It was said that the two best singers in Nashville during the 1950s and ’60s were Jim Reeves and Marty Robbins. Though the two artists had entirely different styles, both were incredible vocalists who were head and shoulders above their Grand Ole Opry colleagues. Reeves a rich baritone, Robbins a rich tenor, each had great voice control, impeccable phrasing, a talent for picking the right songs and enormous popularity. One of the most successul country and Western singers of all time, for most of his four-decade career, Marty was rarely off the record charts, and several of his songs also became pop hits, like the 1950s “White Sport Coat (And A Pink Carnation)” — his first million-seller — included here.

“Marty Robbins: 16 Biggest Hits” truly is the best modestly-priced collection you can find. An amazing 15 of these songs were #1 hits. On numbers lilke ‘Carmen,” Marty wows with his vocal gymnastics, scaling the heights with utter effortlessness. He just floats above the music. On each song he creates an emotional landscape that very few singers are able to convey. Like Reeves, Robbins was also a talented songwriter to boot.

Born in Arizona in 1925, one of ten children, Marty was reared in a difficult family situation, with his frequently-unemployed father an alcoholic. But as a youth, Martin David Robinson listened attentively to stores of the American West as told by his maternal grandfather, Texas Bob Heckle. Marty left home to join the Navy when he was 17, serving in the Solomon Islands in the Pacific. He learned to play the guitar to pass the time, and grew to love Hawaiian music. After the war he returned to Phoenix, Arizona and began hosting a local television show. Opry performer “Little Jimmy” Dickens guested and was so impressed, he got Robbins a recording contract in Nashville.

Robbins won many awards, including the Grammy for Best County & Western Recording 1961, followed by another Grammy in 1970. He was also an avid race car driver, competing in 35 career NASCAR races with six top 10 finishes. He appeared in movies like “Hell On Wheels” and “Guns Of A Stranger,” before being typecast as a musician in Clint Eastwood's 1982 flick, “Honkytonk Man.”

A total ham on stage, who liked to mug for fans’ cameras, Marty often bragged on himself as part of his act — but he meant it, too.  He insisted on always being the closing act on the Opry. He was fiercely private about his family life and had a quick temper. Yet one mistake during a recording session proved fortuitous. When cutting the 1961 “Dont’t Worry” (included on this fine CD), guitarist Grady Martin accidentally created the “fuzz” effect when his six-string electric bass was run through a bad channel in the mixing console. Marty decided to keep it on the final version as he liked the sound.

There is nobody today who sounds like Marty Robbins, and he is still sorely missed by true country music fans. He could sing a song about the Old West better than anybody, but was at his best when he embraced the lively Spanish rhythms of a song like “Devil Woman” (our personal favorite).

It is a bit of a puzzle, however, why — on the back of the CD — the producers claim the latest technology was used to create this CD. And yet they still chose the mono (instead of stereo) masters in some cases, used by Columbia to stamp 45s back in the early 1960s. Most likely it was just Sony trying to turn a fast buck on Columbia’s back catalog without doing their homework. Nevertheless, Marty's superb vocals carry the day and this is one collection you are sure to play over and over again!

To sample some of the tracks, click the speaker icon below to hear them. Then scroll down the page to order today!