Marty Robbins

Marty Robbins was born in Glendale, Arizona, Robbins taught himself guitar while serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, 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 and Western Recording. The song began Robbins' association with Western 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, 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. 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, the Grateful Dead, and Elvis Presley. 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.

Marty Robbins studied at Glendale High School. The recorded working language is English. The field of work recorded is country music. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are country music and western music. Distinctions recorded are star on Hollywood Walk of Fame and Grammy Awards.

Robbins was born Martin David Robinson on September 26, 1925, in Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix in Maricopa County. His parents, John "Jack" Robinson and Emma Heckle, 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 told by his maternal grandfather, "Texas Bob" Heckle, 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 during World War II. He was stationed in the Solomon Islands 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 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 on Robbins' TV show, Dickens got Robbins a record deal with Columbia Records.

Robbins became known for his appearances on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Music journalist Mary Harron wrote this about him in The Guardian: Robbins was a symbol of the Nashville establishment that younger country fans abandoned in the '70s for the bleached-denim "outlaw school" of Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. 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 side of 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 (season five). In addition to his recordings and performances, Robbins was an avid race car driver, competing in 35 career NASCAR 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 Dodges 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. His last race was in a Junior Johnson-built 1982 Buick Regal in the Atlanta Journal 500 on November 7, 1982, a month before his death.

Robbins was a staunch conservative and anti-communist, and his political views remained firmly conservative during his lifetime. He supported Barry Goldwater in his 1964 United States presidential election campaign as a southern director for "Stars for Barry". As the opposition to the Vietnam War strengthened beginning in 1965, Robbins became an increasingly outspoken conservative voice. Two of his songs, "Ain't I Right" and "My Own Native Land", written in the same decade, 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.

Robbins loved NASCAR 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) every year and a smattering of the smaller races when time permitted. Robbins had six top-ten 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 (Plymouths, Dodges, 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 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' 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 and raced on the Vintage NASCAR club circuit. In 2014, Robbins' 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona was featured on an episode of Discovery Channels TV show Fast and Furious: Rolling Thunder. In that same year, an episode of Velocity's AmeriCarna featured ex-race team owner Ray Evernham spearheading the restoration of another of Robbins' NASCAR racers, a 1964 Plymouth Belvedere. For the 2016 Darlington throwback weekend, Kyle Larson's number 42 NASCAR Xfinity Series car was painted purple and gold in honor of Robbins. For the 2021 Goodyear 400, Tyler Reddick's RCR number 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.

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 early in life, and suffered his first heart attack at age 43 in 1969. After his third heart attack on December 2, 1982, he underwent quadruple coronary artery bypass surgery. He did not recover, and died on December 8 at St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville. He was 57 years old.

The Badge of Marshal Brennan (1957) as Felipe, a Mexican outlaw Raiders of Old California (1957) as Timothy Voyle Buffalo Gun (1958, released in 1961) as Marty Robbins, a lawman The Ballad of a Gunfighter (1963) as Marty Robbins, an outlaw Country Music Caravan (1964) as Himself, singing Tennessee Jamboree (1964) as Himself, singing The Road to Nashville (1966) as Himself, singing Hell on Wheels (1967) as Marty, a race car driver From Nashville With Music (1969) as Himself, singing Country Music (1972) as Himself, touring as singer, and as a race car driver Guns of a Stranger (1973) as Mathew Roberts Honkytonk Man (1982) as Smoky, a recording session singer

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