Faron Young and Marty Robbins newsletter — 20 July 2011

MARTY ROBBINS AND FARON YOUNG ON 20 JULY
While searching for events in the lives of Marty and Faron on this day, I came across the major non-music theme in both lives, racing for Marty and alcohol for Faron. On 7/20/1965, Faron got hit on the head with a cue ball during a fight in a Nashville bar. The incident made the newspaper because Faron had to be hospitalized. On 7/15/1987 he told Ralph Emery, “It’s like the ROPE thing they have here in Nashville. They voted me in the other day as the sergeant at arms. I figured, here I am, drunk, I’m gonna throw the rest of the damn drunks out.” On 7/23/1995, he received his last DUI arrest and was finally sent to jail and rehab. He was on probation at the time of his death. Marty, with a different lifestyle, raced in the NASCAR GT series at Bristol TN on 7/20/1968. He blew an engine and didn’t finish. On 7/20/1974, he was honored at the Nashville Speedway with “Marty Robbins Night.” He followed that two days later with a recording session and then headed to Albuquerque NM, where Texas musicians Hoyle and Jody Nix played on his show.

LETTERS
Dick Boise says, “Have enjoyed the Live Fast, Love Hard book and can’t wait for the next one, on Marty Robbins. Bless you in your work.”

Glenn Lee writes from Raleigh, NC, “I was and continue to be one of Faron Young’s biggest fans. I would love to know more about his growing up years, his life after marriage and how many times he was married etc. I have met a guy here in North Carolina by the name of Trey Young. He said he is Faron Young’s son from his 2nd marriage. He has been performing here in N.C. and saying he is Faron Young’s son. I, however, cannot find anything on the Wikipedia that mentions his name. Any help you can give me would be a huge help. Should he be Faron’s real son I would love to get to know him better. However, if he is not, I would not trust him any longer.”
Response: Faron had no second marriage and no son named Trey. His only marriage lasted from 1954 until Hilda divorced him in 1986. They had four children, and Faron had one daughter outside the marriage. I’ve listened to the CD where Trey “sang” a duet with Faron; it’s an obvious overdub. If you would like to know more about Faron, Live Fast, Love Hard: The Faron Young Story is the book to read.

SIDEMAN SIDEBAR
Del Delamont was doing his show in a hotel lounge in Louisiana in 1975 when Bobby Sykes and Don Winters invited him to audition for the Marty Robbins band. He became music director in addition to piano, trumpet, and backup vocals. Del says, “Marty Robbins was one of the world’s great entertainers, and I thoroughly enjoyed all the years I worked with him. He was a consummate performer and a delight to work with. Personalities aside, he had an ego larger than the universe. I think that was probably a self-preservation mechanism more than anything else.” Del arranged music and played keyboard on the Marty Robbins Spotlight series. He left Marty at the end of 1978 and now lives and performs in Georgia.

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