such as Clarence Clemons, Charlie Sexton and Kenny G, Davis also played sporadic performances to showcase her original material.

She made her first solo album in seventeen years titled So The Story Goes and in 2005 joined Teatro ZinZanni for a two-month run in Seattle.

[32][30] Davis continues to tour and she lives on a 72-acre ranch (which has doubled as a recording studio for her) near Portland surrounded by her many pets.