INDUCT JIMMY MARTIN INTO THE GRAND OLE OPRY

JIMMY MARTIN DESERVES TO BE A MEMBER OF THE GRAND OLE OPRY. He has spent a lifetime working towards that goal. Unfortunate circumstances that he regrets have prevented him from attaining it. Jimmy Martin known and loved by the world as "The King of Bluegrass" deserves this coveted honor and distinction. Please sign this petition to have Mr. Martin, "Mr. Good and Country" made a member in good standing of The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. Thank you and may God bless. As a youngster in Sneedville, TN, Jimmy Martin was completely fascinated by the sounds of the weekly radio broadcast of WSM's Grand Ole Opry, the pinnacle institution in country music for musicians of his generation. When he was five years old, he made his first guitar out of a Prince Albert cigar can because Prince Albert was a sponsor of the Grand Ole Opry. At the age of 21, Martin was fired for singing on the job in a factory in Morristown, TN. He then boarded a bus to Nashville to catch a show at the Grand Ole Opry. Following the show he talked his way backstage and approached his idol, bluegrass pioneer, Bill Monroe. There, he convinced Monroe to sing a couple of songs with him. Monroe hired him on the spot. During his tenure with Monroe, Martin helped change the sound of bluegrass music. His aggressive rhythm guitar added a fierce drive to his mentor's music and Martin's strong, high vocal range pushed Monroe's tenor up into the sky, creating what has become known as the 'high lonesome' sound. Martin then went on to have a successful solo career as Jimmy Martin & the Sunny Mountain Boys, cutting 136 sides and a number of hits for Decca Records. He became a cast member of the KWKH Louisiana Hayride and then the WWVA Wheeling Jamboree in West Virginia. Both the Hayride and the Jamboree were considered stepping-stones to Opry membership, but while Martin did a few guest spots on the Opry, he was never made a member. Martin is likely the most accomplished figure in bluegrass music to never have been made a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Please, won't you help acknowledge this man's lifetime of acheivement by signing the petition to the Grand Ole Opry.