MARTY ROBBINS “SINGING THE BLUES” The biggest hit of Marty’s lifetime career, “Singing the Blues” would have been even bigger if not sabotaged by Columbia Records, his own record company. Mitch Miller, head of Artists and Repertory for Columbia in New York City, chose Guy Mitchell to record a cover version of the song. Instead of […]
MARTY ROBBINS ON THE GRAND OLE OPRY 53 YEARS AGO On August 11, 1956, Marty Robbins and Webb Pierce appeared with Carl Smith on the Grand Ole Opry. Dressed in western garb and gunbelts from their recent movie, they sang “Why Baby Why.” They were fulfilling a promise they had made to Charlie Lamb a […]
MARTY ROBBINS BAND REUNION Seven members of Marty’s inner circle attended the Marty Robbins band reunion in Nashville on 18 July. Joe Vincent played steel for Marty in 1953-54. Earl White (now an Opry staff musician) was one of the original Tear Drops, Marty’s first official band. Jack Pruett played lead guitar from 1956 until […]
DAYTONA FIRECRACKER 400 Thinking of Marty Robbins and the upcoming Independence Day holiday brings to mind the NASCAR FireCracker 400 at the Daytona Speedway. Marty was the grand marshal in 1970 (six months after his heart surgery) and then, according to the statistics I’ve found, he ran the race five times–in 1971, 1973, 1979, 1980, […]
FARON YOUNG RECEIVING IFCO “TEX RITTER AWARD” IN 1983 Loudilla Johnson announced, “The gentleman standing here beside us has devoted more than 30 years to the world of entertainment–to the complete joy of his fans around the world. Even through his stint in the U.S. Army, Faron Young could not abandon his love of performing. […]
MARTY ROBBINS 1930 HOME This is a 2008 photo of the same empty lot where the Jack Robinson family lived at the time of the 1930 census. East of downtown Phoenix, at the corner of 17th and East Madison Streets, Jack constructed a shelter consisting of one tent for sleeping quarters and another for the […]
Bonanza was our favorite television show in the early 1960s, and my sister and I decided to write a letter to the local TV station to ask for a photo of the Cartwrights–Ben, Hoss, Adam, and Little Joe. I don’t remember whether Kayo (age 10) or I (age 12) came up with the idea, but […]
Good afternoon, I am retired Navy Captain Diane Diekman, and my relationship with the Navy Memorial goes back to the time when the Lone Sailor was standing all by himself outside. My greatest day here at the Navy Memorial was my retirement ceremony in 2004. I’d always had a dream of having a retirement ceremony […]
MARTY ROBBINS ON HIS NASCAR RACING In a 1975 interview, Marty said, “I told people I was going to quit, but I’m not really going to quit. I don’t think people would really want me to quit, maybe because it’s something I enjoy doing. I wouldn’t want somebody to quit playing golf if they liked […]
BILL JOHNSON Bill Johnson played steel guitar for Marty Robbins from 1960-1974, with a two-year break in the early Sixties when he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He was one of the first people to provide me with research material and his memories when I started working on Marty’s biography. Bill talked about Marty’s […]