Baxter Black: My Old Martin

I can’t remember how many songs Martin wrote, probably half of my notebook full of livin’ room hits! I guess nobody knew me as well as Martin. All those sad love songs, honky tonk songs, funny ones, bluegrass, country, cowboy, even the occasional gospel song, he heard first. I was better at the lyrics but he could come up with the oddest melodies. I spent hours trying to decipher or invent the chords that would fit his tune. While it is true we spent most of our time together alone, there were many occasions when I would take him with me. He was especially popular during the fall cow works on the big ranches. We’d be there four or five days. It takes a while to preg check 2000 cows! Martin would wait for me in the bunkhouse or in my vet truck but when work was over I would take him to the cookhouse. After we’d eaten we’d play music and tell stories! What fun it was. The cowboys liked it, too. These outfits were so far out, there was no television, and satellite tv hadn’t been invented. No VHS, maybe a weak radio signal, so entertainment was at a premium! We weren’t great but we were there! Sometimes one of the cowboys sat in and played or sang. I remember at one big outfit a prospector would show up and he played Irish songs on his mandolin. And by gosh, Martin spoke Irish! I didn’t even know it! I took him to the sheep camps, too! The herders couldn’t speak English but they could understand Martin!...more