RIP Janis Martin

Janice Brooks · From: Pleasant Gap Pa

Her granddaughter wrote to her MYSPACE sight that she died late Monday afternoon of terminal cancer

Henry Nagle · From: Santa Rosa, California

Too bad... She had a great singing style.

Janice Brooks · From: Pleasant Gap Pa

It Saddens us to report and has crossed the wires already that Janis
Martin passed away earlier today at the age of 67. Rock-it Radio
reported in it's newsletter last Friday that Janis was diagnosed with
Terminal Cancer and sleeping and resting most of the time in a
hospital bed at her home.
Art Adams phoned Rockabilly and Rock-it Radio associate Sheree Homer
earlier this evening with the sad news that she had passed away.
Janis Martin was a unique figure in the history of rockabilly -- there
were other women working in that male-dominated field , but Janis
Martin was the one dubbed "The Female Elvis Presley" by RCA,
reportedly with the approval of Col. Tom Parker.

Janis Martin was born in Sutherlin, Virginia March 27 1940. With a
stage mother on one side and a father and uncle who were amateur
musicians on the other, Martin was practically predestined for a
performing career. She was playing and singing before age five. By
six, she'd mastered chords on her junior-sized guitar and was singing
in a style influenced by Eddy Arnold and Hank Williams. Martin became
a fixture in local talent contests and won all of them. Martin was
playing and singing on the WDVA Barndance out of Virginia by age 11.
By her mid-teens, she'd appeared alongside the likes of Ernest Tubb,
the Carter Family, Sonny James, and Jean Shepard.

From the Barndance, she traveled with Glen Thompson's band for two
years and then went on the road with Jim Eanes, a former Starday
recording artist. In 1953, she appeared at a Tobacco Festival with
Ernest Tubb and Sunshine Sue. As a result of this appearance, Janis
was invited to become a regular member of the Old Dominion Barndance
in Richmond, Virginia third largest in the nation, ranking only behind
the Grand Old Opry and the Wheeling, West Virginia Barndance.

Her amazing amount of experience for one so young helped push her into
rock & roll. It turned out that Martin had tired of country music by
her mid-teens, especially the slow ballads, having been doing them for
a decade. The timing was perfect, for she discovered rhythm & blues in
the mid-1950s, and was soon bringing that material into her own song
lists.

Rock-it Radio plans on doing a special tribute broadcast of her music
within the week. We will miss Janis greatly and we are greatful of
the music and legacy she had left in the Rockabilly realm.

RIP Janis

Bennie Dingo
Rock-it Radio
http://www.rockitradio.net

Note: You can catch a video of Janis Martin at the 2005 Green Bay
Concert right now at our archives page at: http://www.palmsradio.com/rockittext.htm

Jussi Huhtakangas · From: Helsinki, Finland

This breaks my heart, I was fourteen when her RCA recordings rocked my world. I was lucky to see her shows, meet her and hang out backstage. What a hoot she was to be around with. Fortunately she left us with a whole bunch of good music and even more to come. Thanks to Rosie Flores, Dave Biller and Bobby Trimble, we haven't heard the last of her yet! Janis will rock!!

Dave Biller · From: Texas, USA

im right with you Jussi. very sad. i sure hope her last recording will be available soon since Janis seemed very pleased with the way they came out. she was a no b.s. person but with a great attitude and she could rock with the best of 'em. her show's at all the festivals were always a high point. what a super lady. we'll miss you Janis!

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

Sad news!

I'm still enjoying Bear Family's excellent CD which contains all her important tracks. It's great to hear Chet and all the other RCA sidemen being their inventive selves! It's virtually Elvis' recording band!

She's a 'new discovery' for me - thanks to this Forum - and I love her singing.

RR

All times are GMT - 8 Hours	Jump to: