Jimmy Martin RIP

He actually passed away several days again, but I’m finally getting around to writing about it. He was certainly one of the towering figures in bluegrass, both as a songwriter and as a showman.

This article from Gritz goes a long way for an interview. It does not go into what exactly was wrong with him in term of mental illness. I’ve heard it was definitely something serious; and judging from live recordings he always seemed very odd. It also touches on the many feuds he’s had with people.

He does have several pieces of high praise for Earl Scruggs who is yet another towering figure in the genre who probably won’t be in this world for much longer either.