Clayton was a dear friend, a fine example, and an inspiration to us all. He will certainly be missed. Heaven is now a better and brighter place.

Dearest Iva Mae and family, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Clayton was a fine man and I loved dearly to see you all on Decoration Day at Black Creek. I pray God will wrap his arms of love around you and give you strength for the days ahead. God Bless You!! Love Kay Adams

Katie and family, so sorry for your loss. I know that losing your father is one of the hardest things us girls have to go through. Will be sending prayers your way and know that he is not sick anymore and he and Audrey are catching up on their love for each other. Love you, Mary Proffitt

Katie, Sarah, and Robert,
I was sorry to learn of your father's death.  I know how dearly you will miss him.

Clayton Martin -  My Tribute     February  26, 2012
I prepared these thoughts in remembrance of our friend Clayton.  I met Clayton the first time in Mountain View, Arkansas sometime about 1991 where he was leaning against a porch with his Martin guitar in hand and in the company of his fiddle playing buddy,  Jim Goodwin of Alabama.   They and their families drove from Alabama to Arkansas in pursuit of music interests on the courthouse square in MV.   
From that early encounter, has evolved a group of family and friends that have inspired, mentored and encouraged musical interests at pickins in Athens, Alabama;  Wall Doxey, Mississippi;  Wagoner, Oklahoma;  Branson, Missouri and the respective homes in Alabama and Arkansas.  I learned that Clayton was a lot more than a good guitar player.
Clayton was a member of a loosely formed trio - Brode, Jim and Clayton, which he labeled with his dry humor as the Brode Morgan Trio.  Brode arranged for some time and drove the trio to a recording studio in Timbo, AR  and they made a cassette tape in a four hour session. Needless to say Brode was thrilled that Clayton would consider assisting with that effort since he had done some real sessions other places.  The musical product was not particularly a critical success, but the friendship definitely was. The result was the beginning of a long friendship which I treasure.  
Clayton was a great guitar accompanist for fiddlers,  playing with the acclaimed J. T. Perkins and many other well known fiddlers including Dick Barrett.   He was always willing to share his knowledge of chords and techniques with me.  Clayton was truly a student of chords and efficiency of movements on the guitar neck and would work and work to find the special chord that a tune needed. One of those was his "35 cent chord" used in one of his favorite tunes "Misty" which needs that mellow chord at one point.
Clayton would show me his shop when we visited him on several occasions.  He put up pictures of his musical heroes on the walls.   It reminded me of another special shop in Arkansas where my Daddy spent many hours in his later years working and tinkering.  The view of the Martin home place from the shop was a place of peace and beauty on the several occasions I was privileged to visit.
Clayton was a great storyteller.  He had a memory for detail that I was honored to hear.  From his early days in rural south Alabama, to military experience in Missouri and France and the trip in between,  riding the gliders in England, military life in France after the D-Day invasion,   music stories and the characters that made them memorable,  fiddle contest recaps, working on the streetcar lines in Birmingham,  dispatching power for the Southern Company - with a fiddle hidden under a control panel for late night practice were topics of interest.
The music introduced Brode and Cloie to the Martins.  We have shared lives with the Martins in the 20 years as our friendship has grown, including dodging tornadoes in a Mountain View motel and several outing on the first weekend in May to Wall Doxey State Park.
Phone calls from Cloie to Iva often transitioned to Brode and Clayton and usually lasted an hour or more.  We were of different generations, but acted more like friends and peers than as parent and child.  Cloie and Iva talk about plants.  Brode and Clayton talked about fiddle tunes, fiddle players and could talk for a long time about music topics.   Clayton shared copies of CD's and cassettes creating large collection of tunes which I keep for reference.  In our last conversation,  a few weeks ago, we discussed a tune and Clayton was planning to search for a cut and send it to me.
I write this to all who knew Clayton. Clayton's family was really important to him and we heard from the Clayton the recent accomplishments of kids and grandkids.  We  will miss your distinctive southern voice and guitar chords, but we will remember long your life and times of a man who lived life well and inspired us with strength of character and perseverance and love of music.

Brode Morgan
Little Rock, Arkansas

Katie and family. I was so sorry to hear about your father. You, your Mother and family will be in my thoughts and prayers. May you be surrounded with the strength and peace you need to get you through this difficult time.

I am so sorry for your lose, I know how difficult it is to loose your father, I lost mine 11 years ago.

OBITUARY

Clayton M. Martin

April 10, 1924 – February 24, 2012

Kilgroe Funeral Home

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