Marty Robbins (1925-1982) was a pioneer of the pop-oriented sound that came out of Nashville in the late 1950s... But unlike other country crooners such as Eddy Arnold, Sonny James or Hank Locklin, Robbins kept dipping his toes in various styles, even after he had struck gold with the pop vocals/country crossover. Robbins sang straight country, teen-oriented pop-rock, syrupy ballads and Latin- and Hawaiian-styled exotica, and just a tinge of country gospel. He is best remembered for his sleek updated style of "western" cowboy ballads, including smash hits such as "Big Iron" and "El Paso," which crossed over to top both the Pop and Country charts. Robbins was a smooth, versatile performer, and the spell he cast on his fans lingers to this day... Here's a quick look at his legacy...

Marty Robbins "The Essential Marty Robbins" (Sony Legacy, 1991)
Right now, this tasty 2-CD set is the best domestically available overview of Robbins' career available in the US... Even a grumpy old honkytonk fan like myself -- who has long lamented Robbins' early defection to the world of cornball pop -- can be won over after repeated listenings to this collection. It starts out with some fine early selections, from back when Robbins still sang country, and moves swiftly into his rock-tinged country-pop hits of the late 1950s and early '60s, as well as delicious epic ballads like "El Paso" and "Big Iron," which made Robbins the king of the latter-day singing cowboys. After a while, even the corniest pop numbers start to sound nice, even with the perky whitebread choruses, the goofy orchestrations and Marty's melodramatic lead vocals... This is a well-programmed retrospective that pulls you inexorably from groovy twang to gauzy schmaltz, and once you get on the right wavelength, you'll love every minute of it. An excellent introduction... Recommended!

Frankie Starr "Elevator Baby" (Bear Family Records, 1996)
Now, if you want to dig really deep into the Marty Robbins saga, you can start here. A regional star in Phoenix, Starr's hard-luck history is intimately intertwined with that of Marty Robbins, a singer he discovered and helped promote in late 1940s. Starr moved to Arizona after World War Two and was reasonably successful as a radio singer and bar band leader. He hired Robbins around 1948, then watched helplessly as his protege quickly eclipsed him and made the leap into Nashville superstardom... To hear Starr tell the story (which he does in the liner notes), Robbins pretty much bailed on Starr as soon as Music City beckoned, and did little to help his old boss out when Starr later to move to Tennessee. Marty Robbins fans will find this disc of interest since it also includes his earliest demo recordings, four tracks cut in 1948, in a session Starr said he helped set up and pay for... The sound quality on these tracks ain't great, but the historical value is immense. Really, though, what you want to hear on this album is Starr himself -- he might not have made it big in showbiz, but he left behind some fine hillbilly music for folks to listen to in decades to come.

Marty Robbins "Country: 1951-59" (Bear Family Family, 1994)
The story continues on this generously programmed 5-CD box set covering Robbins' early years... Includes all of his most "country" stuff, as well as his initial pop-flavored hits, including a slew of tunes that came out as singles in the half-decade before the first Marty Robbins LP came out. As with all Bear Family releases, this has great sound quality, as well as a lavish, well-researched booklet, packed with archival photographs and in-depth information about Robbins' conquest of Music City. Also, for honkytonk fans, this has his best, most country-sounding early work... And, boy, did he sounds great back then!

Marty Robbins "Country: 1960-1966" (Bear Family Records, 1995)
This 4-CD box set picks up where the last one left off... It may be for diehard fans only, but oh boy, if you are a diehard fan, your world will never be the same!

Marty Robbins "Under Western Skies" (Bear Family Family, 1995)
A 4-CD box set concentrating on his "western" themed hits....

Marty Robbins "A Musical Journey To The Carribbean And Mexico" (Bear Family Records, 1994)

Marty Robbins "Live Classics" (Audium Records/Country Music Foundation, 2001)
Highly recommended! One of the most appeallng of the early country crooners, Marty Robbins had a knack for picking distinctive material, and weathered out the early onslaught of '50s rock'n'roll better than many of his Grand Ole Opry cohorts... This is a nice look at how hits such as "Singing The Blues" and "A White Sports Coat" went over live, as well as his various romantic ballads. His style is pretty low-key and laid-back, but consistently fun to listen to. He also had a great Hawaiian-style steel guitar player backing him up in the early '50s. Cool chance to hear a slick Nashville star in a relatively unadorned setting, and packed with surprises such as cover versions of material by the late Hank Williams and the upstart rocker, Elvis Presley. Nice sound quality, too! Definitely worth checking out.

Marty Robbins "A Lifetime Of Song: 1951-1982" (Columbia Records, 1983)
This 2-LP set made it intact into CD format, packed with many of Robbins's biggest hits. The 'Fifties material is the best, ranging from Hawaiianized oldies to co-opted rockabilly and teen-pop ballads. In the '60s Robbins latched onto the "historical" song genre that made Claude King and Johnny Horton into Top 10 stars -- Robbins specialized in cowboy ballads such as "El Paso" and "Big Iron"; he reprised the formula with the 1976 western revival tune, "El Paso City," the lone gem in his later, rather dismal phase of Billy Sherrill-produced '70s countrypolitan. Except for the last few songs, this is a great collection.

Marty Robbins "More Greatest Hits" (Columbia Records, 1960)

Marty Robbins "All-Time Greatest Hits" (Columbia Records, 1972)

Marty Robbins "Biggest Hits" (Columbia Records, 1987)

Marty Robbins "Hawaii's Calling Me" (Bear Family Records, 1994)
A pop vocals schmaltzfest, with only a smidge of real, live exotic Hawaiiania to be heard... Mostly it's a showcase for Marty's lugubrious vocals. On a couple of tracks he departs from his stuffy baritone and drifts into a Hawaiian-style falsetto, but mostly it's pretty snoozy and pop. Famed steel guitarist Jerry Byrd, who contributed the liner notes, also wrote many of the songs Robbins croons away on, complimenting a brace of nostalgic island oldies. (Note: the original Calling Me LP had a dozen songs on it; this Bear family reissue CD more than doubles that, adding tracks from the Song Of The Islands album.)

Marty Robbins "Island Woman: A Musical Journey To The Caribbean And Mexico" (Bear Family Records, 1994)

Marty Robbins "Rockin', Rollin Robbins: Marty Robbins Sings" (Bear Family Records, 1995)
This 19-song CD expands on his original debut LP...

Marty Robbins "Rockin', Rollin Robbins, v.3: Ruby Ann" (Bear Family Records, 1995)

Marty Robbins "The Story Of My Life: The Marty Robbins/Ray Conniff Recordings" (Bear Family Records, 1994)
Pop sessions from 1957-58.

Marty Robbins "The Story Of My Life -- The Best Of Marty Robbins: 1952-1965" (Columbia Legacy, 1996)

Marty Robbins "Love Songs" (Sony Legacy, 2004)
This made-for-Valentine's Day lover's set concentrates on standards and classic love ballads made famous by others, pretty much to the exclusion of the many romantic themes originally recorded by Robbins himself. His fans may be thrilled nonetheless, but folks looking for more of a best-of set will be excused for a little head scratching: why did Robbins set himself up by covering "Unchained Melody" when it was clear he wasn't going to one-up Bill Medley? The opening track, a nice version of "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?", is the most country-sounding thing on here; from there on out it's the swanker, slower pop vocals approach that dominates this set. But for the right listener, this is probably a great set of love songs.

Marty Robbins "The Essential Marty Robbins" (Sony Legacy, 2005)
This is a mighty tasty 2-CD set that paints a fine portrait of one of Nashville's greatest smoothie crooners... Even a grumpy old honkytonk fan like myself -- who has long lamented Robbins' defection to the world of cornball pop -- can be won over after repeated listenings to this set. It starts out with some fine early selections, from back when Robbins still sang country, and moves swiftly into his rock-tinged country-pop hits of the late 1950s and early '60s, as well as delicious epic ballads like "El Paso" and "Big Iron," which made Robbins the king of the latter-day singing cowboys. After a while, even the corniest pop numbers start to sound nice, even with the perky whitebread choruses, the goofy orchestrations and Marty's melodramatic lead vocals... This is a well-programmed set which pulls you inexorably from groovy twang to gauzy schmaltz, and once you get on the right wavelength, you'll love every minute of it. An excellent introduction to this giant of a bygone era... Recommended!

Marty Robbins "Legends Of The Grand Ole Opry" (Time-Life Records, 2007)

Marty Robbins "All-Time Greatest Hits" (Columbia Records, 1972)

Marty Robbins "The Story Of My Life" (Columbia Records, 1996)

Marty Robbins "Two-Gun Daddy" (MCA Records, 1975)
A best-of set, drawn from his early '70s work on the MCA label, with a couple of new tunes that were released as singles.

Marty Robbins "Twentieth Century Drifter" (MCA Records, 1983)
A posthumous best-of, collecting his early '70s work on the MCA label.

Marty Robbins "Biggest Hits" (Columbia Records, 1987)

Marty Robbins/Ernest Tubb "Country Music Classics" (DVD) (Shanachie, 2002)

Marty Robbins "Marty Robbins At Town Hall Party" (DVD) (Bear Family, 2003)

Marty Robbins "Marty Robbins Anthology" (DVD) (White Star, 2006)

Marty Robbins "Legendary Performances" (DVD) (Shout Factory, 2008)

• Wikipedia: Marty Robbins

• MartyRobbins.com

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