Marty Robbins--El Paso (1959)

     Every once in awhile an artist will create a song that overshadows his work so much that you THINK that he is a one hit wonder, but really isn't. Such is the case for Marty Robbins

     Robbins first No. 1 hit on the country charts was in 1952, and began a long relationship with country fans having 41 top 10 hits with 16 of those reaching the top. Not only that, but he reached the top 20 pop chart 11 times, with "El Paso" being is top hit.

     It's easy to understand why the song overshadows however. The melody sets the tone and then compellingly leads through a story that mixes the best elements of a Western movie, with a romance that will never be fulfilled. It was a strong enough song that Robbins recorded several other "sequel" songs that push the story forward. Although you can hear other songs that he performed on the radio now and then (Most notably, "A White Sport Coat). This overshadows his work so much that the impression can be made (outside of fans of older country music that know better) that it was his ONLY hit. Which is far from the truth.

      Little piece of trivia here....Robbins was not only an avid race car fan, he actually raced in 35 NASCAR races having come in the top 10 six times, including the 1973 Daytona 500.....