He was the best. I used to call him the father of kick-ass bluegrass. Not for Jimmy bluegrass as chamber music. That driving, bouncing sound -- and Jimmy used to bounce when he sang, too -- said "get up out of that chair, come on out of the kitchen, this is entertainment, dance music! Pour another glass of 'sheep-dip' and have a good time."

Jimmy was the definition of what bluegrass should be. If you can't sit still when you hear it, it's right. I have Milwaukee, Here I Come on this laptop, and it's bangy and clangy and overrecorded, but every time I play it, my heart starts racing and I have to boogie-woogie in my chair.

He was one of my greatest musical heroes and still is. Adieu, Jimmy Martin.