The Big Tiger Roars Again: Part 1

Amazon.com
You may not recognize the name Benny Martin, but judging by the impressive roster of friends who guest on this record, he's revered among country and bluegrass musicians. The hefty and jovial fiddler had a large impact on country music during its postwar and pre-Elvis boom, gracing shows and recordings by everyone from bluegrass pioneers Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs to country stars Roy Acuff, Kitty Wells, Red Foley, Carl Smith, and just about anyone else who needed the help of Nashville's first-call fiddler. Although he's still battling a nerve disorder called spasmodic dysphonia, Martin's condition has improved enough for him to record again in 1999, and what a delight this record is. All 15 cuts are handsome Martin originals, many of which date back to his short-lived but relatively successful solo career of the late 1950s. The guest list includes legendary veterans (Earl Scruggs, Jim & Jesse, Bobby Osborne, Josh Graves, John Hartford, Tom T. Hall, Buck White, Del McCoury), younger stars (Crystal Gayle, Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs), and instrumental wizards (Jerry Douglas on Dobro, Buddy Emmons on steel). Even Martin himself takes a crack at a few vocals, and although his voice has been devastated by his ailment, he never takes the easy way out, still going for just the right inflection or phrasing. More than a mere album, this is a multigenerational celebration of country music and one of its great practitioners. --Marc Greilsamer

Country Music
"If his repertoire of elegant bluegrass and country waltzes, haunting honky-tonk weepers, and snappy, uptempo rhythm numbers aren't well known to today's country fans, they're ripe for reexamination and renewal."

Tracks:

Good Enough Reason
Checkin' Out On You
Where Is Your Heart Tonight
Blue Writing On White Paper
The Right Melody
Ice Cold Love
Money Up Front
Secret Of Your Heart
Father Alone
I Can Read Between The Lines
Will I Ever Be Happy Being Lonesome
If I Could Stay Away Long Enough
You Know That I Know
Lover Of The Town
Me & My Fiddle

Amazon.com

You may not recognize the name Benny Martin, but judging by the impressive roster of friends who guest on this record, he's revered among country and bluegrass musicians. The hefty and jovial fiddler had a large impact on country music during its postwar and pre-Elvis boom, gracing shows and recordings by everyone from bluegrass pioneers Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs to country stars Roy Acuff, Kitty Wells, Red Foley, Carl Smith, and just about anyone else who needed the help of Nashville's first-call fiddler. Although he's still battling a nerve disorder called spasmodic dysphonia, Martin's condition has improved enough for him to record again in 1999, and what a delight this record is. All 15 cuts are handsome Martin originals, many of which date back to his short-lived but relatively successful solo career of the late 1950s. The guest list includes legendary veterans (Earl Scruggs, Jim & Jesse, Bobby Osborne, Josh Graves, John Hartford, Tom T. Hall, Buck White, Del McCoury), younger stars (Crystal Gayle, Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs), and instrumental wizards (Jerry Douglas on Dobro, Buddy Emmons on steel). Even Martin himself takes a crack at a few vocals, and although his voice has been devastated by his ailment, he never takes the easy way out, still going for just the right inflection or phrasing. More than a mere album, this is a multigenerational celebration of country music and one of its great practitioners. --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews:

Catch a tiger by the toe?.......2004-05-11

OK, I'll say it -- this recording is a dog. I'm aware of Martin's importance in bluegrass history, but I had never sat down and listened to a whole album of Benny Martin recordings before. Well, this disc was the wrong place to start. Martin had one foot in the grave when he recorded this and it shows. The fiddling still has attitude but lacks timing, tone & intonation. The less said about the voice, the better. The scope of Martin's songwriting was rather limited -- one or two of his lonelyheart jukebox weepers would be fine, but a whole disc of them will drive you nuts.

It isn't just Martin who sounds tired. Most of the guest vocalists, with the exception of the still-sharp Del McCoury and the butter-smooth Vince Gill, are past their prime as well. Now some of my favorite musicians are or were elderly men when I became aware of them: the late Howard Armstrong and Stephane Grappelli, B.B. King, Clarence Gatemouth Brown. But they hadn't lost their chops the way Martin had.

If you're a completist or already well-versed in Martin's oeuvre, you're going to want this CD regardless of what I say. If you're not, then out of respect for the great fiddler he evidently once was, please don't start here.

A nice late-career album.......2004-01-18

Fiddler Benny Martin was a key early participant in the early years of bluegrass, and a fixture on the festival scene throughout the 1960s and '70s, as well as a highly valued Nashville studio musician (and recipient of numerous shout-outs from alt-grass oddball John Hartford.) In the early 1980s, Martin developed a degenerative nervous disorder that paralyzed his vocal chords, and while he still sings a bit, the warm, husky voice of his youth has given way to a thicker, gurgling tone that many listeners may find a bit disconcerting. However, his fiddling remains stellar, and working alongside an all-star cast of pals and cohorts such as Vince Gill, Del McCoury, John Hartford, Buck White, Ricky Skaggs and others, Martin has crafted a striking set of late-period recordings. Even more impressive is the fact that all of these songs were written by Martin himself... and they are of a uniformly high calibre! Worth checking out.

The Real Deal!.......2000-02-05

Anyone that doesn't like this probably isn't a fan of the great Benny Martin. He's much more than a sideman, and insiders in the business have known this.

If someone thought he was going to record a bunch of old Flatt & Scruggs instrumentals this late in life, they must be crazy. This is Benny Martin music...Its great songs, great fiddling..He's a genius, and the genius is on exhibit here. No, he can't sing like he did in 1950, but he has more soul in his voice than most singers can amass in a lifetime. Besides, most of his musical contemporaries have been dead for some time now.

This recording is a classic! Welcome back Benny. You are the man!

the fiddler's fiddler.......2000-01-02

There is a review of this cd currently on line with amazon written under my name that I definitely did not write. I played fiddle with Bill Monroe in the 1960's and I learned to play by listening to Chubby Wise and Benny Martin recordings, also to Vassar Clements. They were all innovators, and I have great respect for what they did for the music and the instrument. I have nothing but admiration for Benny Martin's most recent recording. While it does suffer a bit from technical difficulties, to have come back from the trials and tribulations that Benny describes openly and honestly in the liner notes to this work, and rallied the support of his friends and admirers to work with him is worthy of great respect. This work is a great accomplishment for Benny, and a testament to his determination and resiliency.

more like a whimper.......1999-12-29

I had the wonderful good fortune to play fiddle with Bill Monroe in the 1965 band along with Peter Rowan. I learned my fiddle by listening to the classic recordings chubby wise made with Monroe, and recordings of Benny Martin playing with Flatt & Scruggs. I have a fondness and great respect for what these fiddlers did for the fiddle and Bluegrass music. It's really unfortunate that Benny made this recording. He enlisted the help of wonderful artists to work with him, but his playing is out of tune, sloppy, and a sad reflection of a one-time great fiddler. He was an innovator on the instrument, but this recording should have never been made. If you want to buy it for nostalgia, fine. But don't expect anything like the old benny Martin.

Music Album:

Music Album