Description

Marty Robbins (b. 1925 - d. 1982) was born Martin David Robinson on September 26, 1925 in Glendale, Arizona. He was the son of Jack Joseph Robinson, born in Michigan on May 12, 1889 and Emma (Heckle) Cavaness Robinson, born in New Mexico on June 26, 1889. He was the grandson of Robert M. "Texas Bob" Heckle who was an Indian scout, pioneer and frontiersman in Texas and Arizona and served under General George A. Custer in Indian Territory and with General George Crook in Montana and Wyoming.

Marty married Marizona "Mari" Baldwin and they had two children.

He was a country music singer and auto race car driver. He began writing songs while in the United States Navy during the Second World War. He signed with Columbia Records after the war, and had his first number one country single with "I'll Go On Alone" in 1953. Over the course of his career he would have 15 more Number 1 songs on the Country Music sales charts, with several of them also reaching the Top Ten on the Pop Music sales charts. His most famous songs include "A White Sport Coat (And A Pink Carnation)," "El Paso," "Devil Woman," "Don't Worry," and "My Woman, My Woman, My Wife." In 1965, he became interested in stock car racing and from 1966 to 1982 he competed in 35 NASCAR Winston Cup races. He had 6 top ten finishes, with his best effort being a fifth place finish in the 1974 Motorstate 400 at Michigan Speedway. On October 11, 1982 he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and his last NASCAR race was in the Atlanta Journal 500 on November 7, 1982.

Handwriting on the back of photograph reads: "To Lillie. Marie Baxter, Marty, and Marie Willis (that helps Bill Mock) at WBAP-4-18-73 AM".

Marty died on December 8, 1982.

Burial at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville, Tennesee.

Sources: US Census, Prescott, AZ 1930; findagrave.com; US Index to Indian Wars Pension Files.