Junior & Ann Martin

Junior Martin

John "Junior" Martin (1927-2022) and his wife Ann attended Calvary United Methodist Church. He loved music and knew hundreds of songs, some of which are featured below. Outside of church, he played with Bob White and the Country Boys & The Country Ramblers, and often performed at the Sage Brush Roundup in Fairmont, WV, on guitar, steel guitar, and voice.  He was good friends with Mr. Carvell and they often played music together (as shown in the Kenneth L. Carvell Archive).

My grandma has many fond memories of Junior and Ann when as she knew them as a girl. By the time I stumbled upon these recordings and embarked on this project, she assumed both of them had passed already. One evening, we sat at her kitchen table and she told me about them as we listened to Junior's recordings. The next morning, she called me and said, "you'll never guess who's in the obituaries today." 

Junior Martin passed away September 7, 2022 at ninety-five years old. Though I was sad I never got to meet him, I felt like it was special that my grandma and I spent that time remembering him and listening to his music as he left this world. 

Junior Martin & Kenneth Carvell

Below are some recordings in the Kenneth L. Carvell Archive of just Junior and Ann Martin that were made outside of the regular Tri-District Sings.

MR. & MRS. JOHN MARTIN, JR. COLLECTION. 

Morgantown, Monongalia County, WV. Miscellaneous collection of accompanied (accordion, guitar) vocal music performed by John "Junior" (voice, guitar) and Ann Martin (voice) of Calvary Methodist Church, between c1957 and c1961. (Incomplete.)