Jimmy Martin - The King of Bluegrass
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Jimmy MartinEdition: Music CD
Format: Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 2001-02-27
Music Label: Audium Entertainment
Soundtracks:
- Sophronie
- Hit Parade Of Love
- Grand Ole Opry Song
- Rock Hearts
- Ocean Of Diamonds
- I Like To Hear 'Em Preach It
- Hold Whatcha Got
- Mr. Engineer
- This World Is Not My Home
- Tennessee
- Widow Maker
- 20-20 Vision
- Sunny Side Of The Mountain
- Steal Away Somewhere And Die
- Free Born Man
- Losing You
- (I've Got My) Future On Ice
- Milwaukee Here I Come
Free Music Notes for The King of Bluegrass
Free Music Review: Excellent ... But We Still Need His Definitive "Best Of"
Hit: 5 Stars
There are several CDs available containing the music of this alumnus of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys - but not one of them contains all five of his solo hit singles registered for Decca from 1958 to 1968, and his lone hit for United Artists in 1973.
Born on August 10, 1927 in Sneadville, Tennessee, at the age of 22 he auditioned for Monroe and was hired on the spot to become a part of The Shenandoah Valley Trio, which was the opening act for Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys. In late December 1949 the great Mac Wiseman left the main group whereupon Jimmy was handed the dual jobs of guitarist and lead singer.
In and out of the lineup for varying reasons over the next several years, he nevertheless can be heard as lead on Monroe classics like Uncle Pen, Memories of You, Letter From My Darling, On And On, and The Little Girl And The Dreadful Snake. During one of his absences in late 1954 he hooked up with the Osborne brothers, Bobby and Sonny, and made several records as The Sunny Mountain Boys.
When they subsequently parted ways Bobby and Sonny went on to fame as The Osborne Brothers while Jimmy, who retained the name Sunny Mountain Boys for all his following groups, put together one in the late 1950s that included Paul Williams and J.D. Crowe. Adopting Sunny Side Of The Mountain as his theme song, Jimmy registered his first solo hit for Decca with Rock Hearts [track 4] which reached # 14 C&W in December 1958 b/w I'll Never Take No For An Answer.
The following June he was back with Night which, having as its B-side It's Not Like Home, topped out at # 26 C&W. Neither side is here - or on any of the other Jimmy Martin CDs available, as far as I can tell. Following a 5-year drought, he returned to the charts with his second-best solo hit, Widow Maker [track 11], which peaked at # 19 C&W in April 1964 backed by the old standard Red River Valley [not here].
Another missing from this compilation [and nowhere else that I can find] was his next hit which came in May 1966 when the comical I Can't Quit Cigarettes rose to # 49 b/w Run Boy Run. Two years later, in May 1968, Tennessee [track 10] made it to # 72 b/w Steal Away Somewhere And Die [track 14].
He then concluded his chart success in 1973 for United Artists with The Grand Ole Opry Song [track 3] which, billed to The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Featuring Jimmy Martin, struggled to a # 97 b/w another oldie, The Orange Blossom Special [not here].
This compilation, which does not pass itself off as presenting his greatest or best hits, is a fantastic compilation with excellent sound quality and extensive liner notes. Until we see another which indeed pulls together all his solo hits and their flipsides, this is the best of the current crop of Jimmy Martin CDs.
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