Marty Robbins had kind of a rough home life since his father wasn’t all that dependable and his warmest memories were of tales his grandfather used to relate to him. At one point he managed to get away from it all when he joined the US Navy, where he really began to pick up his love for music. Learning how to play the guitar and writing his own music he eventually came home to the US and was even fortunate enough to get his own show. From that point he only kept getting bigger as his career began to grow and grow, and he became an icon on the country scene as the years went on. Eventually his songs would even become crossover hits that many people found entertaining and managed to find a place for in films and TV. The fact that he’s not remembered by some isn’t much of an issue since his contributions to popular culture speak for themselves.
Here are 5 of the best songs from his career.
5. The Streets of Laredo
There’s certainly something more to the songs of the olden days than people seem to think. It’s easy to listen to them and perhaps get the idea that they’re not as edgy or even as strong as those we hear now. It’s true to be honest, but back in the day there was more call for ballads than hard-hitting lyrics that would get your blood pumping. Perhaps it was because there was enough going on in the world that was able to stoke one’s adrenaline that precipitated this kind of music, something that would tell a story without really going into the kind of hard-hitting detail that would keep the adrenaline spiked. It’s a theory at least.
4. Devil Woman
Marty had a rather soft voice that didn’t seem inclined to rise or do much more than croon. To some people this would be one-dimensional and not at all diverse enough to really inspire anyone or be counted as anything special. But honestly and truly it was the type of voice that told a story and didn’t challenge people to the point that they had to really think about the message that was being conveyed. He was a storyteller as much as he was a singer, and that’s a rare thing these days if you want to be truthful since a lot of music still tells a story, but there’s also a greater emphasis on effects such as shock and awe.
3. A White Sport Coat
If you really look at things his story was kind of like Johnny Cash, though the similarities do kind of end at some point since they had different life experiences and different careers that saw them rise to prominence in very different ways. Cash obviously had a disappointing home life, as did Marty, but while Cash went on to become a bad boy in music, Marty was the kind of guy you would would look to as the good boy it seems, at least when listening to his music. He wasn’t quite the same type of sensation that Cash was, but the fact that he was in the service when he really got into music is kind of interesting.
2. Big Iron
Songs used for the old western shows have been seen as quite popular over the years since the storytelling is great and the pace of these songs is usually enough to get people interested and keep that interest the whole way through. Marty’s crooning voice is still much the same as it’s always been when you listen, but it does take on a tone that is not present in many of his other songs, despite staying true to his regular tone. The old westerns are still the type of movies and shows that inspire a great many people and pop culture to date, as they were the stories that a lot of us grew up on back in the day.
1. El Paso
If you listen to various bits of pop culture you might have heard this song once or twice since it has been used time and again in various movies and shows just as a kind of prop to pay homage to the older movies or just to put in for fun. Marty’s songs have obviously hit the point during which it’s become respectful and even entertaining to inject them into one movie or another as a way of paying respect to the singer and his legacy. It’s easy to forget that back in the day he was one of those that many people looked up to and idolized for his musical talents, but it’s important to remember and remind others of what he and so many others did for the industry of today.
Remembering the past as a means of shaping the future is always important after all.
Follow Us
