MARTY ROBBINS – 20th Century Drifter The MCA Years is a new compilation release from Humphead Records. It’s hard to believe that the purveyor of gunfighter ballads in the early 1960s died 32 years ago in 1982.

From A White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation and Singing The Blues followed by Big Iron, and El Paso, Martin David Robinson carved a niche in country music.

His career gave him 16 No 1s and 30 top ten entries which lasted for 30 years during which, for 27 years he was an artist on the Columbia record label. For a brief period, which many class as “the lost years”, Marty recorded for Decca/ MCA records between 1972-75.

This new two-CD compilation release takes in many of the tracks featured during those years. From the opening track of 20th Century Drifter on CD1 through to the fade on the last track of CD2, It Takes Faith, Marty takes us on a musical memory trip of nostalgia from those years with songs like Two Gun Daddy, I Hear The Bluebirds Sing, Funny Face, Love Me, The Taker and more.

Not only a great singer/songwriter, Marty Robbins had rapport with his audiences in live shows and for my money was one of the great entertainers of country music.

This is certainly a release that true country music appreciators will want to add to their music collection. Musical magic from Marty.