Marty Robbins

Martin David Robinson (September 26, 1925 – December 8, 1982), known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, 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.

Marty Robbins
Marty Robbins in 1966
Background information
Birth name	Martin David Robinson
Born	(1925-09-26)September 26, 1925 Glendale, Arizona, U.S.
Died	December 8, 1982(1982-12-08) (aged 57) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres	Country Western rockabilly folk[1]
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter, actor, NASCAR driver
Instruments	Guitar, piano, dobro, vocals
Years active	1948–1982
Labels	Columbia, Decca

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 1956, he released his first No. 1 country song, "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. Later releases that drew critical acclaim include "Don't Worry", "Big Iron" and "Honkytonk Man", the last for which the 1982 Clint Eastwood film is named, and in which Robbins made his final appearance before 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. 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. His music continues to have an influence in pop culture today, having recently appeared in several contemporary pop culture features, including the video game Fallout: New Vegas, and the series finale of AMC's Breaking Bad.

Biography

Robbins was born in Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix in Maricopa County, Arizona. His mother was mostly of Paiute Indian heritage.[5] Robbins grew up in a difficult family situation. His father took odd jobs to support the family of 10 children; however, his hard drinking led to divorce in 1937. Among his 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 local medicine man.[6] At 17, Robbins left his troubled 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,[7] and came to love Hawaiian music.

Robbins married Marizona "Mari" Baldwin on September 27, 1948. They had two children, Ronny and Janet, and were married 34 years until his death.

After his discharge from the military in 1947 and his marriage the following year, Robbins began to play at local venues in Phoenix,[7] then moved on to host his own show on KTYL and then his own television show 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.

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:[8]

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 Sports 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,[9] including the 1973 Firecracker 400.[10] In 1967, Robbins played himself in the car racing film Hell on Wheels.[11] 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.

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.[12]

Music and honors

Although by 1960 Robbins' output was largely 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"[7] sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold record.[13] 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,"[14] 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", session guitarist Grady Martin accidentally created the electric guitar "fuzz" effect – his six-string bass was run through a faulty channel in a mixing console. Robbins decided to keep it in the final version.[15] The song reached No. 1 on the country chart, and No. 3 on the pop chart.[16] 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."[17] 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 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 2016, a portion of Glendale Avenue in Robbins' hometown of Glendale, AZ was renamed "Marty Robbins Boulevard".

Political views

Marty Robbins was strongly conservative in his political views. He supported Barry Goldwater in his 1964 United States presidential election campaign as a southern director for "Stars for Barry". Two of his patriotic political singles, Ain't I Right and My Own Native Land were rejected by Columbia Records as too controversial. In particular, Ain't I Right was a right-wing protest song that condemned the anti-war protests and talked about fighting communism in the United States. After Columbia Records rejected the songs, Robbins' band member Bobby Sykes recorded the songs for Sims Records under the name Johnny Freedom.[18]

NASCAR

NASCAR Cup Series career
35 races run over 13 years
Best finish	48th (1974)
First race	1966 Nashville 400 (Nashville)
Last race	1982 Atlanta Journal 500 (Atlanta)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 6 0
NASCAR Grand National East Series career
1 race run over 1 year
First race	1972 Gamecock 200 (Columbia)
Last race	1972 Gamecock 200 (Columbia)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 1 0
Statistics current as of August 19, 2016.

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.[19] 1974 also marked his highest finish in a season at #48.

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."[20]

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.[21]

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.

Discography

Main article: Marty Robbins discography

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.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Grand National Series

NASCAR Grand National Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	45	46	47	48	49	NGNC	Pts
1966	David Warren	53	Ford	AUG	RSD	DAY	DAY	DAY	CAR	BRI	ATL	HCY	CLB	GPS	BGS	NWS	MAR	DAR	LGY	MGR	MON	RCH	CLT	DTS	ASH	PIF	SMR	AWS	BLV	GPS	DAY	ODS	BRR	OXF	FON	ISP	BRI	SMR	NSV 25	ATL	CLB	AWS	BLV	BGS	DAR	HCY	RCH	HBO	MAR	NWS	CLT	CAR	122nd	20
1968	Dick Behling	32	Dodge	MGR	MGY	RSD	DAY	BRI	RCH	ATL	HCY	GPS	CLB	NWS	MAR	AUG	AWS	DAR	BLV	LGY	CLT	ASH	MGR	SMR	BIR	CAR	GPS	DAY	ISP	OXF	FDA	TRN	BRI	SMR	NSV	ATL	CLB	BGS	AWS	SBO	LGY	DAR	HCY	RCH	BLV	HBO	MAR	NWS	AUG	CLT 12	CAR	JFC	78th	0
1970	Robbins Enterprises	42	Dodge	RSD	DAY	DAY	DAY	RCH	CAR	SVH	ATL	BRI	TAL	NWS	CLB	DAR	BLV	LGY	CLT	SMR	MAR	MCH	RSD	HCY	KPT	GPS	DAY	AST	TPN	TRN	BRI	SMR	NSV	ATL	CLB	ONA	MCH	TAL	BGS	SBO	DAR	HCY	RCH	DOV	NCF	NWS	CLT 32	MAR	MGR	CAR	LGY		94th	57
1971				RSD	DAY	DAY	DAY	ONT	RCH	CAR	HCY	BRI	ATL	CLB	GPS	SMR	NWS	MAR	DAR	SBO	TAL	ASH	KPT	CLT 15	DOV	MCH	RSD	HOU	GPS	DAY	BRI	AST	ISP	TRN	NSV	ATL 13	BGS	ONA	MCH	TAL	CLB	HCY	DAR 7	MAR	CLT 37	DOV	CAR	MGR	RCH	NWS	TWS 25		69th	120

Winston Cup Series

NASCAR Winston Cup Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	NWCC	Pts
1972	Robbins Racing	42	Dodge	RSD	DAY	RCH	ONT 8	CAR	ATL	BRI	DAR	NWS	MAR	TAL 50	CLT	DOV	MCH	RSD	TWS 40	DAY	BRI	TRN	ATL	TAL	MCH	NSV	DAR 9	RCH	DOV	MAR	NWS	CLT	CAR 26	TWS	54th	860.8
1973				RSD	DAY 34	RCH	CAR	BRI	ATL	NWS	DAR	MAR	TAL	NSV	CLT	DOV	TWS 29	RSD	MCH	DAY 8	BRI	ATL	TAL 36	NSV	DAR	RCH	DOV	NWS	MAR	CLT	CAR				83rd	828.80
1974				RSD	DAY	RCH	CAR	BRI	ATL	DAR	NWS	MAR	TAL 15	NSV	DOV	CLT	RSD	MCH 5	DAY	BRI	NSV	ATL	POC	TAL 9	MCH	DAR	RCH	DOV	NWS	MAR	CLT 42	CAR	ONT		48th	23.78
1975				RSD	DAY 39	RCH	CAR	BRI	ATL	NWS	DAR	MAR	TAL 31	NSV	DOV	CLT	RSD	MCH	DAY	NSV	POC	TAL	MCH	DAR	DOV	NWS	MAR	CLT	RCH	CAR	BRI	ATL	ONT		81st	121
1976				RSD	DAY	CAR	RCH	BRI	ATL	NWS	DAR	MAR	TAL	NSV	DOV	CLT	RSD	MCH	DAY	NSV	POC	TAL	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	MAR	NWS	CLT	CAR	ATL	ONT DNQ		NA	–
1977				RSD	DAY	RCH	CAR	ATL	NWS	DAR	BRI	MAR	TAL	NSV	DOV	CLT	RSD	MCH 13	DAY	NSV	POC	TAL 38	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	MAR	NWS	CLT	CAR	ATL	ONT		77th	173
1978				RSD	DAY	RCH	CAR	ATL	BRI	DAR	NWS	MAR	TAL	DOV	CLT	NSV	RSD	MCH	DAY	NSV	POC	TAL 18	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	MAR	NWS	CLT	CAR	ATL	ONT		85th	109
1979				RSD	DAY	CAR	RCH	ATL	NWS	BRI	DAR	MAR	TAL	NSV	DOV	CLT	TWS	RSD	MCH 35	DAY	NSV	POC													70th	207
		36																					TAL 32
		6																						MCH 27	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	MAR	CLT	NWS	CAR	ATL	ONT
1980				RSD	DAY	RCH	CAR	ATL	BRI	DAR	NWS	MAR	TAL 33	NSV	DOV	CLT	TWS	RSD	MCH				TAL 13	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	NWS	MAR					71st	204
	Warren Racing	79																		DAY 30	NSV	POC
	M.C. Anderson Racing	6	Chevrolet																												CLT 32	CAR	ATL	ONT
1982	Robbins Racing	22	Buick	DAY	RCH	BRI	ATL	CAR	DAR	NWS	MAR	TAL	NSV	DOV	CLT	POC	RSD	MCH	DAY 37	NSV	POC	TAL	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	NWS	CLT	MAR	CAR	ATL 33	RSD		79th	116

Daytona 500

Year	Team	Manufacturer	Start	Finish
1973	Robbins Racing	Dodge	37	34
1975	Robbins Racing	Dodge	28	39

Notes

1. Richard S. Ginell. "Ruby Ann: Rockin' Rollin' Robbins, Vol. 3 – Marty Robbins | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
2. "Marty Robbins Biography". AllMusic, RhythmOne, LLC. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
3. "Marty Robbins Biography". A&E Television Networks, LLC. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
4. "About Marty Robbins". Country Music Television, Inc., a division of Viacom International Inc. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
5. Pruett, Barbara J. (2007). Marty Robbins: Fast Cars and Country Music. ISBN 9780810860360. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
6. " Heckle, "Texas Bob (1929). Rhymes of the Frontier. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
7. Marty Robbins interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969)
8. "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.
9. "Career Statistics". Racing-Reference.info. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
10. "1973 Medal of Honor Firecracker 400". Racing-Reference.info. July 4, 1973. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
11. "Hell on Wheels". IMDb.com. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
12. 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.
13. Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 95. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
14. "I told the brook [music] / [by] Marty Robbins ; arr. by Alec Baynes | National Library of Australia". Catalogue.nla.gov.au. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
15. Diekman, Diane (February 15, 2012). Twentieth Century Drifter: The Life of Marty Robbins – Diane Diekman – Google Books. ISBN 9780252094200. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
16. Joel Whitburn's Top Country Singles 1944–2001
17. Archived January 3, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
18. Diekman, Diane (2012). Twentieth Century Drifter: The Life of Marty Robbins. University of Illinois Press. p. 99. ISBN 978-0252081255.
19. https://www.racing-reference.info/race/1974_Motor_State_360/W
20. "Cotton Owens Garage – Drivers". Cotton Owens Garage and Stratatomic LLC. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
21. "Marty Robbins Saves Life of NASCAR's Richard Childress". Savingcountrymusic.com. Retrieved September 11, 2013.

References

• 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

• Official website
• Robbins page at Country Music Hall of Fame
• Robbins page at Western Music Association
• Robbins page at Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
• Robbins bio by Hank Davis at AllMusic
• Robbins page by Gaylen Duskey at NASCAR
• Marty Robbins driver statistics at Racing-Reference
• Marty Robbins owner statistics at Racing-Reference
• The short film Country Style USA Recruitment: Episode 8 is available for free download at the Internet Archive
• The short film Country Style USA Recruitment: Episode 34 is available for free download at the Internet Archive