Country music pioneer Marty Gamblin passed away on Wednesday at the age of 80.
The Philadelphia native spent more than 40 years in the entertainment industry, a decorated career that included managing Grammy-winning Bryan White, helping to begin the career of Alan Jackson – one of the most popular country artists of all time – and working with late Mississippi songwriter Jim Weatherly.
As a publisher, Gamblin worked with songwriters who wrote a long list of hit tunes that included 16 Billboard No. 1 singles.
Instead of Gamblin’s sparkling career pulling him away from his native state, it drew him back. The Neshoba County product was the founding executive director of the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience in Meridian.
Gamblin was honored with a marker on the Mississippi Music Trail in 2019.
