American singer, songwriter and racing driver (1925?1982)
Martin David Robinson
(September 26, 1925 ? December 8, 1982), known professionally as
Marty Robbins
, was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and
NASCAR
racing driver
. Robbins was one of the most popular and successful
country and western
singers for most of his nearly four-decade career,
[2]
[3]
[4]
which spanned from the late 1940s to the early 1980s. He was also an early
outlaw country
pioneer.
[5]
Born in
Glendale, Arizona
, Robbins taught himself guitar while serving in the
United States Navy
during
World War II
, and subsequently drew fame performing in clubs in and around his hometown. In 1952, he released his first No. 1 country song, "
I'll Go On Alone
". Four years later, he released his second No.1 hit “
Singing the Blues
”, and one year later, released two more No. 1 hits, "
A White Sport Coat
" and "
The Story of My Life
". In 1959, Robbins released his signature song, "
El Paso
", for which he won the
Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording
. The song began Robbins' association with
western
balladry, a style which would become a staple of his career. Later releases that drew critical acclaim include "
Don't Worry
", "
Big Iron
", “
Devil Woman
” and "Honkytonk Man", the last for which the
1982 Clint Eastwood film
is named, and in which Robbins made his final appearance before his death.
Over the course of his career, Robbins recorded more than
500 songs and 60 albums
, and won two
Grammy Awards
, was elected to the
Country Music Hall of Fame
and
Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
, and was named the 1960s Artist of the Decade by the
Academy of Country Music
. His songs "El Paso" and "Big Iron" were ranked by the
Western Writers of America
among the Top 100 Western songs of all time. Robbins was a commercial success in both the country and pop genres, and his songs were covered by many other famous artists, including
Johnny Cash
, the
Grateful Dead
and
Elvis Presley
. Johnny Cash noted, "there's no greater country singer than Marty Robbins."
[6]
His music continues to have an influence in pop culture today, featuring prominently in several films, television shows and video games.
Early life
[
edit
]
Robbins was born Martin David Robinson on September 26, 1925, in
Glendale
, a suburb of
Phoenix
in
Maricopa County
.
[7]
[8]
His parents divorced in 1937.
[7]
Among the warmer memories of his childhood, Robbins recalled having listened to stories of the
American West
told by his maternal grandfather, 'Texas Bob' Heckle, who was a traveling salesman, raconteur and local
medicine man
.
[9]
Robbins later recalled: "He had two little books of poetry he would sell. I used to sing him church songs and he would tell me stories. A lot of the songs I've written were brought about because of stories he told me. Like 'Big Iron' I wrote because he was a Texas Ranger. At least he told me he was".
[7]
Robbins dropped out of high school in
Glendale, Arizona
, before his time in the Navy. Robbins would work as an amateur boxer, dig ditches, drive trucks, deliver ice, and serve as a mechanics helper.
[10]
At 17, Robbins left home to serve in the
United States Navy
as an
LCT
coxswain
during
World War II
. He was stationed in the
Solomon Islands
in the
Pacific Ocean
. To pass the time during the war, he learned to play the guitar, started writing songs,
[11]
and came to love
Hawaiian music
.
After his
discharge
from the military in 1947 and his marriage the following year, Robbins began to play at local
venues
in
Phoenix
,
[11]
In the early 1950s Marty moved on to
host
his own show on
KTYL
and then his own television show "
Western Caravan
" on
KPHO-TV
in
Phoenix
. After
Little Jimmy Dickens
made a
guest appearance
on Robbins' TV show, Dickens got Robbins a
record deal
with
Columbia Records
.
Career
[
edit
]
Robbins became known for his appearances at the
Grand Ole Opry
in
Nashville
,
Tennessee
. Music journalist
Mary Harron
wrote the following about him in
The Guardian
:
[12]
Robbins was a symbol of the Nashville establishment that younger
country
fans abandoned in the Seventies for the bleached-denim "
outlaw school
" of
Waylon Jennings
and
Willie Nelson
. Robbins belonged to the
Jim Reeves
era and wore his embroidered cowboy suits proudly. Best known for the western ballad,
El Paso
, his career also touched the
rock 'n' roll
side of
country
in songs like
White Sport Coat And A Pink Carnation
, and he kept a touch of the dude about him to the end.
In 1980, Robbins appeared on the
PBS
music program
Austin City Limits
(season 5). In addition to his recordings and performances, Robbins was an avid
race car
driver,
competing
in 35 career
NASCAR
Grand National Series
races with six top-10 finishes,
[13]
including the 1973
Firecracker 400
.
[14]
In 1967, Robbins played himself in the car racing film
Hell on Wheels
.
[15]
Robbins was partial to
Dodges
prepared by
NASCAR
Hall-of-Famer
Cotton Owens
, and owned and raced
Chargers
and then a 1978
Dodge Magnum
. He was also the driver of the 60th
Indianapolis 500
Buick Century
pace car
in
1976
. His last race was in a
Junior Johnson
-built 1982
Buick Regal
in the
Atlanta Journal 500
on November 7, 1982, a month before his death.
Death
[
edit
]
Robbins developed
cardiovascular disease
early in life. After his third heart attack on December 2, 1982, he underwent
quadruple coronary bypass surgery
. He did not recover and died six days later, on December 8, at
St. Thomas Hospital
in
Nashville
. He was 57 years old.
[16]
Music and honors
[
edit
]
Although by 1960 Robbins' output was largely western (and some country) music, his initial hits like "Singing the Blues", "Knee Deep in the Blues", "The Story of My Life", "She Was Only Seventeen", and "
A White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation
" were generally regarded as more pop/teen idol material than his hits from 1960 onwards ("El Paso" etc.). His 1957 recording of "A White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation"
[11]
sold over one million copies, and was awarded a
gold record
.
[17]
His musical accomplishments include the
Grammy Award
for his 1959 hit and signature song "
El Paso
", taken from his album
Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs
. "El Paso" was his first song to hit No. 1 on the pop chart in the 1960s. It was followed up, successfully, by "
Don't Worry
", which reached No. 3 on the pop chart in 1961, becoming his third, and last, Top 10 pop hit. "El Paso" was followed by one prequel and one sequel: "Feleena (From El Paso)" and "
El Paso City
". Also in 1961, Robbins wrote the words and music and recorded "I Told the Brook",
[18]
a ballad later recorded by
Billy Thorpe
.
He won the
Grammy Award
for the Best Country & Western Recording 1961 for his follow-up album
More Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs
, and was awarded the
Grammy Award
for Best Country Song in 1970, for "My Woman, My Woman, My Wife". Robbins was named Artist of the Decade (1960?1969) by the
Academy of Country Music
, was elected to the
Country Music Hall of Fame
in 1982, was rewarded three awards at the 17th Annual Music City News Country Awards in 1983, and was given a
Grammy Hall of Fame Award
in 1998 for his song "El Paso".
When Robbins was recording his 1961 hit "Don't Worry" at the
Bradley Studios
in Nashville, session guitarist
Grady Martin
accidentally created the electric guitar "
fuzz" effect
? his six-string bass was run through a faulty channel in the studio's
mixing console
. Robbins decided to keep it in the final version.
[19]
The song reached No. 1 on the country chart, and No. 3 on the pop chart.
[20]
Robbins was inducted into the
Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
in 1975. For his contribution to the recording industry, Robbins has a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 6666
Hollywood Boulevard
.
Robbins has been honored by many bands, including the
Grateful Dead
who covered "El Paso" and
Bob Weir
& Kingfish who covered "Big Iron".
The Who
's 2006 album
Endless Wire
includes the song "God Speaks of Marty Robbins". The song's composer,
Pete Townshend
, explained that the song is about God deciding to create the universe just so he can hear some music, "and most of all, one of his best creations, Marty Robbins."
[21]
The
Beasts of Bourbon
released a song called "The Day Marty Robbins Died" on their 1984 debut album
The Axeman's Jazz
. Both
Frankie Laine
and
Elvis Presley
, among others, recorded versions of Robbins' song "
You Gave Me a Mountain
", with Laine's recording reaching the pop and adult contemporary charts in 1969. Though Elvis never recorded any of Robbins' songs in the studio, he was a big fan and recorded "You Gave Me a Mountain" live in concert several times; it appeared on 15 Presley albums.
Johnny Cash
recorded a version of "
Big Iron
" as part of his American Recordings series, which is included in the
Cash Unearthed
box set. Cash also recorded other songs by Robbins, including "I Couldn't Keep From Crying", "Kate" and "Song Of The Patriot". He held Robbins in high esteem, having him guest several times on
his network TV show
. "Big Iron" was also covered by
Mike Ness
on his album
Under the Influences
, on which he paid homage to country music artists. The song, originally released on Robbins' 1959 album
Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs
, gained renewed popularity following its use in the 2010 video game
Fallout: New Vegas
.
His song "El Paso" was featured in the
series finale
of the
AMC
TV series
Breaking Bad
. 'El Paso' was also featured in the
Only Fools and Horses
prequel made by the
BBC
.
Robbins was awarded an honorary degree by
Northern Arizona University
.
In 2001, singer-songwriter
Don McLean
released his album,
Sings Marty Robbins
, which features a collection of songs recorded by Robbins in his career.
In 2016, a portion of Glendale Avenue in Robbins' hometown of
Glendale
,
Arizona
, was renamed "Marty Robbins Boulevard".
[22]
Before Robbins died, he held a performance at the
White House
, alongside famous American singer
Frank Sinatra
.
[23]
He was named Man of the Decade by the
Academy of Country Music
in 1970.
Political views
[
edit
]
Robbins' political views remained firmly right-wing during his lifetime. During the 1960s as the
opposition to the Vietnam War
strengthened, Robbins' political views turned to the right.
[24]
He supported
Barry Goldwater
in his
1964 United States presidential election
campaign as a southern director for "Stars for Barry". Two of his songs, "
Ain't I Right
" and "My Own Native Land" written in the 1960s later became popular songs during the conservative resurgence in the 1980s.
[25]
The lyrics of "Ain't I Right" describe
anti-war protesters
as
fifth columnists
and
communists.
[26]
After Columbia Records refused to publish his more politically charged songs, Robbins' band member Bobby Sykes recorded the songs for
Sims Records
under the name Johnny Freedom.
[27]
Racing career
[
edit
]
Robbins loved
NASCAR
racing. With his musical successes, he was able to finance his avocation. Robbins always tried to run at the big race tracks (
Talladega Superspeedway
,
Daytona International Speedway
) every year and a smattering of the smaller races when time permitted. Robbins had 6 top-ten finishes in his career, with a personal best top 5 finish at the 1974
Motor State 360
in Michigan.
[28]
Robbins' cars were built and maintained by
Cotton Owens
. They were painted two-toned magenta and chartreuse, usually carrying car number 42 (though 6, 22, and 777 were also used). Over the years, he ran a few makes and models (
Plymouths
,
Dodges
or
Fords
) before buying a 1972-bodied
Dodge Charger
from Owens. Robbins had a few major wrecks during the 1970s, and he had Owens rebuild the car to update the sheet metal to the 1973?1974 Charger specifications, and then finally 1978
Dodge Magnum
sheet metal, which he raced until the end of 1980. Robbins' final NASCAR race car was a 1981
Buick Regal
that he rented and drove in a few races in 1981 and 1982.
In 1972, at the
Winston 500
, Robbins stunned the competition by turning laps that were 15 mph faster than his qualifying time. After the race, NASCAR tried to bestow the Rookie of the Race award, but he would not accept it. He had knocked the
NASCAR
-mandated restrictors out of his
carburetor
and admitted he "just wanted to see what it was like to run up front for once."
[29]
Robbins is credited with possibly saving
Richard Childress
' life at the 1974 Charlotte 500 by deliberately crashing into a wall rather than t-bone (broadside) Childress's car that was stopped across the track.
In 1983, one year after Robbins' death, NASCAR honored him by naming the annual race at
Fairgrounds Speedway
the
Marty Robbins 420
.
Robbins' Dodge Magnum was restored by Owens and donated to the Talladega Museum by his family, and was displayed there from 1983 to 2008. The car is now in private hands in
Southern California
and raced on the Vintage
NASCAR
club circuit.
In 2014, Robbins' 1969
Dodge Charger Daytona
was featured on an episode of
Discovery Channels
TV show
Fat and Furious: Rolling Thunder
. In that same year, an episode of
Velocity
's
AmeriCarna
featured ex-race team owner
Ray Evernham
spearheading the restoration of another of Robbins'
NASCAR
racers, a 1964
Plymouth Belvedere
.
For the 2016
Darlington
throwback weekend,
Kyle Larson
's No. 42
NASCAR
Xfinity Series
car was painted purple and gold in honor of Robbins. For the
2021 Goodyear 400
,
Tyler Reddick
's RCR #8
Nascar
Cup car carries Robbins' signature magenta and chartreuse livery. For the
2022 running
,
Corey LaJoie
’s
Spire Motorsports
#7 ran a throwback to Robbins’ infamous 777 car that he ran in his career.
Discography
[
edit
]
Robbins' discography consists of 52 studio albums, 13
compilation albums
, and 100 singles. In his career, Robbins charted 17 Number One singles on the
Billboard
Hot Country Songs
charts, as well as 82 Top 40 singles.
Robbins' highest-charting album is 1959's
Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs
. It charted to #6 on the all-genre
Billboard
200
, and was also certified Platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America
. The album's first single, "
El Paso
", became a hit on both the country and pop charts, charting to Number One on the Hot Country Songs as well as the
Billboard
Hot 100
. While that would be his only pop Number One, in 1957, "
A White Sport Coat
" charted to #2, and in 1961, "
Don't Worry
" charted to #3.
His final Top 10 single was "Honkytonk Man" from the 1982
eponymous film
in which Robbins had a role. He died shortly before its release. Since his death, four
posthumous
studio albums have been released, but they made no impact on the charts.
Filmography
[
edit
]
- The Badge of Marshal Brennan
(1957, 74 minutes) as Felipe, a Mexican outlaw
[30]
[31]
- Raiders of Old California
(1957, 72 minutes) as Timothy Voyle
[30]
[31]
- Buffalo Gun
(1958, released in 1961, 74 minutes) as Marty Robbins, a lawman
[30]
- The Ballad of a Gunfighter
(1963, 84 minutes) as Marty Robbins, an outlaw
[32]
- Country Music Caravan
(1964) as Himself, singing
[30]
- Tennessee Jamboree
(1964, 75 minutes) as Himself, singing
[30]
- The Road to Nashville
(1966, 109 minutes) as Himself, singing
[30]
- Hell on Wheels
(1967, 97 minutes) as Marty, a race car driver
[30]
[31]
- From Nashville With Music
(1969, 87 minutes) as Himself, singing
[30]
- Country Music
(1972, 93 minutes) as Himself, touring as singer, and as a race car driver
[30]
- Guns of a Stranger
(1973, 91 minutes) as Mathew Roberts
[30]
- Honkytonk Man
(1982, 122 minutes) as Smoky, a recording session singer
[30]
Motorsports career results
[
edit
]
Grand National Series
[
edit
]
Winston Cup Series
[
edit
]
Daytona 500
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Richard S. Ginell.
"Ruby Ann: Rockin' Rollin' Robbins, Vol. 3 ? Marty Robbins | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards"
.
AllMusic
. Retrieved
August 17,
2015
.
- ^
"Marty Robbins Biography"
. AllMusic, RhythmOne, LLC
. Retrieved
December 29,
2016
.
- ^
"Marty Robbins Biography"
. A&E Television Networks, LLC
. Retrieved
December 29,
2016
.
- ^
"About Marty Robbins"
. Country Music Television, Inc., a division of Viacom International Inc
. Retrieved
December 29,
2016
.
- ^
Fraser, Max (2018).
"Down in the Hole: Outlaw Country and Outlaw Culture"
.
Southern Cultures
.
24
(3): 83?100.
doi
:
10.1353/scu.2018.0034
.
ISSN
1534-1488
.
S2CID
149612754
.
- ^
Cash, Johnny (2021).
Johnny Cash: The Last Interview: and Other Conversations
.
Melville House Publishing
. p. 53.
ISBN
978-1-612-19893-4
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Marty Robbins"
.
Biography
. August 12, 2020
. Retrieved
December 15,
2021
.
- ^
Pruett, Barbara J. (2007).
Marty Robbins: Fast Cars and Country Music
. Scarecrow Press.
ISBN
9780810860360
. Retrieved
April 24,
2014
.
- ^
" Heckle, "Texas Bob (1929).
Rhymes of the Frontier
. Retrieved
October 25,
2014
.
- ^
"Marty Robbins Obituary" December 8th 1982. The New York Times.
- ^
a
b
c
Marty Robbins
interviewed on the
Pop Chronicles
(1969)
- ^
"Marty Robbins: Country Dude of Nashville. By Mary Harron : Articles, reviews and interviews from Rock's Backpages"
. Retrieved
June 25,
2018
– via
Rock's Backpages
.
- ^
"Career Statistics"
. Racing-Reference.info
. Retrieved
August 17,
2015
.
- ^
"1973 Medal of Honor Firecracker 400"
. Racing-Reference.info. July 4, 1973
. Retrieved
August 17,
2015
.
- ^
"Hell on Wheels"
. IMDb.com
. Retrieved
August 17,
2015
.
- ^
Pareles, Jon (December 10, 1982).
"Marty Robbins, Singer, 57; Won a Grammy for 'El Paso'
"
.
New York Times
. New York, NY
. Retrieved
October 12,
2016
.
- ^
Murrells, Joseph (1978).
The Book of Golden Discs
(2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p.
95
.
ISBN
0-214-20512-6
.
- ^
I told the brook [music] / [by] Marty Robbins; arr. by Alec Baynes | National Library of Australia
. Catalogue.nla.gov.au. 1961
. Retrieved
August 17,
2015
.
- ^
Diekman, Diane (February 15, 2012).
Twentieth Century Drifter: The Life of Marty Robbins ? Diane Diekman ? Google Books
. University of Illinois Press.
ISBN
9780252094200
. Retrieved
August 17,
2015
.
- ^
Joel Whitburn's Top Country Singles 1944?2001
- ^
[1]
Archived
January 3, 2007, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
"Portion of Glendale Avenue renamed for legendary country singer"
.
KTAR-FM
, September 27, 2016.
- ^
"Marty Robbins Obituary" December 10th 1982 The New York Times
- ^
Meir, Kenneth (2019).
"Looking for Meaning in All the Wrong Places: Country Music and the Politics of Identity"
.
Social Science Quarterly 100 (February 2019), 89-108
.
- ^
"Marty Robbins and the Case for PC | ColumbusFreePress.com"
.
columbusfreepress.com
. Retrieved
August 23,
2023
.
- ^
"Ain't I Right?"
.
lyricfind.com
. lyricfind
. Retrieved
October 22,
2020
.
- ^
Diekman, Diane (2012).
Twentieth Century Drifter: The Life of Marty Robbins
. University of Illinois Press. p. 99.
ISBN
978-0252081255
.
- ^
"1974 Motor State 360"
.
racing-reference.info
. June 16, 1974
. Retrieved
February 17,
2021
.
- ^
"Cotton Owens Garage ? Drivers"
. Cotton Owens Garage and Stratatomic LLC
. Retrieved
August 17,
2015
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
Barbara J. Pruett,
Marty Robbins: Fast Cars and Country Music
, page 352-354, Scarecrow Press, 2007
- ^
a
b
c
TCM Marty Robbins Films
- ^
Sean Wilentz & Greil Marcus,
The Rose & the Briar: Death, Love and Liberty in the American Ballad
, page 270, W.W. Norton, 2005
Sources
[
edit
]
- Pruett, Barbara J.
"Marty Robbins: Fast Cars and Country Music"
. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. 2007.
ISBN
0-8108-6036-8
- Diekman, Diane
"Twentieth Century Drifter: The Life of Marty Robbins"
(Music in American Life). 2012.
- "Fallout: New Vegas" Big Iron is used on Radio New Vegas, Mojave Music Radio, and Black Mountain Radio.
External links
[
edit
]
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†Honorary former member; was scheduled to be invited, but died before the invitation was extended
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