Born in Glendale, Arizona, Robbins taught himself guitar while serving in the United States Navy during World War II, and subsequently drew fame performing in clubs in and around his hometown. In 1956, he released his first No. 1 country song, "Singing the Blues" and one year later, released two more No. 1 hits, "A White Sport Coat" and "The Story of My Life". In 1959, Robbins released his signature song, "El Paso", for which he won the Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording. Later releases that drew critical acclaim include "Don't Worry", "Big Iron" and "Honkytonk Man", the last for which the 1982 Clint Eastwood film is named, and in which Robbins made his final appearance before death.
Over the course of his career, Robbins recorded more than 500 songs and 60 albums, and won two Grammy Awards, was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and was named the 1960s Artist of the Decade by the Academy of Country Music. Robbins was a commercial success in both the country and pop genres, and his songs were covered by many other famous artists, including Johnny Cash, the Grateful Dead and Elvis Presley. His music continues to have an influence in pop culture today, having recently appeared in several contemporary pop culture features, including the video game Fallout: New Vegas, and the series finale of AMC's Breaking Bad.
Robbins was born in Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix in Maricopa County, Arizona. His mother was mostly of Paiute Indian heritage. Robbins grew up in a difficult family situation. His father took odd jobs to support the family of 10 children; however, his hard drinking led to divorce in 1937. Among his warmer memories of his childhood, Robbins recalled having listened to stories of the American West told by his maternal grandfather, Texas Bob Heckle, who was a local medicine man. At 17, Robbins left his troubled home to serve in the United States Navy as an LCT coxswain during World War II. He was stationed in the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean. To pass the time during the war, he learned to play the guitar, started writing songs, and came to love Hawaiian music.
Robbins' discography consists of 52 studio albums, 13 compilation albums, and 100 singles. In his career, Robbins charted 17 Number One singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, as well as 82 Top 40 singles.
Robbins' highest charting album is 1959's Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs. It charted to #6 on the all-genre Billboard 200, and was also certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album's first single, "El Paso", became a hit on both the country and pop charts, charting to Number One on the Hot Country Songs as well as the Billboard Hot 100. While that would be his only pop Number One, in 1957, "A White Sport Coat" charted to #2, and in 1961, "Don't Worry" charted to #3.
His final Top 10 single was "Honkytonk Man" from the 1982 eponymous film in which Robbins had a role. He died shortly before its release. Since his death, four posthumous studio albums have been released, but they made no impact on the charts.
Robbins married Marizona "Mari" Baldwin on September 27, 1948. They had two children, Ronny and Janet, and were married 34 years until his death.
That's All Right
Marty Robbins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's all right with you
That's all right now mama, just anyway you do
That's all right, that's all right
That's all right now mama, anyway you do
My mama, she done told me, papa done told me too
"Son, that gal you're foolin' with
But that's all right now, that's all right
That's all right now mama, anyway you do
I'm leaving town, baby
I'm leaving town for sure
Well, then you won't be bothered with me hanging 'round your door
Well, that's all right, that's all right
That's all right now mama, anyway you do
That's all right, that's all right
That's all right now mama, anyway you do
Well, that's all right now mama, anyway you do
Marty Robbins's song That's All Right is a classic blues song that speaks of a man who finds solace in the fact that whatever his lover chooses to do, it's okay with him. The song starts with the repetitive phrase "that's all right now mama" which sets the tone for the rest of the song. The singer reassures his lover that whatever she decides to do, he is okay with it. The repetition of the phrase shows the singer's calm and relaxed demeanor in the face of adversity.
The second stanza of the song speaks of the singer's parents warning him about the dangers of his lover. However, despite the warnings, the singer is still okay with whatever his lover chooses to do. He is not afraid of what will happen or what his parents think. This shows the level of maturity and independence that the singer possesses.
The final stanza speaks of the singer leaving town for good. He feels that his lover will be better off without him, and he wouldn't want to bother her anymore. Once again, the singer reassures his lover that whatever she decides to do is okay with him. The song ends with a repetition of the phrase "that's all right now mama," emphasising the singer's relaxed and nonchalant attitude.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, that's all right now mama
It's okay now, mama
That's all right with you
You're okay with it
That's all right now mama, just anyway you do
However you do it, it's fine with me, mama
That's all right, that's all right
It's all good, it's all good
That's all right now mama, anyway you do
Whatever you do, it's okay with me, mama
My mama, she done told me, papa done told me too
Both my parents warned me
"Son, that gal you're foolin' with
The girl you're messing around with
She ain't no good for you"
She's not good for you
But that's all right now, that's all right
But it's okay now, it's okay
That's all right now mama, anyway you do
However you do it, it's fine with me, mama
I'm leaving town, baby
I'm leaving town, baby
I'm leaving town for sure
I'm sure leaving town
Well, then you won't be bothered with me hanging 'round your door
Then you won't have to deal with me hanging around your door
Well, that's all right, that's all right
Well, it's okay, it's okay
That's all right now mama, anyway you do
However you do it, it's fine with me, mama
That's all right, that's all right
It's all good, it's all good
That's all right now mama, anyway you do
Whatever you do, it's okay with me, mama
Well, that's all right now mama, anyway you do
It's okay now, mama, however you do it
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Arthur Crudup
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@miltonmoore5294
Under rated? No
country singer
I can think of re-
ceived more of
his rightful share
of acclaim. He is
enshrined in the COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME;
must be Columbia
Records biggest
selling country
artist; had more
"crossover" hits
than anyone I can
think of; and is on
everyone's Mount
Rushmore of
country vocalists.
@garrybutler3553
I worked in the coal mines with an older black man and we became good friends , one day he ask me who was my all time favorite singer.. I said, I guess that would be Elvis . Of course I asked him the same question and naturally I expected him to name an old Blues singer or a Soul singer but to my surprise he said Marty Robbins ! He said that man can sing like a fine tuned instrument.....
@DufDavis
When that fuzz bass kicks in it's like the future has arrived.
@buzzbear864
My mother thought the sun rose and set in Marty Robbins. She cried for days when he passed in 1982. She passed in 2004, and I have since took singing lessons and learned this song especially for her. It was her absolute all-time favorite.
@earlslot8320
great tribute to your mom and marty, gl bro
@shizueleighhicks6174
My Mom from Japan passed away in 2005. To her, Marty Robbins was peerless. Thank goodness she worked with a lot of Country Music fans. It meant many trips to Harrah’s in Tahoe and Reno as a kid for dinner shows. Saw Roy Clark, Roger Miller and the wonderful Marty Robbins. Pure talent and NO Auto Tune. Even as a kid I knew these performers were Solid Gold👍
@Gmgotmglgm
Respect
@theredbarroness
So sweet! Marty Robbins had it all and such a class act!
@callsignstatic6872
Legend has it that while recording the Marty Robbins 1961 pop-country classic, “Don’t Worry,” session player Grady Martin inadvertently plugged his 6-string bass into a damaged channel on the mixing console, creating the first recorded instance of distorted bass. After the release of “Don’t Worry,” Glenn Snoddy, the engineer on the session, re-created that sound; Gibson stuck it inside the Maestro FZ-1 Fuzz-Tone pedal; and everyone jumped on the distorted-bass bandwagon. Early adopters included the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Roy Orbison, and Sly and the Family Stone, among many others. Since then, distorted bass has become a staple of rock ‘n’ roll and all of its subgenres. Sweetwater
@stormymonday9312
Wow, for the first recording to feature a "fuzz" sound I really didn't expect it to sound that good. That sounded pretty great!
@MissouriOzarkHillbilly
+stormymonday9312 The "fuzz" sound was an accident. Someone dropped the amp on the way into the studio.