HIRTH MARTINEZ (August 21, 1945 - October 6, 2015)
Saturday Night - Hirth Martinez
SATURDAY NIGHT (Hirth Martinez)
Here it is Saturday night Time for the buzz to get tight Time for the girls to get loose It's time for the folks to get juice Hold the wine, kill the bottle Time to let yourself go Here it is Saturday night It's time for the boys to get up It's time for the girls to get down It's time for the folks to get high Feeling good, looking bad Time to get into something other than your usual boring job
Here it is Saturday night It's time for the town to get hot Time for the folks to get down It's time for the trumpets to sound Play it cool, play it crazy It's time to get into something other than your usual boring life
I first came across songwriter Hirth Martinez when I was attending college in Dayton, Ohio in 1975. There was a great record store called The Forest which was just off campus that I used to hang out at and one day while I was flipping through the albums in the $1 bin I came across a Hirth Martinez album called Hirth From Earth which just knocked me out. The album was produced by The Band's Robbie Robertson. After a first listen I just fell in love with the song, Saturday Night and to this very day I still listen to that song on a regular basis. Saturday Night captures the moments of moving through the weekend while looking for happiness.
Hirth's career as a solo recording artist began with him getting a plug from Bob Dylan who, at the time, described Hirth as a cross between "Howling Wolf and Dave Brubeck"! Dylan's support quickly led to Hirth getting signed to the Warner Bros label which was followed by the release of his first two critically acclaimed albums, Hirth From Earth and Big Bright Street. During his lifetime, Hirth had written a veritable mountain of songs and poems. Some of his songs ranged from stylish jazz songs to songs that emanate earthy bluesy sounds. Some of Hirth's songs were quirky, some were simple reminders of daily life and some were beyond complicated. I'd say that's the essence a great songwriter!
Let's all raise our glasses to the one and only Hirth Martinez!
