1960 Songs: Big Iron

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Oops, two days in a row of country music. Sorry, Linda. Tomorrow’s song will NOT be country. I like both kinds, country AND western. Today’s is western. Back to the year of my birth for another song. Big Iron - Marty Robbins The first #1 pop song of 1960 was… “El Paso” by Marty Robbins. The first pop song to hit #1 that was over four minutes long was… “El Paso” by Marty Robbins. This song was the follow-up to that massive crossover hit. However, it only made the top 30 on the pop chart, and it peaked at #5 on the country charts. Maybe it was too much western for country fans. Marty Robbins was a terrific singer, AND a terrific songwriter. Hailing from Arizona, he knew western themes well. It wasn’t his primary forte (listen to “I Walk Alone,” where you’ll hear elements of rock and blues), but he was incredibly versatile. With the way music was rapidly changing in the 50s and 60s, you were either versatile or you faded. Enjoy another one of his western story songs about an unnamed Texas ranger and a 24-year-old outlaw named Texas Red. Big Iron Written by Marty Robbins Recorded by Marty Robbins From Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs, 1959 He was vicious and a killer: