Big Iron

"Big Iron" is a country ballad written and performed by Marty Robbins, originally released as an album track on Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs in September 1959, then as a single in February 1960 with the song "Saddle Tramp" as the B-side single. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.[2]

For other uses, see Big Iron (disambiguation).
"Big Iron"
"Big Iron" and "Saddle Tramp" by Marty Robbins
Single by Marty Robbins
from the album Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs
B-side"Saddle Tramp"
ReleasedFebruary 22, 1960[1]
RecordedApril 1959 (1959-04)
Genre
Length3:56
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Marty Robbins
Producer(s)Don Law
Marty Robbins singles chronology
"El Paso"
(1959)		 "Big Iron"
(1960)		 "Is There Any Chance"
(1960)

It tells the story of an Arizona Ranger's duel with a 24-year-old outlaw named Texas Red in the "town of Agua Fria".[3] The townspeople predict the death of the ranger; an unconcerned Texas Red having already killed "one and nineteen" men, but at the moment they meet, the ranger kills Texas Red with the swiftness of the "big iron on his hip." Texas Red hadn't even "cleared leather," a slang for drawing your firearm out of its holster. The ranger's draw was that swift, and one bullet was enough to finish the outlaw off.

Robbins's version of the song reached #5 on the Billboard Country chart and #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in April 1960.[4] The b-side, "Saddle Tramp" was not included on its a-side's parent album, but was later placed on Robbins' 1966 LP The Drifter.

The song is also featured in the video game Fallout: New Vegas on the in-game radio stations, 'Mojave Music Radio', ‘Black Mountain Radio’ and 'Radio New Vegas'. The popularity of the game helped spur a revival of interest in Robbins' music in the 21st century. In the decade following the video game's release, "Big Iron" became an internet meme, gaining popularity through remixes and Photoshop parodies as well as its use on YouTube.[5]

Inspiration

The eponymous "Big Iron" was built by Andy Anderson in his Fast Draw Holster shop from parts. It was on a Great Western frame with a 12" barrel made from an 1892 Winchester rifle or carbine barrel in .44 WCF. Andy was 6'4" with large hands. He put Colt 1860 Army grips on his personal SA revolvers, and this gun has an original grip frame from an 1860 Army. The cylinder is a Great Western cylinder chambered for .44 Magnum.

Marty Robbins happened to be in the shop the day a customer bought the gun. The customer was also a very large man, and Marty was fascinated by his fast drawing the Buntline. One week later, Andy Anderson received in the mail a record of Big Iron; Marty wrote the song after seeing this gun. Andy Anderson additionally had a personal gun he called Big Iron, a Colt S.A. .44 Special with 7 1/2" barrel out of his own favorite rig, the "AA", a high rise version of his Walk & Draw Western.[6]

The gun that served to inspire this song currently resides in a private collection.

Cultural impact

The song has been used multiple places, Mostly after the song came out, and the 90's-present, when the song was made into an internet joke, and more recently being associated with Old pistols made of iron, Usually called "Fudd revolvers" In reference to Elmer Fudd. Also used by Brandon Herrera in his famous Gun meme review, where he has vowed to add a Marty Robbins joke every episode. A parody set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, titled "Boltgun," appeared on YouTube in February of 2017.

In albums
  • Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs (September 1959), a compilation, CL 1349 - mono, CS 8158 - stereo, PC 8158
  • More Greatest Hits (April 1961), CL 1635 - mono, CS 8435 - stereo, PC 8435
  • Bend in the River (1968), D 445 - mono (Columbia Musical Treasuries), DS 445 - stereo
  • The Heart of Marty Robbins (1969), STS 2016 (Columbia Star Series)
  • All Time Greatest Hits (August 1972), CG 31361, KG 31361, C 31361
  • Marty! (1972 - 5 record set), P5S 5812 (Columbia Musical Treasury)
  • Streets of Laredo, KH 32286 (Harmony, August 1973), LE 10576 (Columbia, December 1973)
  • Marty Robbins' Own Favorites (1974), P 12416 (Columbia Special Products)
  • Marty Robbins Gold (1975), NU 9060 (K-Tel)
  • All Around Cowboy (1980) P 15594
  • No. 1 Cowboy (1980), P 15594 (re-release of "All Around Cowboy")
  • Marty Robbins (1981), GS 4003 (History of Country Music, Sunrise Media)
  • A Lifetime of Song 1951 - 1982 (August 1983), C2 38870
  • Memories in Song (1983 - 2 record set), P2 19162 (Columbia Special Product)
  • The Best Of Marty Robbins (1984), RB4-214-1
  • The Essential MARTY ROBBINS:1951-1982 (1991), Sony Music Entertainment Inc C2T 48537 CT48538 CT 48539
  • MARTY ROBBINS Lost and found (1994), Sony Music Entertainment Inc CT 57695
  • MARTY ROBBINS Memories in Song (1994), Sony Music Special Products Compact Disc A 19163
  • MARTY ROBBINS LIVE Concert Versions Of His Greatest Hits (1995), Pickwick Group Ltd London England 300382
  • Under Western Skies (Oct 1995), Bear Family Records, West Germany 4-CD Box Set BCD 15646
  • MARTY ROBBINS Legendary Country Singers (1995), Sony Music Special Products R989-06 PT-25142
  • Story of My Life: Best of MARTY ROBBINS (Mar 1996), Sony Music Entertainment Inc Sony CK 64763

Cover versions

Michael Martin Murphey covered the song on his 1993 album Cowboy Songs III. With the Robbins family's blessing, the song was recorded as a duet with Robbins. It was released as a single and peaked at #62 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada.[7]

Other covers of the song include:

Charts
Chart (1960-1961) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[9] 67
US Billboard Hot 100[10] 26
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[11] 5

References
  1. "Marty Robbins – Big Iron". www.discogs.com. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  2. Western Writers of America (2010). "The Top 100 Western Songs". American Cowboy. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014.
  3. Note: It is suggested that the "town of Agua Fria" is Agua Fria, New Mexico;, see "Research - Big Iron The Book". Archived from the original on 2015-06-16. Retrieved 2015-05-21.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 533.
  5. Feldman, Brian (2019-02-13). "How the 60-Year-Old Country Song 'Big Iron' Became an Enduring Meme". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  6. Bob Arganbright. "ANDY ANDERSON, "The Gunfighter"". Archived from the original on 2015-01-13. Retrieved 2015-01-13.
  7. "RPM Country Tracks". RPM. December 25, 1993. Archived from the original on April 22, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  8. https://secondhandsongs.com/performance/85461/versions
  9. "Australian-charts.com – Marty Robbins – {{{song}}}". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  10. "Marty Robbins Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  11. "Marty Robbins Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
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