The Relentless Bluegrass of Marty Falle
By Vickie McIntyre for Country Music News International Magazine
Horse racing has the Triple Crown, and baseball has its prestigious “batting the cycle,” but the music industry has yet to coin a phrase that captures the improbability of releasing three original chart-topping albums in a single year. If they did, Marty Falle, Bluegrass singer/ songwriter would wear the badge of honor for 2023.
It all started with the release of Kentucky Blue Star in March of 2023, an album that showcases backing vocalists Marty Slayton (George Strait) and Kim Parent (Brooks and Dunn) as well as a diversity of songs ranging from the up-tempo, swing-your-partner melody of the single “Kentucky Blue Star” to the mournful ballad “Cherokee” and the double-time, rock-a-billy tune, “Daytona.”
Recorded over two winter days in Nashville’s iconic County Q studio with Falle’s team, which includes prestigious Grammy-winner, fiddle player and Producer, Johnathan Yudkin, as well as noted musicians Carl Miner (guitar), Michael Bub (acoustic bass), Rob Ikes (dobro), and Matt Menefee (banjo), the album bloomed like flowers pushing through the snow, literally and figuratively bursting with passion and life. “I kept feeling like I was running out of time,” explains Falle, recounting his pre-recording journey during the latter part of 2022 that included a radical prostatectomy, a life-threatening post-surgical infection and two months of intensive radiation to battle prostate cancer. “Three months later when I got the ‘all clear’ that the treatments had worked, it was like a spicket being opened and I headed to the studio.”
As Kentucky Bluestar steadily rose in various charts, making it to the Top 10 of the APD Bluegrass/ Folk Albums, the single by the same name debuted at #6 on The Bluegrass Today Singles Chart in May and sailed to #1 on the Bluegrass Jamboree Top 100 by August. Falle credits part of his success to being selected for the cover of the June edition of The Bluegrass Standard Magazine, which introduced his music and his story to a wider audience. Keith Barncastle, CEO of The Bluegrass Standard, says this – “Marty —- is a bluegrass artist. It is essentially his passion. He has complete dedication to the genre. Marty Falle’s love of bluegrass combined with his well-honed talent has allowed him to create truly great songs loved by his many fans. Marty is a perfectionist. He works to perfect his songs and will not release any material until it meets his highest expectations. One can unequivocally state that Marty is the kind of bluegrass artist that maintains and extends the publics’ interest in the genre. His passion for creating great music is his hallmark. When one adds his carefully chosen and very talented musicians who perform with him, the genre has an artist who is truly a credit to himself and a valuable contributor to Bluegrass as an art form.”
More press followed, including a piece in Country Music News International Magazine, based in Germany, where Lee Zimmerman described the album as “A rousing and robust example of bluegrass at its best, the songs are stirring and striking without exception …” As “Kentucky Blue Star” got more and more airplay, radio hosts across the country and around the world began calling for interviews. Michelle Lee out of Ohio featured him on her show Smoked Country Jam & Bluegrass Borderline, while the great Al Weekley interviewed Falle for European Radio on The Big Al & Sandy Show on The Bluegrass Jamboree Network. From the East Coast to the farthest shores of Australia, Falle developed a following. Although Falle admits that he didn’t plan on releasing another album that year – or two for that matter – he says his creativity was like “a freight train barreling down the tracks.”
A month and a half after recording Kentucky Bluestar, Falle recorded another 15 original songs on an album he titled, My Farm, My Bluegrass, inspired by his farm in the Eastern Kentucky Coalfields. Released in late August, the album instantly reached #1 on the APD Global Radio Indicator Chart for All Genres and stayed there for over a month.
“Really a gem of a project that you must check out,” said Jos van der Lelie, of All-Around Bluegrass out of The Netherlands.
Listeners headed the call, resulting in an astounding eight out of the Top Ten Singles for the APD Bluegrass Global Radio Indicator Chart during the latter part of August belonging to Falle, while My Farm, My Bluegrass became one of the most popular Contemporary Bluegrass albums in the world.
By the end of September, Falle had three albums in the Top 50 APD Bluegrass/ Folk Albums, including My Farm, My Bluegrass at #2, Kentucky Blue Star at #18 and Virgin on the Bluegrass (released September 2021) at #25. Meanwhile, his popular single “Ode to Ale” hit #1 on the Bluegrass Jamboree Top 100 for the entire month of October and “Praise the Lord and Pass the Gravy” reached #1 on the Mountain Bluegrass Gospel Chart. Rick Dollar, popular syndicated Bluegrass DJ on iHeart Radio, says this – “Marty Falle brings a great mix of progressive bluegrass music, with his vocals and lyrics that remind me of the classics! Tunes like “Ode to Ale 8” and his newest hit, “Blue Blaze Breakdown” from his latest release Born Again Bluegrass show a versatility not found in Bluegrass Music! Marty Falle is an American Original!”
Despite warnings that releasing more songs on the heels of a successful album could be detrimental, Falle released yet another 15 original songs in mid-November on his third album titled, Born Again Bluegrass, which, like the previous two, featured artwork by esteemed Disney artist TJ Matousek. Again, the album shot to #1 on several worldwide charts, including the APD Global Album Chart and APD’s Top 50 Bluegrass Albums with singles “Appalachia Blue” charting at #1 on Gospel APD Singles Chart and “Kentucky Proud” reaching the Top 10 on Roots Global and appearing in the Top 10 on Bluegrass Planet November Top 50.
“I’m always thinking about the next one,” says Falle. “Every idea, every song is a gift from God, and I don’t want to waste the opportunity. Whether those albums charted or not, it was going to happen.”
Remarkably, all four of his albums charted at the same time in December, taking spots #1, #5, #10 and #14.
Al Weekley, of The Big Al & Sandy Radio Show (who admits that “he takes a while to warmup to new artists”), continues to be impressed with Falle’s success, even lauding his single “Ode to Ale 8” as the #5 “Best Bluegrass Song of 2023.” After inviting Falle back on his radio show in December to talk about Born Again Bluegrass, Weekley was quick to praise the newcomer’s talents: “I figured out that by the time we got to this new album that Marty is what I call a realistic songwriter. He has a very unique ability inside him to write about everyday life – whether it’s fictional or real – and make you live that. His music is so genuine, and it’s NOT boring! Once you get done with one track, you go on to see what he’s gonna write about next. That’s what amazes me. Each song has its own life and he’s hooked me. I also know from the downloads he’s gotten from radio and from what I’ve seen on the internet that he’s making an impact and making it very quickly because he’s connecting with people.”
But Falle admits that all the attention and promotion of the past year feels a bit surreal at times, especially considering the turbulence of 2022.
His wife Amber, concurs, adding, “I’ve never seen an explosion like this before. Music has helped Marty significantly with his life challenges and now everything is flowing from him like a mental and emotional release.”
While a sense of urgency is no longer knocking at the door, Falle’s creativity hasn’t waned.
“I’ve got another creative drop going on,” he laughs. “Something’s wrong with me!”
Marty has plans to release yet another album on March 1, 2024. Marty and his family are enjoying the moment by tracking how his current songs are doing and where they’re being played. These days, Marty Falle Bluegrass is being played daily somewhere on the planet. Falle – “Afterwards, I’ll grab the world map and Macklin (his 11-yr. old son) and I will locate where that station is. We’ve been all over the map.” If last year is any indication, Falle’s 2024 could be another trip around the globe.
About the writer Vickie McIntyre – https://vickiemcintyre.com/