688 Marty Robbins (1925-1982) “El Paso” 1959

“Robbins’ grandfather was a former medicine show performer who regaled him with cowboy stories and tales of the traveling show. As a teenager he worked on his older brother’s ranch outside of Phoenix, and ran away from home for a time to hang out with hobos. While serving in the Navy in World War II, he learned to play guitar; upon returning home, he began to perform in local clubs and on radio stations…’At a time when the radio was full of watered-down rock ‘n roll sung by pretty boys bereft of talent, Marty Robbins and El Paso had the narrative arc of an epic film’” (Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, 2013). 

Marty Robbins “El Paso”