Benny Martin "Country Music's Sensational Entertainer" (Starday Records, 1961) (LP)
Benny Martin "Old Time Fiddlin' And Singin' " (Mercury Records, 1964) (LP)
Benny Martin "Rollin' " (Lamb & Lion Records, 1974) (LP)
Benny Martin "Southern Bluegrass Fiddle" (Marathon Records, 1974) (LP)
Benny Martin "Tennessee Jubilee" (Flying Fish Records, 1975) (LP)
A touchstone album of the freakadelic wing of the bluegrass revival, with a freewheeling, ecstatic mix of bluegrass, old-timey and retro-country picking and plunking. Fiddler Benny Martin was a key player in the early years of bluegrass, an old Opry regular, and a fixture on the festival scene throughout the 1960s and '70s, as well as a highly valued Nashville studio musician (and recipient of numerous shout-outs from alt-grass oddball John Hartford.) Hartford helps organize and anchor this album, which also features Lester Flatt, who sings on several songs and picks throughout. Banjo and fiddle mix with pedal steel and some wicked guitar, in a dynamic jam session that has a lively, unique feel. Fun stuff!
Benny Martin "The Fiddle Collection" (CMH Records, 1976)
Benny Martin & His Electric Turkeys "Turkey In The Grass" (CMH Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Arthur Smith)
Another nice, relaxed and rootsy album that echoes the funky vibe of Martin's collaborations with John Hartford. Most of the songs are of an older vintage -- stuff like "Oh Baby Mine" and "Poison Love," from the Johnny & Jack songbook, the Delmore Brothers oldie, "Freight Train Blues" and fiddle standards as well... Speaking of John Hartford, Martin covers "Gentle On My Mind," and I gotta say this is one of the more effective versions I've heard, which is even more remarkable since some of his vocals on here are kinda wobbly -- perhaps a precursor to the throat troubles he developed a few years later? The fiddling is rock-solid throughout, though, as is the overall vibe of the record, where Martin is joined by some youthful longhairs whose names I mostly don't recognize... If you enjoy the loose confidence of these '70s-era bluegrassers, the guys who weren't aiming for the slick professionalism that later defined the genre, then this album might could be one you'd want on your radar. Fun stuff!
Benny Martin "Big Daddy Of The Fiddle And Bow" (CMH Records, 1979) (LP)
Benny Martin/Pat Burton/John Hartford "Slumberin' On The Cumberland" (Flying Fish Records, 1999) (LP)
Benny Martin "The Big Tiger Roars Again, Part I" (OMS Records, 1999)
(Produced by Hugh Moore)
In the early 1980s, Martin developed a degenerative nervous disorder that paralyzed his vocal chords, and while he still sings a bit, the warm, husky voice of his youth has given way to a thicker, gurgling tone that many listeners may find a bit disconcerting. However, his fiddling remains stellar, and working alongside an all-star cast of pals and cohorts such as Vince Gill, Del McCoury, John Hartford, Buck White, Ricky Skaggs and others, Martin has crafted a striking set of late-period recordings. Even more impressive is the fact that all of these songs were written by Martin himself... and they are of a uniformly high calibre. Worth checking out.
Benny Martin "The Big Tiger Roars Again, Part II" (OMS Records, 2001)
(Produced by Hugh Moore)
Joined once again by a top-flight set of pals -- John Hartford, Ricky Skaggs, Alison Krauss, Ronnie McCoury, the Reno boys, Buddy Spicher -- you name 'em! -- Martin's fiddling has never been finer. His vocals aren't so great; as mentioned above, age and health problems have slurred his diction and thickened his tone, and, sadly this was his last album -- Martin passed away the same year this album came out. But, man! Just listen to that fiddle sing! A nice coda to a remarkable career.
Fiddler Benny Martin (1928-2001) was a key player in the early years of bluegrass, an old Opry regular, and a fixture on the festival scene throughout the 1960s and '70s, as well as a highly valued Nashville studio musician... He backed greats such as Roy Acuff, Bill Monroe and Don Reno, recording prolifically during the 1950's golden age of bluegrass, and beyond. In the '70s he hung out with hippie-grass pioneer John Hartford, adding some lively fiddling to Hartford's already-eclectic musical stew. In the 1980s, Martin became ill and retired for many years before recording his final two albums with a slew of celebrity guest performers... Here's a quick look at his work.
