History Music / GunfighterBalladsAndTrailSongs

* WesternCharacters:
** FastestGunInTheWest: Both Texas Red and UsefulNotes/BillyTheKid are introduced as such, having taken down twenty comers each. But everyone's luck runs out eventually...
-->"There's many a man with a face fine and fair/Who start out in life with a chance to be square/Just like poor Billy they wander astray/They'll lose their lives in the very same way...''
** {{Outlaw}}: "Running Gun", "They're Hanging Me Tonight", "Billy The Kid", and "The Master's Call"
*** RetiredOutlaw: The protagonist of "The Master's Call" presumably gives up his life of crime after finding religion.
** TheSheriff: Sherriff Pat Garrett shoots down Billy the Kid.

->''"What is a gunfighter ballad? [[InsistentTerminology You see, that’s not country-and-western. That’s cowboy music, or western music.]] That’s how the stories were related back in the early days of the American West, just like in England, you know. Stories were told by different people. News went around by word of mouth, and that’s the way the early American cowboy songs were done. Folk music is songs about what happened in this country, and your cowboy songs - that’s American folk music."''

The number one single "El Paso" won Robbins the inaugural Grammy award for Best Country/Western Song over the singer's insistence that it does not belong in the genre at all. The other single released from the album, "Big Iron", saw an uptick in popularity after its appearance in 2010's VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas, where a [[GoodBadBugs notorious glitch]] caused it to play twice as often as expected.

Music/MartyRobbins' fifth and most famous album, 1959's ''Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs'' was, true to its title, a ConceptAlbum of songs about TheWildWest. Though Robbins had already made a name as a rockabilly (he was the first singer to cover "[[Music/ElvisPresley That's All Right]]") and country singer, ''Gunfighter Ballads'' was conceived as a folk album. The album's success, both critical and commercial, helped codify a shift in CountryMusic in general, helping to differentiate it from rock and roll even after outlaw country narrowed the musical differences. Several figures in the Cowpunk movement of the early eighties, especially Jefferey Lee Pierce of The Gun Club, have also cited the album as a direct influence.

''''

# "Billy The Kid" (2:19)
# "A Hundred And Sixty Acres" (1:40)

# "In The Valley" (1:51)

''''

->''What is a gunfighter ballad? [[InsistentTerminology You see, that’s not country-and-western. That’s cowboy music, or western music.]] That’s how the stories were related back in the early days of the American West, just like in England, you know. Stories were told by different people. News went around by word of mouth, and that’s the way the early American cowboy songs were done. Folk music is songs about what happened in this country, and your cowboy songs - that’s American folk music.''
-->'''Music/MartyRobbins'''

Music/MartyRobbins' fifth and most famous album, 1959's ''Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs'' was, true to its title, a ConceptAlbum of songs about TheWildWest. Though Robbins had already made a name as a rockabilly (he was the first singer to cover "[[Music/ElvisPresley That's All Right]]") and country singer, '''''Gunfighter Ballads''''' was conceived as a folk album. The album's success, both critical and commercial, helped codify a shift in CountryMusic in general, helping to differentiate it from rock and roll even after outlaw country narrowed the musical differences. Several figures in the Cowpunk movement of the early eighties, especially Jefferey Lee Pierce of The Gun Club, have also cited the album as a direct influence.

Music/MartyRobbins' fifth and most famous album, 1959's '''''Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs''''' was, true to its title, a ConceptAlbum of songs about TheWildWest. Though Robbins had already made a name as a rockabilly (he was the first singer to cover "[[Music/ElvisPresley That's All Right]]") and country singer, '''''Gunfighter Ballads''''' was conceived as a folk album. The album's success, both critical and commercial, helped codify a shift in CountryMusic in general, helping to differentiate it from rock and roll even after outlaw country narrowed the musical differences. Several figures in the Cowpunk movement of the early eighties, especially Jefferey Lee Pierce of The Gun Club, have also cited the album as a direct influence.

* HeroicSacrifice: Performed by the titular hero of 'Utah Carol', redirecting a stampeding herd of cattle to save the rancher's daughter before being trampled to death in her stead.

* HeroicSacrifice: Performed by the titular hero of 'Utah Carol', redirecting a stampeding herd to save the trailboss's daughter before being trampled to death in her stead.

* DeadAllAlong: The narrator of "El Paso"; shot upon his return and kisses Faleena as he dies. Confirmed in "Feleena (From El Paso)".

* DeadAllAlong: The narrator of "El Paso"; shot upon his return and kisses Faleena as he dies.

* PosthumousNarration: "El Paso".

->''The range of material on this album is extraordinary, from [[SillyLoveSongs love songs]] to spirituals, songs so old they have no known author, and originals by the singer, all of which seamlessly fit together. Robbins' subject is mostly [[TheWestern the west of myth and movie]], which benefits from his ability as a storyteller -- [[ClicheStorm "Big Iron" or "El Paso" may tell tales heard or seen 100 times onscreen]], [[TropesAreNotBad but he makes listeners feel like this is the first time they're hearing them, complete with excitement and anticipation of a poet in the middle of a spellbinding recital.]]''
-->'''Bruce Eder''', ''All Music Guide''

* RealMenLoveJesus: The protagonist of "The Master's Call" suddenly sees a cross and hears the voice of God in a lightning strike.

* SequelSong: "El Paso" received a sequel six years later following Faleena, the focus of the love triangle. [[spoiler:She's DrivenToSuicide.]] There's ''another'' set in the modern day when the reincarnated protagonist traces the route of the action from a plane flying overhead.

* SequelSong: "El Paso" received a sequel six years later following Faleena, the focus of the love triangle. [[spoiler:She's DrivenToSuicide.]]

* ConceptAlbum

** FastestGunInTheWest: Both Texas Red and Billy The Kid are introduced as such, having taken down twenty comers each. But everyone's luck runs out eventually...

-->There's many a man with a face fine and fair/Who start out in life with a chance to be square/Just like poor Billy they wander astray/They'll lose their lives in the very same way...''

# "The Little Green Valley"

Music/MartyRobbins' third and most famous album, 1959's '''''Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs''''' was, true to its title, a ConceptAlbum of songs about TheWildWest. Though Robbins had already made a name as a rockabilly (he was the first singer to cover "[[Music/ElvisPresley That's All Right]]") and country singer, '''''Gunfighter Ballads''''' was conceived as a folk album. The album's success, both critical and commercial, helped codify a shift in CountryMusic in general, helping to differentiate it from rock and roll even after outlaw country narrowed the musical differences. Several figures in the Cowpunk movement of the early eighties, especially Jefferey Lee Pierce of The Gun Club, have also cited the album as a direct influence.

Music/MartyRobbins' third and most famous album, 1959's '''''Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs''''' was, true to its title, a ConceptAlbum of songs about TheWildWest. Though Robbins had already made a name as a rockabilly (he was the first singer to cover "[[Music/ElvisPresley That's All Right]]") and country singer, '''''Gunfighter Ballads''''' was conceived as a folk album. The album's success, both critical and commercial, helped codify a shift in CountryMusic in general, helping to differentiate it from rock and roll even after OutlawCountry narrowed the musical differences. Several figures in the Cowpunk movement of the early eighties, especially Jefferey Lee Pierce of The Gun Club, have also cited the album as a direct influence.

# "Saddle Tramp" (2:03)