The Song That Crossed the Line: Marty Robbins’ Country-Pop Leap
In the mid-1950s, the lines between traditional country music and the nascent world of rock and roll were blurring, and few artists navigated that shift with the effortless grace of Marty Robbins. A true gentleman of country and western, with a voice as smooth as aged whiskey, Robbins delivered his version of “Singing the Blues” in 1956, and in doing so, he cemented his status not just as a country star but as a true crossover artist.
Released on Columbia Records in August 1956, Robbins’ recording was a triumphant marker in his already rising career. It became a colossal country smash, spending an impressive 13 weeks at Number 1 on the Billboard C&W Best Sellers chart, a testament to its immediate and deep connection with the core country audience. Crucially, the song also successfully crossed over to the pop mainstream, peaking at Number 17 on the US pop chart (then called The Top 100), a feat that foreshadowed his even greater pop success with “A White Sport Coat” and the iconic “El Paso.”
The story behind this song is a fascinating piece of music history, a classic example of record company maneuvering that created a chart battle. “Singing the Blues” was written by the then-unknown songwriter Melvin Endsley. Marty Robbins was the first artist to record the tune, laying down his smooth, country-tinged take in November 1955. However, after Robbins’ version was released and started climbing the charts, Columbia Records—specifically under the direction of the legendary A&R man Mitch Miller—decided to cover their own artist’s work. They quickly had pop crooner Guy Mitchell record his own version, which was deliberately pitched toward a broader, non-country pop audience. Mitchell’s recording, with its lush Ray Conniff orchestra backing and whistled phrases, was released nearly simultaneously and went on to hit Number 1 on the overall pop chart. So, while Marty Robbins delivered the definitive country hit and the original version of the song, he was forced to share the spotlight with a competing version issued by his very own record label.
The song itself is a straightforward, gut-wrenching ballad of despair. It isn’t a blues song in the strict musical sense, but a perfect piece of mid-tempo melancholy that captures the feeling of a life suddenly emptied by loss. The singer admits he has “never felt more like singin’ the blues” because his love has left him, leaving everything “wrong” and “nothin’ right.” It’s a universal portrait of loneliness, a simple lament delivered without embellishment, allowing Robbins’ signature vocal warmth to provide the only comfort in the cold narrative.
For those of us who remember the transistor radio era, Marty Robbins’ “Singing the Blues” is more than just a hit; it’s the warm memory of a genuine artist who could sing of a broken heart with such sincere emotion that you believed every word. His version retains an authenticity that the flashier pop cover sometimes lacked, rooted in the genuine, unvarnished feelings that have always been the bedrock of great country music. It was a song that proved that a country artist could hold his own in the rapidly changing popular music landscape, simply by sticking to the truth of the lyrics and the unmistakable sound of his own magnificent voice.
Oldies Songs