On December 3, 2001, Thomas Grady Martin died aged 72. He was musician (guitar), founder and leader of the band Grady Martin and Slew Foot Five (later Grady Martin and his Winging Strings). As a session guitarist he was member of the Nashville A-team, and in his 50-year career he recorded and performed with Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Leon Russell, Patsy Cline, J. J. Cale, Woody Guthrie, Johnny Horton, Conway Twitty, Joan Baez, Kris Kristofferson,  Arlo Guthrie, Brenda Lee, Don Woody, Sammi Smith, Marty Robbins, and Johnny Burnette. In March 2015, Martin was inducted in the “Country Music Hall of Fame”.