Country music legend who worked with iconic artists such as Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen dead at 85

A state euphony icon whose profession coincided pinch Bob Dylan's died past week, pursuing a conflict pinch a enigma illness.

Tributes person poured successful for Mary Martin, who was 85 and considered unsung leader for people and stone music.

A benignant of connector and catalyst for nan genres, she passed Thursday while receiving palliative attraction astatine Nashville’s Alive Hospice.

She rubbed shoulders early connected pinch Dylan successful nan 60s, earlier winning a Grammy for an medium successful which he was featured.

The head and executive helped commencement nan budding careers of Van Morrison, Leonard Cohen, and Keith Urban, and worked pinch large names for illustration Janis Joplin. A origin of decease was not instantly provided, but nan news of her passing was confirmed connected societal media.

'Time and again, Mary Martin spotted awesome talents and elevated their careers,' Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Kyle Young said successful a connection posted to Instagram Saturday, 17 years aft nan exec's ain induction. 

'Early on, she connected Bob Dylan to her friends nan Hawks, who became nan Band,' Young recalled.   

'She managed Leonard Cohen successful his first philharmonic outings, nan guided nan budding solo careers of Van Morrison, Rodney Crowell, and Vince Gill. 

'At Warner Bros., she signed early Country Music Hall of Fame personnel Emmylou Harris, astatine RCA she helped motion and create Clint Black and Lorrie Morgan, and she encouraged a young Keith Urban to move from Australia to Nashville. 

'Mary’s unerring consciousness for songs and performers was legendary, and she was a fierce state for nan artists she represented,' nan historiographer concluded.

As mentioned, Martin spent her life successful nan state euphony sector, successful a profession that spanned much than 60 years.

Decades earlier she encouraged Urban to relocate from his homeland of Australia, she worked arsenic an adjunct for famed head Albert Grossman, whose ain unchangeable would yet see Dylan, Joplin, Peter, Paul & Mary, Gordon Lightfoot and more.

She worked for him successful New York for 4 years successful nan 60s, earlier branching retired connected her ain - often nan business connections that she had gained moving for Grossman to her advantage.

It was astatine this constituent she became wrapped up pinch Cohen, then an established writer and novelist successful Canada, pinch nary euphony profession to speak of.

Representing him on pinch a rising Morrison, she would yet deed it big, joining Warner Bros Records arsenic an executive successful 1972.

She managed Cohen until 1969 - aforesaid twelvemonth she began to negociate Van Morrison. 

Martin would past motion a bid of different stars, including Emmylou Harris, Leon Redbone and The Marshall Tucker Band, earlier moving to LA to proceed her success.

At this point, she returned to creator management, moving pinch state performers for illustration Rodney Crowell and Vince Gill.

She past moved to Nashville successful 1985, wherever she worked successful executive positions astatine a plethora of labels.

As vice president of RCA, she worked pinch stars for illustration Gill, Clint Black, Paul Overstreet, Aaron Tippin and Lorrie Morgan.

She would spell connected to presume nan station of vice president astatine Mercury Records successful 1999, earlier winning her first and only Grammy for her activity arsenic a shaper connected nan Hank Williams tribute medium Timeless, which featured a way by Dylan.

 In 2009, she gave an question and reply to Country Music Hall of Fame's Jay Orr astatine Ford Theater, Country Music Hall of Fame connected November 17, 2009.

In it, she revealed really she had tried to get Dylan to motion pinch Warner Bros backmost successful 73, but was yet unsuccessful.

'The first point I do connected Warner Bros. stationary is constitute Bob Dylan a letter,' she recalled.

'And nan missive benignant of goes connected for a while... I benignant of suggested to Bob that he could activity pinch maine astatine Warner Bros.

'He was benignant of getting readt to return a travel from Columbia, this would beryllium a awesome clip for him to travel activity for Warner Bros.

She went connected to chide nan 'bloody gatekeepers' that presumably kept that missive distant from nan people icon, which she said would spell connected to go commonplace successful nan industry.

'That pissed maine off,' she quipped. 

She besides said astir spending clip astatine nan Grossmans' location successful Woodstock, swimming matches pinch Dylan she said he won, and nan feline connected nan screen of "Bringing It All Back Home" 

the iconic shot, taken connected nan property of her aged leader Grossman, was difficult to secure, she said, because nan feline would not look straight into nan camera's lens.

 She died successful Nashville, wherever she's lived for nan past 40 years.

She  served arsenic an inspiration to countless group successful nan euphony industry, peculiarly women.