Lena Martell is one of over 200 artists who recorded versions of the Kris Kristofferson/Marijohn Wilkin song One Day At A Time. Bizzarely, when Martell released the song in 1979, a version by the Irish singer Gloria Smyth was in the middle of a record-breaking 90-week spell in the Irish Charts. This didn't prevent Martell's version from becoming a hit and the song spent three weeks at number one in the UK. It proved to be the only hit in the Singles Chart for the Glasgow-born singer. Lena Martell was already a TV personality by the time she had her hit, having hosted a BBC production called Presenting Lena Martell before going on to present a Saturday night light entertainment show which at the peak of its ten-year run attracted 12 million viewers. This exposure provided the perfect platform for her recording career and she has recorded over 30 albums accruing numerous silver, gold and platinum sales. Health issues in 2008 curtailed Martell's appearances as a performer but two years later she was back on the road and continues to have a successful singing career.
