Search - Jimmy Martin :: The King of Bluegrass

Fine Career Retrospective For a Bluegrass Legend

Ron Frankl | Hendersonville, NC | 03/12/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Its probably a stretch to call Jimmy Martin the King of Bluegrass (Its also the title of a recent book about the singer), but he certainly qualifies as royalty. Martin was long overdue for this type of compilation, which includes most of his greatest recording made for Decca Records in the Fifties and Sixties.Martin was, and is, one of the finest lead vocalists in bluegrass, a role he filled for two years with the great Bill Monroe before he began his solo career. What set Martin apart from such contemporaries as Monroe, the Stanley Brothers and others is that his music was more accessible, more radio-friendly than his peers. "Sunny Side of the Mountain" and "Grand Ole Opry Song," both included here, are still damn near irresistible. Martin' music never seemed as old-fashioned as the others, yet he never felt the need to pander to popular tastes by recording Beatles or Chuck Berry tunes, as Jim & Jesse did, for example.The Country Music Foundation compiled this disc and did a wonderful job. The sound is excellent, and the booklet is even better. Fans of bluegrass and classic country will certainly want to add this set to their collections."

WOW

Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com | ...in Middle America | 06/09/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There's certainly no shortage of great material to draw on from Jimmy Martin's decades-long MCA/Decca catalog, and this CD does an awesome job selecting some of the funnest stuff. This includes classics such as "20/20 Vision," "Hit Parade Of Love," "Ocean Of Diamonds" and "Milwaukee Here I Come"... A few songs, like "Hold Whatcha Got" and "Mr. Engineer" may be familiar to newgrass fans -- Martin's teenage banjo player, J.D. Crowe, went on to form the New South band, and brought a bunch of this material into the newgrass canon with him. All these songs are delivered in Martin's trademark style, an irresistible mix of old-fashioned, high lonesome nasality and honkytonk bluesiness... it's some of the best bluegrass you'll ever hear! There's also not a ton of overlap between this disc and the old collection out on Rounder, so fans who already have that album will not be disappointed. The only regret I have is that they haven't put out a second CD's worth yet!"

Classic Jimmy and probably the best hits collection...

R. Plemmons | Texas, United States | 09/29/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"For anyone wanting an introduction to Jimmy Martin's music from his "classic" period (with Paul Williams and J.D. Crowe in his band), this is the place to start. To get the few gems not included here, buy Rounder's "You Don't Know My Mind.""