Ernest Martin
With The Norvell Brothers
and O. C. Robbins
A Martin Blue-Grass Special 1018
CP-1937 ~ Let's Be Friends
CP-1938 ~ Let It Shine On Me
1959
Ernest C. Martin is unknown today except to a very few collectors, but for 50 years the name of this traveling Pentecostal preacher was familiar at camp meetings and revivals throughout the mid-west and beyond. Rev. Martin was an exceptional songwriter whose no-holds-barred vocal put across his message with unforgettable impact. Born at Clay City, Kentucky on January 27, 1914, he learned guitar, banjo and harmonica at a young age and, as Kid Martin, had his own radio show on WNOX in Knoxville by 1934. He also played on radio with Bill & Cliff Carlisle and incessantly played one night stands and radio over a wide area. In these early years he was a hard drinker and he became seriously ill by the end of the 30s at which point three doctors pronounced that they couldn't help him and that he would die within months. Instead, Martin took this as a wake-up call from the Lord and started the evangelistic work that he would continue throughout his long life.
[From the catalog of Venerable Music : Ernest Martin: And His Gospel Melody Makers]
Ernest Martin died in June 2002.