No artist in the history of country music has had a more stylistically diverse career than Marty Robbins. Never content to remain just a country singer, Robbins performed successfully in many styles during his more than 30 years in the business. To his credit, Robbins rarely followed trends but often took off in directions that stunned both his peers and fans.

Born, Martin David Robertson, on September 26, 1925, and raised in Glendale, AZ, Robbins was exposed to music at an early age. His mother's father was "Texas" Bob Heckle, a former medicine show man who told his grandson cowboy stories and tales of the traveling show. Robbins became enraptured by the cowboy tales and, once he became a teenager, worked on his older brother's ranch outside of Phoenix, Arizona, concentrating more on his cowboy duties than his studies.