Died On This Date (June 4, 2001) John Hartford / Influential Folk & Bluegrass Pioneer
themusicsover John Hartford (Born John Harford)
December 30, 1937 – June 4, 2001
John Hartford was a beloved folk singer-songwriter who was also proficient in several stringed instruments. He is probably mostly associated with the banjo and fiddle. Hartford mastered those instruments while still in his mid teens, and by the time he was in college, he had already built a name for himself throughout the St. Louis music scene. Hartford released his first album, Looks At Life, on RCA Records in 1966. A year later, he put out its follow-up album, which included the song, “Gentle On My Mind.” Soon made into a pop hit by Glen Campbell, the tune earned Hartford two Grammys. It has also been covered by Elvis Presley, R.E.M., Johnny Cash, Lucinda Williams, and Dean Martin, to name a few. During the ’70s, Hartford released a string of albums that would lay the foundation for the “newgrass” movement to follow – a more electrifying form of bluegrass, sometimes even incorporating drums. His 1976, Mark Twang earned Hartford another Grammy while his contributions to the O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack of 2000 landed him yet another. Hartford battled Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma for the better part of the the last 20 years of his life, finally forcing him to retire from the road in 2001. It wasn’t long after that he died as a result of the disease on June 4, 2001. He was 63.
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Jimmy Martin was a guitarist and singer who has been called the “King Of Bluegrass.” While looking to get his break in 1949, Martin sneaked backstage at the Grand Ole Opry and positioned himself so that passersby could hear him picking. On such person was the Blue Grass Boys’ Rudy Lyle who was impressed enough to bring Martin to meet his boss, Bill Monroe. After hearing just two songs, Monroe was so impressed by Martin’s picking and strong tenor voice that he hired him on the spot. He stayed with Monroe for the better part of the next six years and then soon thereafter formed his own band, the Sunny Mountain Boys. Martin built a name for himself with his unique voice as well as with his fun and unpredictable lives shows. In 1971, he performed on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s landmark album Will The Circle Be Unbroken. Jimmy Martin was 77 when he died of bladder cancer on May 14, 2005.
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