From the time Grady Martin was 15 years old, he was a professional musician. After convincing his folks to let him leave the family’s East Tennessee farm to play country music in Nashville, he got his first job in 1944 as a fiddler for Big Jeff & His Radio Players. Quickly, though, he made a name for himself as a hot young guitarist, first as one-half of the twin-guitar attack behind Opry Western swinger Paul Howard and then, as the ’50s dawned, as lead guitarist for Little Jimmy Dickens’ touring band, the Country Boys. When Grady Martin died Dec. 3 at age 72, he left behind an unrivaled legacy as one of the most recorded musicians in history, and as one of the flat out best guitarists ever to strap on a six-string.
It was Martin’s work as one of Nashville’s A-team of studio musicians in the ’50s, ’60s and early ’70s that made him a legend, at least among the singers, songwriters and producers he helped make famous as picker and session leader. Martin provided the unforgettable licks for records such as Dickens’ “Hillbilly Fever,” Red Foley’s “Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy,” Johnny Horton’s “Honky Tonk Man,” Ronnie Self’s “Big Fool,” Lefty Frizzell’s “Saginaw, Michigan,” Jeannie Pruett’s “Satin Sheets” and Ray Price’s “For the Good Times,” among countless others. He cut a few sides of his own too, fronting a breezy jazz combo called Grady Martin and the Slew Foot Five that once backed Bing Crosby.
On “El Paso,” Martin provided the Tex-Mex-inspired acoustic guitar that conjures up the record’s Southwestern landscape and serves as Marty Robbins’ sidekick, seconding the singer’s spiraling emotions. Commenting on Martin’s indelible contribution to that record, session ace Chip Young—whom Grady befriended and mentored in the ’60s—once asked me, “Can you imagine a more fitting part for the song?”
That simple question points to Martin’s greatest musical gift. Grady Martin didn’t just invent memorable, infectious licks; he crystallized, and sometimes complicated, the emotions of the songs he performed. Put on some of those records, and just listen to Grady Martin listen. To the way that, on Marty Robbins’ “Don’t Worry,” he makes his distorted six-string electric bass (the prototype for fuzztone) blare and bound through its solo, each sobbing note belying the singer’s stiff upper lip. Or to the way that Martin’s lurid rockabilly lines on Johnny Horton’s “I’m Coming Home” race down the road, eager and breathless.
That none of the records mentioned above sound like one another, and that they each still sound country, is all the evidence you need to conclude that Martin was among the most important and innovative musicians in country music history. When we say today that some guitar part or other sounds “country,” we could just as well say that it sounds like Grady Martin.
Of course, Martin borrowed techniques and licks himself. As with A-teammate Hank Garland, his playing was strongly influenced by jazz and all kinds of blues. Both sides of that equation are evident on my favorite Martin record, Red Foley’s “Midnight” from 1952.
Grady establishes the record’s dark mood with nothing more than a disarmingly dissonant strum of his electric guitar. Walking the floor in the wee, small hours, Foley cries and moans over his long-gone lover. But he doesn’t sound as miserable as Martin’s solo, which alternates between stark, jazzy little figures and blues so deep and urban you’ve got to figure the guitarist had a few Chess Records in his collection. Thanks to Grady Martin, though, it’s enough nowadays just to say it sounds country.
—David Cantwell
Webb feat
Germany’s Bear Family has long been considered the reigning champion for authoritative and comprehensive country reissues, but their mammoth box sets are also expensive and geared essentially toward collectors and critics. By contrast, Audium Records, the reissue outlet for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, provides affordable, first-rate country rereleases as well as some contemporary dates. On Jan. 8, the label will release Caught in the Webb, a 21-track tribute to Country Music Hall of Famer Webb Pierce. Produced by Gail Davies, the project boasts contributions by Dwight Yoakam, George Jones, Charley Pride, Willie Nelson, Dale Watson, The Jordanaires, Allison Moorer and Guy Clark, among others. All of the performers donated their time and talents to the project, and proceeds will benefit the Minnie Pearl Cancer Fund and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
—Ron Wynn
Imaginary trios
Imaginary Records has joined the ranks of Nashville labels issuing quality jazz sessions. Its two latest albums are trio dates featuring carefully engineered, nicely crafted and intimate performances that adeptly mix standards, jazz anthems and original works. Fifth House by the New York Trio Project matches guitarist Adam Rafferty with bassist John Menegon and drummer Jeff Siegel on a disc that moves from hard bop to Afro-Latin styles. Siegel joins pianist Michael Jefry Stevens and bassist Tim Ferguson to comprise another group called Stevens, Siegel and Ferguson, whose CD Triologue offers a similarly intriguing blend of material. This album begins with a good but derivative version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Some Enchanted Evening,” then moves into a solid Ferguson original titled “Vernazza.” But the trio’s best performance comes on Billy Strayhorn’s “Blood Count,” in which Stevens plays with fury and vitality, invoking equally sharp responses from mates Ferguson and Siegel. Neither disc could be called a masterpiece, but each has enough worthy numbers to deserve being heard by local jazz fans.
—Ron Wynn
