On This Day in 2001, We Lost the Widely Acclaimed Musician Who Merle Haggard Called “Everybody’s Hero”

On this day (December 3) in 2001, Grady Martin died of a heart attack in Lewisburg, Tennessee. He was an exceptional guitar and fiddle player who appeared on some of the most iconic recordings in country music history. In his 50-year career, he played alongside the likes of Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Bing Crosby, and Merle Haggard.

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By the time Martin was 15, he had a regular performance slot on a local radio station. At 17, he made his recording debut with Curly Fox and Texas Ruby. Later that year, he made his Grand Ole Opry debut as a member of the Arkansas Cotton Pickers. That led to a stint in Little Jimmy Dickens’ band, kicking off a long career as a country music sideman.

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While Martin released some solo work, his musical legacy lies in his work as a studio musician. As a member of Nashville’s A-Team, he recorded with some of the biggest names in Music City, appearing on major hits, according to the Country Music Hall of Fame. No matter what a song needed, he had the chops to deliver. For instance, he provided the Spanish-style acoustic guitar on the Marty Robbins hit “El Paso.” Likewise, he played the distorted guitar solo on Robbins’ “Don’t Worry.” Grady also accompanied Loretta Lynn on “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” among other recordings.

Legends Praise Grady Martin

Grady Martin made an impression on nearly every artist he worked with. Many artists that the public hails as legends looked at him with a sense of awe.

Bob Moore, another legendary session player who worked with Martin thousands of times, called him “Nashville’s greatest guitar player.” Jerry Reed, who earned the nickname Guitar Man, agreed with Moore’s assessment.

Merle Haggard called Grady “everybody’s hero.” He added, “Grady realized, though he never bragged about it, that he was special. He understood some things about music that nobody else understood. When he’d put that down on your record, it was like a gift.”

Brenda Lee also sang Grady’s praises. “He could play something that’d make you weep, and then the next minute play something that’d make you jump for joy.”

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