Marty Grosz

It’s a Sin to Tell a Lie: My Life in Jazz is the autobiography of Marty Grosz, today's foremost jazz rhythm guitarist and chord soloist. Part memoir, part transcribed oral history, it serves up Marty's story raconteur style – full of sardonic wit with a touch of vaudeville. 

Marty has many stories to tell. In a career spanning over 70 years, he has performed with jazz greats such as Herb Ellis, Charlie Byrd, Ruby Braff, Dick Hyman, Leroy “Slam” Stewart, Bob Haggart, George Duvivier, Bob Wilbur, and Kenny Davern. Beginning in the 1950s, he became a prominent figure of Chicago’s jazz club scene and toured with the New York Jazz Repertory Orchestra, Soprano Summit, The Classic Jazz Quartet, and the Orphan Newsboys.

Marty's lengthy discography ranges from a 1951 recording with veteran New Orleans’ bassist “Pops” Foster to his 2015 CD with The Fat Babies.

From his early years in Berlin, to growing up in America with his famous father, German expressionist George Grosz, It's a Sin to Tell a Lie tells Marty's story of his life in jazz in his own candid and entertaining style.