[1] When Martínez was an infant[5] his family moved to La Paloma, Texas, U.S., near Brownsville where he was raised.

In 1928, he got married and learned how to play the one-row diatonic accordion from the local German and Czech families around Bishop, Texas.

He began collaborating with bajo sexto player Santiago Almeida, receiving enthusiastic responses at dances.

In 1937, he would expand his music into Cajun and polka, issuing records under the pseudonyms "Louisiana Pete" and "Polish Joe".

[11] In the 1950s, he joined other Mexican-Americans on the Tejano dancehall circuit, touring areas of New Mexico, Arizona and California.