Jimmy Martin
Listen to, buy or share
Buy
7digital
iTunes
Amazon
eBay
-
93,119
scrobbles
-
17,227 listeners
-
n0p0etry is listening to
Jimmy Martin – Sophronie
Tags
Biography
Jimmy Martin (August 10, 1927 – May 14, 2005) was an American bluegrass musician, known as the “King of Bluegrass”.
Born James H. Martin in Sneedville, Tennessee, beginning in 1949 Martin was lead vocalist for Bill Monroe’s “Bluegrass Boys,”. Martin’s high voice mixed with Monroe’s tenor came to be known as the “high lonesome” sound. His influence radically changed Monroe’s music from the fast-paced but smooth style of the “original” 1945 band with Flatt and Scruggs. Martin challenged Monroe to raise the pitch on many of his classics and to write new, “lonesome” songs. This band with Rudy Lyle (banjo) and Charlie Cline (fiddle) was one of the many high points of Monroe’s career. Martin’s lead was defining in “lonesome” songs such as “Sitting Alone in the Moonlight”, “Memories of Mother and Dad” and “I’m Blue, I’m Lonesone”.
Martin had a famously high-strung and exuberant personality, and inevitably clashed with Monroe’s equally stubborn temperament. He left Monroe and worked briefly with the Osborne Brothers until he formed his own band, “The Sunny Mountain Boys” in 1955. The classic lineup of this band, with J. D. Crowe and “Big” Paul Williams (stage name for Paul Humphries) defined his “Good ‘n Country” style, a commercially-oriented, crowd-pleasing bluegrass with simple harmonies, catchy melodies, and a strong rhythm propelled by Martin’s simple but effective guitar playing. Among his biggest hits of the 1960’s were “Hit Parade of Love”, “Sophronie”, “Stepping Stones”, and “Widow Maker” (a popular truck driver’s song).
Born James H. Martin in Sneedville, Tennessee, beginning in 1949 Martin was lead vocalist for Bill Monroe’s “Bluegrass Boys,”. Martin’s high voice mixed with Monroe’s tenor came to be known as the “high lonesome” sound. His influence radically changed Monroe’s music from the fast-paced but smooth style of the “original” 1945 band with Flatt and Scruggs. Martin challenged Monroe to raise the pitch on many of his classics and to write new, “lonesome” songs. This band with Rudy Lyle (banjo) and Charlie Cline (fiddle) was one of the many high points of Monroe’s career. Martin’s lead was defining in “lonesome” songs such as “Sitting Alone in the Moonlight”, “Memories of Mother and Dad” and “I’m Blue, I’m Lonesone”.
Martin had a famously high-strung and exuberant personality, and inevitably clashed with Monroe’s equally stubborn temperament. He left Monroe and worked briefly with the Osborne Brothers until he formed his own band, “The Sunny Mountain Boys” in 1955. The classic lineup of this band, with J. D. Crowe and “Big” Paul Williams (stage name for Paul Humphries) defined his “Good ‘n Country” style, a commercially-oriented, crowd-pleasing bluegrass with simple harmonies, catchy melodies, and a strong rhythm propelled by Martin’s simple but effective guitar playing. Among his biggest hits of the 1960’s were “Hit Parade of Love”, “Sophronie”, “Stepping Stones”, and “Widow Maker” (a popular truck driver’s song).
Top Tracks
Top Albums
-
The King of Bluegrass
10,606 listeners18 tracks
-
Songs of a Freeborn Man
2,573 listeners25 tracks
Released:
-
Don't Cry to Me
2,980 listeners16 tracks
Released:
-
20 Greatest Hits
160 listeners20 tracks
Listening Trend
17,227listeners all time
93,119scrobbles all time
Recent listeners trend:
Start scrobbling and track your listening history
Last.fm users scrobble the music they play in iTunes, Spotify, Rdio and over 200 other music players.
Create a Last.fm profileShoutbox
Leave a comment.
Log in to Last.fm or sign up.
-
penigra
AOR
-
gebhardino
Free Born Man, yeah
-
traqua89
His voice is soooo cool :)
-
vaughnvhalen
:":":":" Give me some of that Ol' mountain twang !!!!:):":":":":":":":"
-
barryvs
Like a breath of fresh air in my ITunes.....lighthearted in tone and totally different.
-
almagal
Born on the same day as me... Must be a legend...
Top Listeners
-
wavedebb
Top Listener -
barneb
Top Listener -
CrabHead
Top Listener -
Szczepanovich
Top Listener
