Jimmy Martin with friends
Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, 1975

Jimmy Martin made his reputation early, when he played guitar and sang lead for some of Bill Monroe's greatest recordings (1949–1954). His distinctive voice, one of the greatest in bluegrass, has a strong hillbilly kick, leading to comparisons with that of the legendary George Jones. Since the mid-1950s he has been working with his own band, the Sunny Mountain Boys, a band that has turned out many future bluegrass stars, such as J. D. Crowe and Doyle Lawson. While Martin has had a few country hits—notably the classic truck-driving hymn "Widow Maker" and his signature "Sunny Side of the Mountain"—he has been primarily a touring act.