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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZMARTIN, Jimmy(b James Henry Martin, 10 Aug. '27, Sneedville TN) Bluegrass singer and bandleader. Worked as housepainter and sang on radio in Morristown Tenn. '48-9; then lead singer with Bill Monroe '49-53, his strong, reedy voice sliding to and from sustained notes a perfect foil for Monroe's high tenor harmony on many classic records. He recorded with the Osborne Brothers on RCA '54-5, then formed his own Sunny Mountain Boys, working on WJR Barn Dance in Detroit '55. WRVA Richmond '56, Louisiana Hayride '57; signed with Decca '56 and made some outstanding bluegrass LPs in the next 20 years, though shunned by purists for the use of drums. He worked extensively on the Wheeling Jamboree and the Grand Ole Opry, made country charts with hits such as "Rock Hearts' '56, "Widow Maker' '64. LPs incl. Good'n'Country '58, Widow Maker '64, Big Instrumentals '66, Free Born Man '68, Singing All Day And Dinner On The Ground '70, Fly Me To 'Frisco '74, all on Decca/MCA; Me And Ole Pete and Will The Circle Be Unbroken '80 on Gusto. |