Joey Martinez has lived his life full circle. As we sit in his barbershop I can feel the full swivel of his journey in the barber chair as he cuts me the image. “How many people can say they have stayed on the same few streets their whole life?,” he beamed. Born 75 years ago on Blake Street, Martinez is now the Brooks Tower Barber; owner of Joey’s Hairstyling Shop on 15th and Curtis and has been for 41 years. The shop was one of the first hair places just for men in Denver, 1969.
Born to parents who worked the fields in Mexico, Martinez and his family grew up poor and on skid row. He shined shoes and sold newspapers at age eight down the streets of Lodo. As one of eight children, Martinez attended Manual High school. “I’m a Thunderbolt baby!,” he said with pride. It was there that he took up boxing under the training of Denver’s Chicano legend, Corky Gonzales. Martinez made good friends with Ron Lyle who came close to defeating Muhammad Ali in the heavyweight championship.
After high school Martinez saw many of his brothers go into World War II. A genuine people person and avid lover of jazz, Martinez saw himself in a different environment. Operating a bar for 15 years, it was here that Martinez held fast to jazz and the icons who he met there. Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson and Charlie Parker are just a few.
After his bar days, Martinez turned to the barbershop. His people friendly persona and his ability to tell a story are just a few of the charms that Martinez offered his loyal customers throughout the years. Lowering the ears of tennis player, Billie Jean King, former Nugget, Kiki Vandeweghe and former Rockie, Pedro
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