Join

Benny Martin

Recording Artist · Active 1967–2001 · Also a musician
Classic Bluegrass

Benny Martin was a Tennessee-born fiddler nicknamed "Big Tiger" whose work with Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, and his own bands brought a bluesy, jazz-tinged voice to bluegrass — inventor of the eight-string fiddle and an IBMA Hall of Fame inductee.

  • Born Benny Edward Martin on May 8, 1928 in Sparta, Tennessee; learned fiddle from Carl Alverson Sr. and left home for Nashville in his early teens.
  • Made his Grand Ole Opry debut in 1946 with the comedy duo Jam Up and Honey.
  • Joined Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys in 1948, replacing Chubby Wise, after working at Nashville's WLAC.
  • Member of Flatt & Scruggs's Foggy Mountain Boys 1952–1954, bringing a bluesy, jazz-tinged double-stop style heard on sides like "Someone Took My Place With You."
  • Nicknamed "Big Tiger" by Hank Williams; opened roughly 50 shows for Elvis Presley in 1955–1956.
  • Invented and popularized the eight-string fiddle as a lead-and-harmony instrument.
  • Diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia in 1980; emerged from retirement to record "The Big Tiger Roars Again" (Parts 1–2) on OMS Records in 1997.
  • IBMA Distinguished Achievement Award (1997) and inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2005.

Roulette Settings

Calculating…
Popularity
Type
Genres
Bluegrass
Folk
Country
Old-Time
Other
Popularity
Difficulty
Type
Key
Featured Instruments
Origin
All Instrument Tuner
Metronome
Chord Finder

Share Playlist