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Marty Robbins |
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I could hardly wait for Saturday mornings to roll
around. That's when "Maw Smith's Youngun, The Redhead" featured a full 15
minutes of "The Marty Robbins Show" on WBOK radio in New Orleans. Red Smith broke up his shift into 15 minute segments, featuring various artists, but Marty, Werley Fairburn and Elvis were his regulars. At that time, Elvis only had a couple of records, and Red played them over and over. With Werley and Marty, he had a few more to select from, and one morning during the winter of 1954-55 Red announced: "And here he is, fresh out of the Navy, Marty Robbins with his brand new recording of "Time Goes By" I loved Elvis, but if I had an idol at 14 years of age, it was too close to call between Marty Robbins and Werley Fairburn. The first record I ever purchased was a big 78 RPM of "I feel Like Cryin'" by Werley, and the first 45 RPM single I bought was Marty's "Time Goes By"
I wanted to be a singer/guitar player so badly I could taste it. My sister said that's how I sang, "so badly she could taste it". The guitar? Well, trouble was, I was born with essential tremor, which makes for lousy finger coordination -- so, I eventually wound up playing other people's music --on the radio. Fast forward to the Spring of 1970. As a newly elected member of the fledgling "Academy Of Country and Western Music" (Now called, simply, "The Academy of Country Music", and excited about attending the annual awards banquet. Visit one of my favorite Marty Robbins sites on the web:
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I kept rehearsing
what I would say to him. It had to be something suave and cool;
something to impress him. I settled for: "Man, I can't believe I'm
shaking your hand......" Oh, well! So much for professional. when Don Marty didn't miss a beat: "And I can't believe I'm shaking yours" We all laughed and after chatting awhile, I walked away thinking that Marty Robbins had to be the most down-to-earth, unaffected artist I had ever met, and by that time I had met more than a few. I never saw Marty in person again until the winter of 1977-78 He was scheduled to open a show for headliner Merle Haggard at the Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi, so I got tickets for my whole family and we crashed the Coliseum in numbers.
As fate would have it, Marty walked on stage that night with some bad news: Merle Haggard's bus was snowed in somewhere in Texas and wouldn't be able to make it. "So, folks, " Marty said in his polite, jovial way, "Those of you who were sorry you spent the money in the first place, can go to the ticket office and get a full refund money right now" then he strummed his guitar once and said, "And for you folks who would like to stay, I'll do a double show, and guarantee you your money's worth..." another strum and a chuckle "... if you can put up with me for that long." The sold out event burst into applause, and for the next four hours, without ever repeating a song, Marty Robbins indeed performed the greatest music concert I have ever attended, and I have attended more than just a few. I didn't get to talk to him that night, I didn't even try. I knew he was exhausted from the show, and what could a handshake possible add to such a spectacular performance. I never saw or talked to Marty again. But, like the man said: "Some memories just won't die!" Lyrics © by Marty Robbins
You say it's over
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In
fact, The only records I ever owned until I was 18 were by Marty,
Werley and Elvis, and by that time I had everything they had
recorded up to that time. After breaking up with my first
girlfriend, I even wore three copies of Marty's "Mr. Teardrop". 
It
seemed like I had died and gone to heaven, rubbing elbows with
industry giants like Gene Weed, Dick Clark, Glen Campbell,
Bobbie Gentry and so many others I can't begin to name them all.
Werley Fairburn had been hurt in an accident and couldn't
attend, but I met his wife, Louise, The Los Angeles Mercury
Records promoter.