Search - Don Edwards :: Kin to the Wind: Memories of Marty Robbins

In an era of album-length artist tributes, Grand Ole Opry star Marty Robbins has been one notable and surprising oversight. Robbins, who died in 1982, gained fame not only for hits, but for a bold, eclectic 30-year musical legacy that spanned country, cowboy, pop, Hawaiian, and rockabilly. Acclaimed Western vocalist Don Edwards, a Robbins fan from the beginning, knows the man's music well, a fact reflected not only through his sparkling and inspired interpretations but through his wisdom in avoiding obvious Robbins hits including "El Paso." He opted instead for less obvious Western choices like "Saddle Tramp," "San Angelo," "Old Red," and "Man Walks Among Us." He's equally at home with Robbins's 1956 honky-tonk mega-hit "Singing the Blues" and his first big hit, the ballad "I'll Go On Alone." While Edwards never imitates, it's obvious that Robbins's style inspired and shaped his own. With low-key backing by steel guitarist Tom Morrell, acoustic picker and producer Rich O'Brien, and a number of other Texas musicians, Edwards captures Robbins's essence with admirable sensitivity and flair. --Rich Kienzle