Born James H. Martin in Sneedville, Tennessee, beginning in 1949 Martin was lead vocalist for Bill Monroe's "Bluegrass Boys,". Martin's high voice mixed with Monroe's tenor came to be known as the "high lonesome" sound. His influence radically changed Monroe's music from the fast-paced but smooth style of the "original" 1945 band with Flatt and Scruggs. Martin challenged Monroe to raise the pitch on many of his classics and to write new, "lonesome" songs. This band with Rudy Lyle (banjo) and Charlie Cline (fiddle) was one of the many high points of Monroe's career. Martin's lead was defining in "lonesome" songs such as "Sitting Alone in the Moonlight", "Memories of Mother and Dad" and "I'm Blue, I'm Lonesone".
Martin had a famously high-strung and exuberant personality, and inevitably clashed with Monroe's equally stubborn temperament. He left Monroe and worked briefly with the Osborne Brothers until he formed his own band, "The Sunny Mountain Boys" in 1955. The classic lineup of this band, with J. D. Crowe and "Big" Paul Williams (stage name for Paul Humphries) defined his "Good 'n Country" style, a commercially-oriented, crowd-pleasing bluegrass with simple harmonies, catchy melodies, and a strong rhythm propelled by Martin's simple but effective guitar playing. Among his biggest hits of the 1960's were "Hit Parade of Love", "Sophronie", "Stepping Stones", and "Widow Maker" (a popular truck driver's song).
Martin was famous as a dangerously unpredictable but highly-entertaining stage presence. He freely acknowledged his problems with drinking and volatile mood swings, which kept him from realizing his life-long dream of joining the Grand Ole Opry.
He made frequent appearances on the Louisiana Hayride and the Wheeling Jamboree, as well as the Grand Ole Opry, but was never invited to join the latter.
He performed on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's 1971 album, Will the Circle be Unbroken. In 1995, he was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor. A documentary on his life, King of Bluegrass: The Life and Times of Jimmy Martin, was released in 2003. Martin is also featured in High Lonesome.
Martin's hobby was raccoon-hunting with dogs; he famously featured his hunting dogs on the covers of several LP albums and wrote songs celebrating their prowess.
Jimmy Martin died Saturday May 14, 2005 in Nashville, Tennessee after having been diagnosed with bladder cancer more than a year earlier. He is interred in the Spring Hill Cemetery in Madison, Tennessee.
On And On
Jimmy Martin Lyrics
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I'm so lonesome I could cry
Memories of how we once loved each other
And now we are saying good-bye.
On and on I'll follow my darling
And I wonder where she can be
On and on I'll follow my darling
I've cried I've cried for you little darling
It breaks my heart to hear your name
My friends they also love you my darling
And they think that I am to blame.
I have to follow you my darling
I can't sleep when the sun goes down
By your side is my destination
The road is clear and that's where I'm bound.
In Jimmy Martin's song "On and On," the singer sings about his experience on a long, lonely highway. He reflects on his past relationship, how he and his former lover once loved each other, but now must part ways. Despite their separation, he remains devoted to her, following her wherever she may be. He wonders if she ever thinks of him and laments how hearing her name can cause him so much pain.
The singer mentions that his friends also love his ex, and they believe he is to blame for their breakup. However, he cannot help but follow her wherever she goes, as his destination is by her side. He feels a strong connection to her and cannot rest until he is reunited with her.
The song is an emotional representation of someone suffering from heartbreak and how they cannot help but follow their loved one, even if it causes them pain. It touches on themes of devotion, loneliness, and lost love. Martin's powerful vocals add to the song's emotional intensity, making for a heartbreaking and memorable ballad.
Line by Line Meaning
Traveling down this long lonesome highway
As I journey down this endless road, I am consumed with loneliness.
I'm so lonesome I could cry
My ache for companionship is so intense, it borders on crushing despair.
Memories of how we once loved each other
Recollections of our affectionate past cause me both joy and sorrow.
And now we are saying good-bye.
Our love came to a close, and the sorrow of it leaves me feeling broken and defeated.
On and on I'll follow my darling
I will keep searching for my beloved until we are reunited in love.
And I wonder where she can be
I am left to a painful mystery of where my love could possibly be in the world.
On and on I'll follow my darling
My pursuit of my love will not waver, no matter how long it takes for us to be reunited.
And I wonder if she ever thinks of me.
As I think of my love every moment of the day, I am left to wonder if she does the same for me.
I've cried I've cried for you little darling
My love for you runs so deep that I have shed tears for you with a breaking heart.
It breaks my heart to hear your name
Mention of my beloved's name is enough to leave me deeply heartbroken and distraught.
My friends they also love you my darling
My loved ones also care deeply for you, my beloved, and share in my sorrow.
And they think that I am to blame.
My loved ones lay the blame of our separation on my shoulders, despite my deepest wishes for us to be together.
I have to follow you my darling
My deepest desire is to be reunited with my love, by her side for all eternity.
I can't sleep when the sun goes down
My heartache is so intense that it leaves me sleepless and restless when the day is done and the night begins.
By your side is my destination
Every fiber of my being is committed to finding my love and never leaving her.
The road is clear and that's where I'm bound.
My path is set, and I will not rest until I find my way back to the one I hold most dear- my love.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BILL MONROE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind