Country Music Fall of Fame honors Marty Robbins
Monday, July 9, 2007 – The late Marty Robbiins will be honored with an exhibition at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum starting in late August. "Marty Robbins: Among My Souvenirs," a biographical exhibit will run from Aug. 3 until June 2008.
Opening weekend festivities will include a 45-minute exhibit tour, guided by a museum curator; a panel discussion, The Story of My Life: Friends and Family Remember Marty Robbins, hosted by 650 WSM announcer Eddie Stubbs, and including Robbins' son Ronny, bus driver Okie Jones, and collaborators Jeanne Pruett, Joe Babcock and Bill Johnson.
Weekend screenings will include the film loop Marty Robbins at "Town Hall Party" and the 1967 feature film "Hell on Wheels," including musical performances by Robbins, the Stoneman Family and Connie Smith. Robbins' former assistant, Lucy Coldsnow Smith, now a motion picture dialogue and sound editor, will reflect on her years with Robbins and share stories of his imprint on her life and career.
"Marty Robbins was a man with a huge appetite for life," said Museum Director Kyle Young. "He consistently treated challenges as opportunities, used them to his best advantage, and became one of the most stylistically diverse and most beloved stars in country music history.
Born near Glendale, Arizona, on Sept. 26, 1925, Robbins' 35-year career earned him induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1982, 7 weeks before he died of chronic heart disease at age 57.
Employing a wealth of stage costumes, vintage photos, awards, original song manuscripts, instruments, posters and advertisements, personal correspondence and career-spanning audio and video, Among My Souvenirs will present Marty Robbins as a renaissance man who stretched country music's stylistic boundaries in the 1950s and 1960s by recording rockabilly, teen-pop, Hawaiian music and Tin-Pan Alley standards; as a songwriter who returned country to its western roots with cowboy songs like his Grammy-winning "El Paso"; as a consummate showman and Grand Ole Opry favorite; as an actor who appeared in more than a dozen films with western, racing or country music themes; as the star of two syndicated television series; and as a family man who enjoyed racing stock cars.
Artifacts include Robbins' 1944 Glendale Union high school yearbook, which the school issued to him during what would have been his senior year had he not dropped out in 1943 to join the Navy; 2 small-bodied Martin 5-18 guitars, Robbins' trademark instrument; a reproduction of Robbins' 1973 NASCAR racing license, one of his racing uniforms with his Gene Autry Fan Club badge pinned to the belt, and a hand-painted helmet worn in the 1960s; and more than a dozen stage costumes, all prime examples of cowboy haute couture and most designed by Nudie the Rodeo Tailor.
More news for Marty Robbins
CD reviews for Marty Robbins
Live Classics
The hillbilly heart of Marty Robbins has seldom been displayed more prominently as on this 21-song set. Culled from Armed Forces Radio discs, these Grand Ol' Opry performances (1951-60) document the Glendale, Ariz. singer-songwriter's evolution from local phenom, through his early years as "Mr. Teardrop," to his arrival as a multi-million selling crossover superstar.
Opening with two numbers the artist never officially recorded ("Ain't You Ashamed," "Good Night Cincinnati, Good Morning »»» |
All Around Cowboy
Marty Robbins could sing more styles well than anyone else in country music history. His versatility may have left him underappreciated, since anyone can find some Marty Robbins records in a style they strongly dislike. Of course, anyone should also be able to find Marty Robbins records they love. Released on Columbia in 1979, this represented a return to the Western motif that had served Robbins well for years, but was only a minor part of his work in the late '70's. Robbins had been dipping »»» |
Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs
Marty Robbins didn't invent the cowboy song, but this 1959 album made him one of its best-known and most loved exponents. His original tales and classic covers weave spellbinding images of the West that match the cinematic grandeur of Ford, Fonda, Rogers and Autry.
The mythical themes of "El Paso," "Big Iron" and "The Master's Call" are lovingly rendered by Robbins, producer Don Law and a superb backing band. Bob Moore's acoustic bass and Louis Dunn's drums tap out trail rhythms, beautifully »»» |
Editorial: American Idol's Carrie Underwood can sing –
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Concert Review: McBride, Adkins shine sometimes –
As Martina McBride pointed out, the pairing of the country singer with Trace Adkins on their current jaunt was surprising. After all, she's of diva-quality voice, petite, non-controversial unless you call singing songs that empower women controversial. Adkins, on the other hand, has not been afraid to speak his mind with a kick butt attitude.... »»»
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