Chicago, IL--Just back from Louisville. Went down to the International Bluegrass Music Association's Annual Conference. Included in the festivities was a 'Jimmy Martin Tribute' hosted by Gary Brewer and Tom T. and Dixie Hall. Some great players showed up for this event. In addition to Gary Brewer and Tom T. Hall, Doyle Lawson, Ronnie McCoury, Mountain Heart, Bill Yates, Ronnie Prevette, and dozens of others were on hand to perform classic Jimmy Martin songs such as Widowmaker, Hold Whatcha Got, Sunny Side of the Mountain and others. 

Jimmy was pretty teary eyed during the whole thing. He seemed super nervous and more than once delayed his coming on stage to do a few songs. However, once he got up onstage he didn't want to stop. He play You Don't Know My Mind and Don't Give Your Heart to a Rambler and the crowd loved it. He also kissed Tom T. Hall on the cheek when Tom gave Jimmy a plaque. 

What hit me during this show was while Jimmy has never been accepted by large parts of the Nashville mainstream, his influence on bluegrass musicians has been far reaching. All of the musicians that played gave heartfelt testimony about the impact Jimmy's music has had on each of them. While Jimmy may be obscure in terms on notoriety in certain musical circles, the people that really know this music, are very certain of the impact that he has had on bluegrass music.