Marty Brown

Though he never scored a major chart success, Marty Brown cultivated a loyal audience among devoted country traditionalists with his twang-infused, old-school honky-tonk approach and a piercing nasal vocal style rooted in rural Kentucky. Born and raised in the modest tobacco-growing community of Maceo, he began performing in nearby bars and dance halls by the time he turned fourteen. After cutting a demo, he thumbed his way to Nashville, where a feature on the CBS newsmagazine 48 Hours led to a recording deal with MCA. His first long-player, High and Dry, arrived in 1991 and drew strong critical admiration for its unvarnished vitality, broad stylistic reach, and unapologetic rural character. Wary of being typecast by that backwoods image, Brown shifted toward a more polished approach on the 1993 follow-up, Wild Kentucky Skies; although it failed to register commercially, the album sustained his growing cult following, aided by dates alongside Jimmie Dale Gilmore. Cryin', Lovin', Leavin' appeared the next year and likewise failed to expand his reach despite further positive notices, prompting MCA to drop him. He then moved to the independent imprint Hightone, issuing Here's to the Honky Tonks in 1996 to another round of favorable notices.