Marty’s rendition of “Among My Souvenirs” first appeared on Billboard’s country singles chart at #63 over the Labor Day weekend in 1976, working its way to #1 on October 30th. This record marked the last of his 16 career chart-toppers, although Robbins followed it with four more consecutive Top Ten hits. Then, after deciding to begin producing his own material, his success waned.
Marty was a survivor though, both musically and in his personal life. His hobby was auto racing, and he competed in well over 50 racing events during his lifetime (he drove the pace car at the Indianapolis 500 in 1976). In October, 1974, Robbins (traveling 160 miles per hour) hit a wall at the Charlotte Speedway. He broke two ribs and his tailbone, and needed 37 stitches in his face.
On New Year’s Day, 1981, Marty suffered his second heart attack, but in May of the following year he mounted a musical comeback with his first Top Ten release in four years, “Some Memories Just Won’t Die.” Unfortunately, this title provided the press with his eulogy, as Robbins passed away on December 8, 1982, six days after sustaining his third heart attack.
Just two months earlier, on October 11th, Tammy Wynette had presented Robbins with a plaque at the Country Music Association awards telecast signifying his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The week of his death, the Clint Eastwood movie “Honky Tonk Man” was released, with Marty singing the title track and playing a bit part in the film. On May 7, 1983, Robbins was posthumously honored when the Music City 420 NASCAR race was re-named “The Marty Robbins 420.” In 1988, Marty Robbins Enterprises released a series of four black and white videos compiling twelve episodes of “The Drifter,” a mid-‘60s TV series starring Robbins that aired in only a handful of markets.
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