Breaking Bad, Marty Robbins, and other songs you should know

I never watched The Sopranos. Didn't watch Breaking Bad either. I don't have anything against either show, they just never made it to my list of must-watch TV. Maybe I'll catch up on Netflix. They do have something in common, however. Each of the series finales featured a song by one of my favorite bands/singers of all time. For The Sopranos it was Journey. For Breaking Bad it was Marty Robbins.

Robbins was one of my grandfather's favorite artists, so I was exposed to him as a kid. I'm familiar with his catalog. But if Sunday's Breaking Bad finale was your first time hearing Marty Robbins, he's got a long list of songs that are just as good as El Paso. Here are three I think you need to check out, keeping in mind that these are all going to sound a little dated. But in my book that makes them better.

DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME
This is maybe my favorite song of his, and it's mostly for the swing break in the middle featuring what sounds to me like an over-modulated bass guitar.


COOL WATER
My favorite of Marty Robbin's gunfighter ballads, the same set of songs that El Paso came from. That's a fine song, also a favorite. But I'm a sucker for tight harmonies, and Cool Water is full of them.



I WALK ALONE
I like harmonies, and I like an organ. This song has the organ break right in the middle that I like a lot. Plus the whole thing feels like one big grove to me. I like that too.



I couldn't include all the songs I wanted to here. I limited myself to three songs, and these were the three I came up with tonight. The mix might be different tomorrow. So, if any of these songs did anything for you, it's worth digging up other Marty Robbins stuff. It's classic country and early rock and roll, and almost all of it's good.

POST 500
This is the 500th post here at the blog. I debated doing something more with it, but just a normal post seemed appropriate. Plus, I got to share a bit about a guy my Papa loved to listen to. So that's cool enough for me.

REUNION FOR FREE
Starting Friday and running through the weekend, Reunion will be free at Amazon. Maybe you've been hesitant to try the Jackson Cane series. If so, grab a copy this weekend and take that series for a test spin. I like it. I think it's fun. It just needs to find its audience. I'm sure it's out there. Maybe this little freebie period will help them find the book. Please, tell anyone you think might be interested about Reunion. Boiled down, it's cops and monsters. Thanks in advance for your help.