Jimmy Martin's Life Story told in less than five minutes in a song, as only the master storyteller Tom T. Hall could do. Jimmy's vocals are featured on this song and it is probably his last recording before his passing. This song is from the latest Tom T. Hall CD titled, \"Tom T. Hall Sings Miss Dixie and Tom T.\" recorded on the Blue Circle Records label.
Vocals: Tom T. Hall and Jimmy Martin
Words & Music: Tom T. Hall, Dixie Hall and Jimmy Martin
Album: Tom T. Hall Sings Miss Dixie and Tom T. (Blue Circle Records - 2007)
Jimmy Martin - The Early Years (Squidoo.com)
Jimmy grew up in a world of hard work on a farm. He bought his first guitar when he was ten years old. He had earned the money himself by hunting and trapping 'possums and selling their skins. For inspiration and role models to help him learn to play the guitar he tuned in to the Grand Ole Opry radio show on Saturday nights.
In 1949, Jimmy learned that Mac Wiseman had quit Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys. Jimmy was hoping to take Wiseman's place in Bill's band so he took a bus to Nashville and actually sneaked backstage of the Grand Ole Opry! Ryder Lee, Bill's banjo picker, caught Jimmy and took him to see Bill. Bill told him to sing a couple songs and then hired him there on the spot. For several years, until 1953, Jimmy Martin sang lead vocals for the Bluegrass Boys. What better way is there to get started in the world of bluegrass music than to throw in with Bill Monroe? When you hear Monroe's My Little Georgia Rose, Uncle Pen and I'm Blue, I'm Lonesome, you are hearing the King of Bluegrass - Jimmy Martin
In 1954 Jimmy recorded some music with the Osborne Brothers. In 1955 Jimmy formed his own band and called it the Sunny Mountain Boys.
Tom T. Hall - The Storyteller (Squidoo.com)
Tom T. Hall (born May 25, 1936 in Olive Hill, Kentucky) is an American country balladeer, songwriter, and country singer. He has written 11 #1 Hits, with 26 more that hit the Top 10.
As a teenager, Hall put together a band called the Kentucky Travelers that performed before movies for a traveling theater. During a stint in the Army, Hall performed over the Armed Forces Radio Network and wrote comic songs about Army experiences. His early career included being a radio announcer at WRON, a local radio station in Ronceverte, West Virginia. Hall was also a DJ at WVRC Radio in Spencer WV in the 1960s.
Hall's big songwriting break came in 1963, when country singer Jimmy C. Newman recorded his song, \"DJ For a Day.\" Soon, Hall moved to Nashville, and within months, he had songs climbing the charts. Hall has been nicknamed \"The Storyteller\", and he has written songs for dozens of country stars, including Johnny Cash, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Waylon Jennings, and Alan Jackson.
One of his earliest successful songwriting ventures, \"Harper Valley PTA\", was recorded in 1968 by Jeannie C. Riley, sold over six million copies, and won both a Grammy Award and CMA award. The song would go on to inspire a motion picture and television program of the same name.Hall himself has recorded this song, on his album \"The Definitive Collection\" (as track #23). Hall's recording career took off after Ms. Riley's rendition of the song, and he had such hits as \"A Week in the Country Jail\", \"Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine\", \"I Love\", \"Country Is\", \"The Year Clayton Delaney Died\", \"I Like Beer\", \"Faster Horses (The Cowboy and the Poet)\", and many others. He is also noted for his children-oriented songs, including \"Sneaky Snake\" and \"I Care\", the latter of which hit #1 on the country charts in 1975. He also hosted the syndicated country music TV show \"Pop Goes the Country\" in 1980.
