Recommended CDs

Marty Kool has spent a lifetime in love with music. From the rockabilly and R&B of the 50s, to the blues music he now promotes and plays on the radio. "It all started when my Uncle Abram bought me a crystal set as a child. Late at night on that set I could pick up stations as far away as Memphis and Nashville. All that rhythm & blues and rockabilly drew me in; went right to my soul." Forty five years of collecting records and studying the history of music has led to a career in music stores, radio and music promotion with a side-step into blues photography.

Marty just finished up sixteen years at Hear's Music, one of the leading independent CD stores in the southwest. "They called me the face of the place", says Marty. While his forte is really the blues, he's developed a wide knowledge in many other styles of music. World music, jazz, country, folk and bluegrass have found their way into his head and heart. While at Hear's music fans came from all over southern Arizona to pick his brain about the music they love. He knows where to find the hard to find. At Hear's he was also instrumental in establishing one of the largest selections of local music CDs in town. "Tucson and southern Arizona has an incredible wealth of talent that needs to be shared. The local musicians need a supportive outlet to sell their music," he says.

But, it all comes back to the blues. "All this stuff comes from the blues. It's the feeling, the emotion, the sadness and joy that touches all of us that creates the music we love, whatever the style", he says. The blues has drawn him to KXCI radio where he does a Saturday evening radio show. He's been on KXCI for over twenty years, giving up his Saturday to share the music he cares so deeply about. "You can't go wrong with the blues. We all get them. Your job, traffic, money, relationships; we all get the blues. The music takes away the darkness and reveals the light. It could bring the world together," Marty says.

Check out CDs from Tucson's music scene