And If the King Jimmy Martin If He Was Still Here . . .
That line comes from the first song on Damn Right, Rebel Proud , due out Oct. 21st, ‘The Grand Ole Opry’:
(if you haven’t heard or seen it before)
So who was Jimmy Martin? Well, if you want to read a full bio you can click here but he was one of the old time bluegrass players who proclaimed himself the ‘King of Bluegrass’, that’s where Hank III’s ‘king’ reference comes from.
But you might be wondering, would this oldtimer who died in 2005 really tell the Opry that, or is Hank III just embellishing stuff to be funny? I’ve been a fan of Jimmy Martin’s music for years, but never knew much about the man. I couldn’t imagine this old dude that sang gospel as well as bluegrass would say such a thing. But then I saw this:
Fire brand, funny ass old coot. My kind of country hero.
This is one of my favorite bluegrass licks and one of Jimmy Martin’s hits. There’s are newer versions I like better but this is the original:
One of Jimmy Martin’s stamps was having a snare in the band, and it was usually played by his son Jimmy Martin, Jr.
Jimmy Martin played on the Grand Ole Opry many times, but was never inducted as a member. He had a hell of a temper as you get a little taste of in that first video, and he had a taste for liquor. As time went on he grew resentful to the Opry for never officially inducting him. Then bitterness turned to anger.
I have some issue with calling Jimmy Martin the King of Bluegrass, simply because Bill Monroe was the dude that invented the term ‘bluegrass’ and was playing it for years before Jimmy Martin ever hit the scene. In fact Jimmy Martin got his break playing in Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys.
But weather he’s the king or not, he’s yet another country music legend slighted by the Grand Ole Opry; another country hero that died without getting his due from the country music mother church.
Has the Opry sinned?
One more thing. Hank III’s EXCELLENT flat picker Andy Gibson now has a MySpace site. Not only is he an amazing steel guitar player, he also helped .357 String Band, Bob Wayne, and others record their albums. So do me a favor an add him, and then send him a message or leave him a comment and let him know we appreciate all he’s done for REAL country music.
January 27, 2013 @ 7:29 am
I will go out and say Jimmy Martin was the King of Bluegrass. Bill Monroe couldn’t get his sound right even with Lester Flatt but when he hired Jimmy to sing the audience went nuts. Jimmy left him because Monroe wouldn’t allow him to record his own songs. I believe he probably would have stayed with him forever had Monroe not been so self centered. Jimmy Martin booked more and made more money than Monroe and it pissed him off so he blacklisted him on the Opry. However, he was so popular they had to let him play there and he always brought down the house. Stringbean said “Jimmy Martin was so good the Opry would never let him in and they didn’t.” RIP Jimmy.
October 18, 2014 @ 10:11 pm
Just want to say Charles Hager,is full of shit,Bill Monroe..ALWAYS got his sound right,that’s why he’s in the Country Music Hall of Fame,The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,The Songwriters Hall of Fame,And the Bluegrass Hall of Fame,and soon to be in the Gospel Hall of Fame..Hmmm..What Hall of Fames is Mr.Martin in?..Please Mr.Hager refresh my memory…As far as making more money than Bill Monroe,that’s more of a joke than the rest of your comments…If you don’t know what your talking about then don’t make stupid comments…The King and The Father of Bluegrass..Mr.Bill Monroe…The finest musician I have ever met,And I’ve met them all…All the best..James W.Monroe II
April 23, 2022 @ 10:26 pm
James Monroe is a son that loves his father. (Or I guess maybe a grandchild that loves their grandfather) And that’s ok. He absolutely should love and defend him. (Also James, it’s “you’re” not “your”) But truthfully, Jimmy Martin was a better performer than Bill Monroe. Jimmy was far more fun, likeable, and entertaining and he sounded better. Opry and Bluegrass festival enthusiasts, including me, more often than not were more excited about Jimmy performing than Bill Monroe. (I’ve been to many and this was always the prevailing opinion amongst us all) And everyone knows Bill Monroe was insecure about that and reacted accordingly with/toward/against Jimmy. Bill Monroe invented Bluegrass and is certainly the Father of Bluegrass, but Jimmy Martin made it better. Anyone of any class would recognize that and give credit where credit is due and not be so offended by it.