MAN OF THE DECADE – Forty Years Ago
Three months after his triple-bypass heart surgery, Marty Robbins attended the fifth annual Academy of Country and Western Music awards banquet, held at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on April 13, 1970. There he received the ACM’s first “Man of the Decade” trophy, for the decade of the 1960s. His speech included his usual sentiment, “I thank God for allowing me to be here tonight.” He then went on to Las Vegas for a month-long gig at the Fremont Hotel. The award was renamed “Artist of the Decade” when it went to Loretta Lynn for the 1970s. Alabama won in the ’80s, Garth Brooks for the ’90s, and George Strait for the ’00s. Except for the 1980s, I heartily agree with all choices. (more…)