"Big Iron" is a country ballad written and performed by

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 suc ...

, originally released as an album track on ''

Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs ''Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs'' is the fifth studio album by Marty Robbins, released on the Columbia Records label in September 1959 and peaking at number 6 on the U.S. pop albums chart. It was recorded in a single eight-hour session on Ap ...

'' in September 1959, then as a single in February 1960 with the song "Saddle Tramp" as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

single. Members of the

Western Writers of America Western Writers of America (WWA), founded 1953, promotes literature, both fictional and nonfictional, pertaining to the American West. Although its founders wrote traditional Western fiction, the more than 600 current members also include historia ...

chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. It tells the story of an

Arizona Ranger The Arizona Rangers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, noncommissioned civilian auxiliary that supports law enforcement in the US, state of Arizona. In 2002, the modern-day Arizona Rangers were officially recognized by the State of Arizona when the Le ...

's duel with an outlaw named Texas Red in the "town of Agua Fria". The townspeople predict the death of the ranger; an unconcerned Texas Red having already killed "one and nineteen" men, but at the moment they meet, the ranger kills Texas Red with the "big iron on his hip." The ranger's draw was so swift, that Texas Red had not even "cleared leather," killing the outlaw in one shot. Robbins's version of the song reached number 5 on the Billboard Country chart and number 26 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in April 1960. The B-side, "Saddle Tramp" was not included on ''Gunfighter Ballads'', but was later placed on Robbins' 1966 LP ''The Drifter''. The song is also featured in the 2010 video game '' Fallout: New Vegas'' on the in-game radio stations, 'Mojave Music Radio', ‘Black Mountain Radio’ and 'Radio New Vegas'. The popularity of the game helped spur a revival of interest in Robbins' music in the 21st century. In the decade following the video game's release, "Big Iron" became an

Internet meme An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...

, gaining popularity through remixes and Photoshop parodies as well as its use on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

Inspiration

The eponymous "Big Iron" was built by Andy Anderson in his Fast Draw Holster shop from parts. It was on a Great Western

frame A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction * Framing (co ...

with a 12"

barrel A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, ...

made from an 1892 Winchester rifle or

carbine A carbine ( or ) is a long gun that has a barrel shortened from its original length. Most modern carbines are rifles that are compact versions of a longer rifle or are rifles chambered for less powerful cartridges. The smaller size and light ...

barrel in

.44 WCF .44 caliber is a family of large-caliber firearm cartridges and firearms, particularly revolvers. The most well-known is the .44 Magnum which uses a bullet that is actually .429 inches in diameter. Though less common than the smaller .38 caliber fa ...

. Andy was 6'4" with large hands. He put

Colt Colt(s) or COLT may refer to: * Colt (horse), an intact (uncastrated) male horse under four years of age People *Colt (given name) *Colt (surname) Places * Colt, Arkansas, United States *Colt, Louisiana, an unincorporated community, United State ...

1860 Army grips on his personal SA revolvers, and this gun has an original grip frame from an 1860 Army. The

cylinder A cylinder (from ) has traditionally been a three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a prism with a circle as its base. A cylinder may also be defined as an infi ...

is a Great Western cylinder chambered for .44 Magnum. Robbins happened to be in the shop the day a customer bought the gun. The customer was also a very large man, and Robbins was fascinated by his

fast draw Fast draw, also known as quick draw, is the ability to quickly draw a handgun and accurately fire it upon a target in the process. This skill was made popular by romanticized depictions of gunslingers in the Western genre, which in turn were inspi ...

ing the Buntline. One week later, Andy Anderson received in the mail a record of Big Iron; Robbins wrote the song after seeing this gun. Andy Anderson additionally had a personal gun he called Big Iron, a Colt S.A. .44 Special with 7 1/2" barrel out of his own favorite rig, the "AA", a high rise version of his Walk & Draw Western. The gun that served to inspire this song currently resides in a private collection. The ranger referenced is based on a ranger named Joseph Pearce, who was an Arizonan Ranger born in 1873. On November 23, 1903, Joe enrolled in the Arizona Rangers in Douglas, Arizona. He worked with the Rangers for a brief but illustrious career before quitting in 1905. Following his service, he worked as a line rider for six years before being appointed chief of Apache police on the Fort Apache Reservation. He was a skilled trailer, and because he preferred to work alone, the Indians called him "Lone Wolf", much like the ranger in the song.

Personnel

- singer * The Glaser Brothers - backing vocals *

Bob Moore Bob Loyce Moore (November 30, 1932 – September 22, 2021) was an American session musician, orchestra leader, and double bassist who was a member of the Nashville A-Team during the 1950s and 1960s. He performed on over 17,000 documented record ...

- bass *

Grady Martin Thomas Grady Martin (January 17, 1929 – December 3, 2001) was an American session guitarist in country music and rockabilly. A member of The Nashville A-Team, he played guitar on hits such as Marty Robbins' "El Paso", Loretta Lynn's " C ...

- lead guitar * Jack H. Pruett - guitar * Louis Dunn - drums *

Don Law Donald Firth Law (February 24, 1902 – December 20, 1982) was an English–American record producer and music business executive. He produced Robert Johnson's only recordings, and as head of Columbia Records' country music division later work ...

- production * M.C. Rather - sound mastering * Hollis Flatt - sound mastering

Charts

In albums

*''Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs'' (September 1959), a compilation, CL 1349 - mono, CS 8158 - stereo, PC 8158 *''More Greatest Hits'' (April 1961), CL 1635 - mono, CS 8435 - stereo, PC 8435 *''Bend in the River'' (1968), D 445 - mono (Columbia Musical Treasuries), DS 445 - stereo *''The Heart of Marty Robbins'' (1969), STS 2016 (Columbia Star Series) *''All Time Greatest Hits'' (August 1972), CG 31361, KG 31361, C 31361 *''Marty!'' (1972 - 5 record set), P5S 5812 (Columbia Musical Treasury) *''Streets of Laredo'', KH 32286 (Harmony, August 1973), LE 10576 (Columbia, December 1973) *''Marty Robbins' Own Favorites'' (1974), P 12416 (Columbia Special Products) *''Marty Robbins Gold'' (1975), NU 9060 (K-Tel) *''All Around Cowboy'' (1980) P 15594 *''No. 1 Cowboy'' (1980), P 15594 (re-release of "All Around Cowboy") *''Marty Robbins'' (1981), GS 4003 (History of Country Music, Sunrise Media) *''A Lifetime of Song 1951 - 1982'' (August 1983), C2 38870 *''Memories in Song'' (1983 - 2 record set), P2 19162 (Columbia Special Product) *''The Best Of Marty Robbins'' (1984), RB4-214-1 *''The Essential Marty Robbins:1951-1982'' (1991), Sony Music Entertainment Inc C2T 48537 CT48538 CT 48539 *''Marty Robbins Lost and found'' (1994), Sony Music Entertainment Inc CT 57695 *''Marty Robbins Memories in Song'' (1994), Sony Music Special Products Compact Disc A 19163 *''Marty Robbins Live Concert Versions Of His Greatest Hits'' (1995), Pickwick Group Ltd London England 300382 *''Under Western Skies'' (Oct 1995), Bear Family Records, West Germany 4-CD Box Set BCD 15646 *''Marty Robbins Legendary Country Singers'' (1995), Sony Music Special Products R989-06 PT-25142 *''Story of My Life: Best of Marty Robbins'' (Mar 1996), Sony Music Entertainment Inc Sony CK 64763

Cover versions

Michael Martin Murphey Michael Martin Murphey (born March 14, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter best known for writing and performing Western music, country music and popular music. A multiple Grammy nominee, Murphey has six gold albums, including ''Cowboy Songs' ...

covered the song on his 1993 album ''

Cowboy Songs III ''Cowboy Songs III – Rhymes of the Renegades'' is the eighteenth album by American singer-songwriter Michael Martin Murphey and his third album of cowboy songs. The album is devoted to cowboy folklore and true tales of the West and focuses on re ...

''. With the Robbins family's blessing, the song was recorded as a duet with Robbins. It was released as a single and peaked at number 62 on the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimension ...

'' Country Tracks chart in Canada. Other covers of the song include: *

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American Country music, country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later s ...

, in American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002, Vinyl). Also included in Unearthed (2003, Box Set). *''

Kingfish Kingfish may refer to: Fish * ''Argyrosomus japonicus'' or Japanese meagre (Australia) * Opah or ''Lampris guttatus'' (United Kingdom) * Kingcroaker or ''Menticirrhus'' spp. * King mackerel or ''Scomberomorus cavalla'' * Yellowtail amberjack or ...

'' (1976) by

*''Big Iron'' (1980) by Lee Conway *'' Under the Influences'' (1999) by

Mike Ness Michael Daniel Ness (born April 3, 1962) is an American musician who is the lead guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the punk rock band Social Distortion, which was formed in 1978. Early life Ness was born in Lynn, Massachusetts on April ...

*''Big Iron'' (2001) by

Carol Noonan Carol Noonan is an American folk singer/songwriter from Maine. She began her career as the lead singer and songwriter for the band Knots and Crosses. "Crosses" was formed in the late 1980s by Noonan (vocals, guitar), Alan Williams (keyboards, voca ...

*'' Unearthed'' (2003) by

* Colter Wall, in Western Swing & Waltzes (2020)

Notes

References

{{authority control Western music (North America) 1959 songs Country ballads Marty Robbins songs Johnny Cash songs Songs written by Marty Robbins Michael Martin Murphey songs Columbia Records singles Internet memes Internet memes introduced in 2019 1950s ballads Song recordings produced by Don Law Fast draw in popular culture