Grady Martin - Biography
By J Poet
Grady Martin was one of the best session guitar players in country music history. A member of the legendary A Team, which also included pianist Floyd Cramer and bass man Bob Moore, Martin played on thousands of sessions. He’s one of the few Nashville cats to have played with both Hank Williams (a live TV date) and Elvis Presley. When a tube in his amplifier blew out during a session with Marty Robbins, Martin continued playing and the resulting distorted solo on “Don’t Worry” introduced the fuzz tone that became a popular element of rock music in the 60s. He was also one of the first musicians to play a twin necked electric guitar. Martin made 13 instrumental albums on his own, most long out of print, but his session work made him a legend. His snarling guitar work on Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman” is regarded as one of rock’n’roll’s finest moments.
Martin was born in Lewisburg, Tennessee in 1929, the depth of the great depression, the youngest of four children. His mother was musical and taught him how to read music and he spent his school years practicing guitar and fiddle, not studying. He dropped out of high school to play fiddle with Big Jeff & His Radio Playboys. At 16, he was backing up country music artists with the Bailes Brothers Band on the Grand Old Opry and the Ozark Jubilee TV show. He also played guitar with Paul Howard’s swing band the Arkansas Cotton Pickers. He left the Opry when Little Jimmy Dickens hired him for his road band, The Country Boys.
In the 50s, Martin settled in Nashville and started playing sessions. Some of his “hits” include guitar on Red Foley’s "Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy” in 1950, lead guitar on Johnny Horton’s "Honky Tonk Man” in 1956, acoustic lead guitar on Marty Robbins’ “El Paso” in 1959, the fuzz tone guitar solo on Robbins’ “Don't Worry” in 1960, guitar on Brenda lee’s “I’m Sorry” in 1960, acoustic guitar on Lefty Frizzell's “Saginaw Michigan” in 1964, the guitar hook on Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman” in 1964, lead guitar on Merle Haggard’s “A Place To Fall Apart” and “No Reason To Quit,” guitar on Loretta Lynn's "Coal Miner's Daughter," guitar on Little Jimmy Dickens' "May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose," and lead guitar on Jeanne Pruett’s “Satin Sheets” in 1973.
He also played sessions with Elvis Presley, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline, Joan Baez, Jim Reeves, Carl Smith, Brenda Lee, Red Foley, Kris Kristofferson, Jerry Reed, Burl Ives, Bing Crosby, Buddy Holly, Jim Ed Brown and the Browns, Hank Locklin, Country Joe McDonald, J. J. Cale, and countless others.
During his years in Nashville, he cut a dozen albums as a solo artist and bandleader of the Slew Foot Five, all now out of print. They include the 10” LP Grady Martin and His Winging Strings: Dance-O-Rama (1955 Decca), Powerhouse Dance Party (1955 Decca), Juke Box Jamboree (1956 Decca), The Roaring Twenties (1957Decca), Hot Time Tonight (1959 Decca), Big City Lights (1960 Decca), Swingin' Down The River (1962 Decca), Songs Everybody Knows (1964 Decca), Instrumentally Yours (1965 Decca), and A Touch Of Country (1967 Decca). His last album as a leader was the bizarre disco/jazz album Cowboy Classics (1977 Monument, 2001 Columbia.) Roughneck Blues 1949-1956 (2007 Rev-Ola UK) is a compilation of tracks he played on as a session man including Bob Wills’ “San Antonio Rose,” Johnny Horton’s “I'm a One-Woman Man,” Johnny Burnette’s “Rock Billy Boogie,” and Tiny Bradshaw’s “The Train Kept A-Rollin'.”
After he stopped doing sessions in 1978, he joined Jerry Reed's touring band. He joined Willie Nelson’s touring band in 1980, playing with him until 1994. Martin died in 2001 in his hometown of Lewisburg, TN.
