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Martin David Robinson (September 26, 1925 – December 8, 1982), known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
and
western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
singer and songwriter. He was one of the most popular and successful singers of his genre for most of his nearly four-decade career, which spanned from the late 1940s to the early 1980s. He was also an early outlaw country pioneer. Born in
Glendale, Arizona Glendale () is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. Located about nine miles northwest of the state capital Phoenix, Glendale is known for State Farm Stadium, which is the home of the Arizona Cardinals football team. The city al ...
, Robbins taught himself guitar while serving in the U.S. Navy during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, and subsequently drew fame performing in clubs in and around his hometown. In 1952, he released his first number-one country song, " I'll Go On Alone". Four years later, he released his second number-one hit " Singing the Blues", and one year later, released two more number-one hits, " A White Sport Coat" and " The Story of My Life". In 1959, Robbins released his signature song, " El Paso", for which he won the Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording. The song began Robbins' association with
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
balladry, a style that became a staple of his career. His later releases that drew critical acclaim include " Don't Worry", " Big Iron", " Devil Woman", and "Honkytonk Man", the last for which the 1982 Clint Eastwood film is named, and in which Robbins made his final appearance before his death. Over the course of his career, Robbins recorded more than 500 songs and 60 albums, and won two
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
, was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and was named the 1960s Artist of the Decade by the
Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller (songwriter), Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris ...
. His songs "El Paso" and "Big Iron" were ranked by the Western Writers of America among the Top 100 Western songs of all time. Robbins was a commercial success in both the country and pop genres, and his songs were covered by many other famous artists, including
Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
, the
Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...
, and
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
. Johnny Cash noted, "there's no greater country singer than Marty Robbins." His music continues to have an influence in pop culture today, featuring prominently in several films, television shows, and video games.


Early life

Robbins was born Martin David Robinson on September 26, 1925, in Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix in Maricopa County. His parents, John "Jack" Robinson (1889–1975) and Emma Heckle (1889–1970) divorced in 1937 when Robbins was 12 years old. Among the warmer memories of his childhood, Robbins recalled having listened to stories of the
American West The Western United States (also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, the Western territories, and the West) is census regions United States Census Bureau As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the mea ...
told by his maternal grandfather, "Texas Bob" Heckle (1847-1931), who was a traveling salesman, raconteur, and local medicine man. Robbins later recalled: "He had two little books of poetry he would sell. I used to sing him church songs and he would tell me stories. A lot of the songs I've written were brought about because of stories he told me. Like 'Big Iron' I wrote because he was a Texas Ranger. At least he told me he was". Robbins dropped out of high school in Glendale before his time in the Navy, and worked as an amateur boxer, dug ditches, drove trucks, delivered ice, and served as a mechanic's helper. At 17, Robbins left home to serve in the U.S. Navy as an LCT
coxswain The coxswain ( or ) is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from ''cock'', referring to the wiktionary:cockboat, cockboat, a ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. He was stationed in the
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...
in the Pacific theater. To pass the time during the war, he learned to play the guitar, started writing songs, and came to love Hawaiian music. After his discharge from the military in 1947 and his marriage the following year, Robbins began to play at local
venues A venue is the location at which an event takes place. It may refer to: Locations * Venue (law), the place a case is heard * Financial trading venue, a place or system where financial transactions can occur * Music venue, place used for a conce ...
in Phoenix, In the early 1950s, Marty moved on to host his own show on KTYL and then his own television show ''Western Caravan'' on KPHO-TV in Phoenix. After Little Jimmy Dickens made a
guest appearance The term guest appearance generally denotes the appearance of a guest in an artistic or pop-culture setting. The guests themselves (referred to as guest artists, featured artists, guest stars, or guest fighters, depending on context), are disting ...
on Robbins' TV show, Dickens got Robbins a record deal with
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
.


Career

Robbins became known for his appearances at the
Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a regular live country music, country-music Radio broadcasting, radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM (AM), WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the ...
in
Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
. Music journalist Mary Harron wrote this about him in ''The Guardian'':
Robbins was a symbol of the Nashville establishment that younger
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
fans abandoned in the Seventies for the bleached-denim " outlaw school" of
Waylon Jennings Waylon Arnold Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He is considered one of the pioneers of the Outlaw country, outlaw movement in country music. Jennings started playing ...
and
Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...
. Robbins belonged to the Jim Reeves era, and wore his embroidered cowboy suits proudly. Best known for the Western ballad, "El Paso", his career also touched the
rock 'n' roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
side of
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
in songs like "White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation", and he kept a touch of the dude about him to the end.
In 1980, Robbins appeared on the PBS music program ''
Austin City Limits ''Austin City Limits'' is an American Concert, live music Television show, television program recorded and produced by KLRU, Austin PBS. The show helped Austin become widely known in the United States as the "Live Music Capital of the World", an ...
'' (season five). In addition to his recordings and performances, Robbins was an avid race car driver, competing in 35 career
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
Grand National Series races with six top-10 finishes, including the 1973 Firecracker 400. In 1967, Robbins played himself in the car-racing film '' Hell on Wheels''. Robbins was partial to
Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence, Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...
s prepared by NASCAR Hall-of-Famer Cotton Owens, and owned and raced Chargers and then a 1978 Dodge Magnum. He was also the driver of the 60th Indianapolis 500 Buick Century pace car in
1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...
. His last race was in a
Junior Johnson Robert Glenn Johnson Jr. (June 28, 1931 – December 20, 2019), better known as Junior Johnson, was an American professional stock car racing driver, engineer, and team owner as well as an entrepreneur. He won 50 NASCAR races in his career befor ...
-built 1982 Buick Regal in the Atlanta Journal 500 on November 7, 1982, a month before his death.


Music and honors

Although by 1960, Robbins' output was largely Western (and some country) music, his initial hits, such as "Singing the Blues", "Knee Deep in the Blues", "The Story of My Life", "She Was Only Seventeen", and "A White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation", were generally regarded as more pop/teen idol material than his hits from 1960 onwards ("El Paso", etc.). His 1957 recording of "A White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a
gold record Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
. His musical accomplishments include the
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
for his 1959 hit and signature song " El Paso", taken from his album '' Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs''. "El Paso" was his first song to hit number one on the pop chart in the 1960s. It was followed up, successfully, by " Don't Worry", which reached number three on the pop chart in 1961, becoming his third, and last, top-10 pop hit. "El Paso" was followed by one prequel and one sequel: "Faleena (From El Paso)" and " El Paso City". Also in 1961, Robbins wrote the words and music and recorded "I Told the Brook", a ballad later recorded by Billy Thorpe. He won the Grammy Award] for the Best Country and Western Recording 1961 for his follow-up album '' More Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs'', and was awarded another Grammy, for Best Country Song, in 1970, for "My Woman, My Woman, My Wife". Robbins was named Artist of the Decade (1960–1969) by the
Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller (songwriter), Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris ...
, was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1982, was given three awards at the 17th Annual Music City News Country Awards in 1983, and was given a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1998 for "El Paso". When Robbins was recording his 1961 hit "Don't Worry" at the Bradley Studios in Nashville, session guitarist Grady Martin accidentally created the electric guitar "fuzz" effect – his six-string bass was run through a faulty channel in the studio's
mixing console A mixing console or mixing desk is an electronic device for Audio mixing (recorded music), mixing audio signals, used in sound recording and reproduction and sound reinforcement systems. Inputs to the console include microphones, signals fro ...
. Robbins decided to keep it in the final version. The song reached number one on the country chart, and number three on the pop chart. Robbins was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1975. For his contribution to the recording industry, Robbins has a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...
at 6666
Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It runs through the Hollywood, East Hollywood, Little Armenia, Thai Town, and Los Feliz districts. Its western terminus is at Sunset Plaza Drive in the Hollyw ...
. Robbins has been honored by many bands, including the
Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...
, who covered "El Paso" and Bob Weir and Kingfish, who covered "Big Iron".
The Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...
's 2006 album '' Endless Wire'' includes the song "God Speaks of Marty Robbins". The song's composer,
Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is the co-founder, guitarist, keyboardist, second lead vocalist, principal songwriter and leader of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s an ...
, explained that the song is about God deciding to create the universe just so he can hear some music, "and most of all, one of his best creations, Marty Robbins." The Beasts of Bourbon released a song called "The Day Marty Robbins Died" on their 1984 debut album ''The Axeman's Jazz''. Both
Frankie Laine Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American singer and songwriter whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performa ...
and
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
, among others, recorded versions of Robbins' song " You Gave Me a Mountain", with Laine's recording reaching the pop and adult contemporary charts in 1969. Though Elvis never recorded any of Robbins' songs in the studio, he was a big fan and recorded "You Gave Me a Mountain" live in concert several times; it appeared on 15 Presley albums.
Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
recorded a version of "Big Iron" as part of his American Recordings series, which is included in the ''Cash Unearthed'' box set. Cash also recorded other songs by Robbins, including "I Couldn't Keep from Crying", "Kate", and "Song of The Patriot". He held Robbins in high esteem, having him guest-star several times on his network TV show. "Big Iron" was also covered by Mike Ness on his album '' Under the Influences'', on which he paid homage to country music artists. The song, originally released on Robbins' 1959 album '' Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs'', gained renewed popularity following its use in the 2010 video game '' Fallout: New Vegas''. His song "El Paso" was featured in the
series finale A series finale is the final installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, ...
of the AMC TV series ''
Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan for AMC (TV channel), AMC. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Breaking Bad), Walter White (Bryan Cran ...
''. "El Paso" was also featured in the ''
Only Fools and Horses ''Only Fools and Horses'' (titled onscreen as ''Only Fools and Horses....'') is a British television sitcom that was created and written by John Sullivan (writer), John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Ki ...
'' prequel made by the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
. Robbins was awarded an honorary degree by Northern Arizona University. In 2001, singer-songwriter Don McLean released his album, '' Sings Marty Robbins'', which features a collection of songs recorded by Robbins in his career. In 2016, a portion of Glendale Avenue in Robbins' hometown of Glendale, Arizona, was renamed "Marty Robbins Boulevard". Before Robbins died, he held a performance at the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
, alongside famous American singer
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...
. He was named Man of the Decade by the
Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller (songwriter), Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris ...
in 1970.


Political views

Robbins' political views remained firmly right-wing during his lifetime. During the 1960s, as the
opposition to the Vietnam War Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War began in 1965 with demonstrations against the escalating role of the United States in the Vietnam War, United States in the war. Over the next several years, these demonstrations grew ...
strengthened, Robbins' political views turned to the right. He supported
Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and major general in the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve who served as a United States senator from 1953 to 1965 and 1969 to 1987, and was the Re ...
in his 1964 United States presidential election campaign as a southern director for "Stars for Barry". Two of his songs, " Ain't I Right" and "My Own Native Land", written in the 1960s, later became popular songs during the conservative resurgence in the 1980s. The lyrics of "Ain't I Right" describe antiwar protesters as fifth columnists and communists. After Columbia Records refused to publish his more politically charged songs, Robbins' band member Bobby Sykes recorded the songs for Sims Records under the name Johnny Freedom.


Racing career

Robbins loved
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
racing. With his musical successes, he was able to finance his avocation. Robbins always tried to run at the big racetracks ( Talladega Superspeedway,
Daytona International Speedway Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, Daytona Beach, Florida, United States, about north of Orlando, Florida, Orlando. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race ...
) every year and a smattering of the smaller races when time permitted. Robbins had six top-10 finishes in his career, with a personal best top-five finish at the 1974 Motor State 360 in Michigan. Robbins' cars were built and maintained by Cotton Owens. They were painted two-toned magenta and chartreuse, usually carrying car number 42 (though 6, 22, and 777 were also used). Over the years, he ran a few makes and models (
Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
s,
Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence, Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...
s, or Fords) before buying a 1972-bodied Dodge Charger from Owens. Robbins had a few major wrecks during the 1970s, and he had Owens rebuild the car to update the sheet metal to the 1973–1974 Charger specifications, and then finally 1978 Dodge Magnum sheet metal, which he raced until the end of 1980. Robbins' final NASCAR race car was a 1981 Buick Regal that he rented and drove in a few races in 1981 and 1982. In 1972, at the Winston 500, Robbins stunned the competition by turning laps that were 15 mph faster than his qualifying time. After the race, NASCAR tried to bestow the Rookie of the Race award, but he would not accept it. He had knocked the NASCAR-mandated restrictors out of his
carburetor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor or carburetter) is a device used by a gasoline internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the Ventu ...
and admitted he "just wanted to see what it was like to run up front for once." Robbins is credited with possibly saving
Richard Childress Richard Reed Childress (born September 21, 1945) is an American former race car driver in NASCAR. Childress is the owner of Richard Childress Racing (RCR). In 2004, he opened a vineyard in the Yadkin Valley AVA near Lexington, North Carolina, Le ...
' life at the 1974 Charlotte 500 by deliberately crashing into a wall rather than T-bone (broadside) Childress's car that was stopped across the track. In 1983, one year after Robbins' death, NASCAR honored him by naming the annual race at Fairgrounds Speedway the Marty Robbins 420. Robbins' Dodge Magnum was restored by Owens and donated to the Talladega Museum by his family, and was displayed there from 1983 to 2008. The car is now in private hands in
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
and raced on the Vintage NASCAR club circuit. In 2014, Robbins' 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona was featured on an episode of
Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...
s TV show ''Fat and Furious: Rolling Thunder''. In that same year, an episode of
Velocity Velocity is a measurement of speed in a certain direction of motion. It is a fundamental concept in kinematics, the branch of classical mechanics that describes the motion of physical objects. Velocity is a vector (geometry), vector Physical q ...
's ''AmeriCarna'' featured ex-race team owner Ray Evernham spearheading the restoration of another of Robbins' NASCAR racers, a 1964
Plymouth Belvedere The Plymouth Belvedere is a series of United States, American automobile models made by Plymouth (automobile), Plymouth from 1954 until 1970. The Belvedere name was first used for a new hardtop body style in the Plymouth Cranbrook line for the ...
. For the 2016
Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...
throwback weekend, Kyle Larson's number 42
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
Xfinity Series car was painted purple and gold in honor of Robbins. For the 2021 Goodyear 400, Tyler Reddick's RCR #8 NASCAR Cup car carries Robbins' signature magenta and chartreuse livery. For the 2022 running, Corey LaJoie's Spire Motorsports number 7 ran a throwback to Robbins' infamous 777 car that he ran in his career.


Personal life and death

In 1948, Robbins married Marizona Baldwin, who claimed she had always wanted to marry a singing cowboy. They had a son, Ronnie, and a daughter, Janet. Robbins developed
cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease involving the heart or blood vessels. CVDs constitute a class of diseases that includes: coronary artery diseases (e.g. angina, heart attack), heart failure, hypertensive heart disease, rheumati ...
early in life, and suffered a first myocardial infarction in 1969. After his third heart attack on December 2, 1982, he underwent quadruple
coronary artery bypass surgery Coronary artery bypass surgery, also known as coronary artery bypass graft (CABG, pronounced "cabbage"), is a surgical procedure to treat coronary artery disease (CAD), the buildup of plaques in the arteries of the heart. It can relieve chest ...
. He did not recover, and died on December 8 at St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville. He was 57 years old.


Discography

Robbins' discography consists of 52 studio albums, 13
compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...
s, and 100 singles. In his career, Robbins charted 17 number-one singles on the ''Billboard''
Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...
charts, as well as 82 top-40 singles. Robbins' highest-charting album is 1959's '' Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs''. It charted to number six on the all-genre ''Billboard'' 200, and was also certified platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
. The album's first single, "El Paso", became a hit on both the country and pop charts, charting to number one on the Hot Country Songs, as well as the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. While that would be his only pop number one, in 1957, "A White Sport Coat" charted to number two, and in 1961, "Don't Worry" charted to number three. His final top-10 single was "Honkytonk Man" from the 1982 eponymous film in which Robbins had a role. He died shortly before its release. Since his death, four
posthumous Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award, an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication, publishing of creative work after the author's death * Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1 ...
studio albums have been released, but they made no impact on the charts.


Filmography

*'' The Badge of Marshal Brennan'' (1957, 74 minutes) as Felipe, a Mexican outlawBarbara J. Pruett, ''Marty Robbins: Fast Cars and Country Music'', page 352-354, Scarecrow Press, 2007
/ref>TCM Marty Robbins Films
/ref> *'' Raiders of Old California'' (1957, 72 minutes) as Timothy Voyle *'' Buffalo Gun'' (1958, released in 1961, 74 minutes) as Marty Robbins, a lawman *'' The Ballad of a Gunfighter'' (1963, 84 minutes) as Marty Robbins, an outlawSean Wilentz & Greil Marcus, ''The Rose & the Briar: Death, Love and Liberty in the American Ballad'', page 270, W.W. Norton, 2005
/ref> *''Country Music Caravan'' (1964) as Himself, singing *''Tennessee Jamboree'' (1964, 75 minutes) as Himself, singing *'' The Road to Nashville'' (1966, 109 minutes) as Himself, singing *'' Hell on Wheels'' (1967, 97 minutes) as Marty, a race car driver *''From Nashville With Music'' (1969, 87 minutes) as Himself, singing *''Country Music'' (1972, 93 minutes) as Himself, touring as singer, and as a race car driver *'' Guns of a Stranger'' (1973, 91 minutes) as Mathew Roberts *'' Honkytonk Man'' (1982, 122 minutes) as Smoky, a recording session singer


Motorsports career results


NASCAR

( key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)


Grand National Series


Winston Cup Series


Daytona 500


References


Sources

* Pruett, Barbara J
''Marty Robbins: Fast Cars and Country Music''
Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. 2007. * Diekman, Diane. ''Twentieth Century Drifter: The Life of Marty Robbins'' (Music in American Life). 2012. * ''Fallout: New Vegas'' – Big Iron is used on Radio New Vegas, Mojave Music Radio, and Black Mountain Radio.


External links

*
Robbins page
at Country Music Hall of Fame
Robbins page
at Western Music Association
Robbins page
at Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
Robbins bio
by Hank Davis at
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

Robbins page
by Gaylen Duskey at
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Robbins, Marty 1925 births 1982 deaths 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singer-songwriters American Christians American acoustic guitarists American anti-communists American country guitarists American country singer-songwriters American male guitarists American male singer-songwriters Arizona Republicans Columbia Records artists Country Music Hall of Fame inductees Country musicians from Arizona Country musicians from Tennessee Grammy Award winners Grand Ole Opry members Guitarists from Arizona Guitarists from Tennessee Musicians from Glendale, Arizona Singers from Nashville, Tennessee NASCAR drivers People from Brentwood, Tennessee Racing drivers from Phoenix, Arizona Racing drivers from Tennessee Singer-songwriters from Tennessee Sportspeople from Glendale, Arizona Tennessee Republicans United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy sailors Singer-songwriters from Arizona Deaths from complications of heart surgery