
I don't remember that, but I do remember that I never wanted to go to bed, to go to sleep, for fear I'd miss something." : 20 Marriage ĭuring high school, Martin dated Benjamin Hagman before she left to attend finishing school at Ward–Belmont in Nashville, Tennessee. Mother used to say she never had seen such a happy child - that I awakened each morning with a smile. "Never, never, never can I say I had a frustrating childhood. She would win prizes for looking, acting and dancing like Ruby Keeler and singing exactly like Bing Crosby. But that's the way I was made I truly don't think I could help it." : 20 Martin's craft was developed by seeing movies and becoming a mimic. "Sometimes I think that I cheated my own family and my closest friends by giving to audiences so much of the love I might have kept for them. She got her first taste of singing solo at a fire hall, where she soaked up the crowd's appreciation. School tests were not a problem, and learning songs was easy. She remembered having a photographic memory as a child. I have always thought that I inherited my carrying voice from my father." : 19 "Even in those days, without microphones, my high piping voice carried all over the square. She sang in a trio with her sister and Marion Swofford, all three in bellhop costumes. Mother was the disciplinarian, but it was Daddy who could turn me into an angel with just one look." : 19 Martin, who said "I'd never understand the law" : 19 began singing at a bandstand, outside the courtroom where her father worked every Saturday night. "He was tall, good-looking, silver-haired, with the kindest brown eyes. She played with her elder sister Geraldine (whom she called "Sister"), climbing trees and riding ponies. Martin's family had a barn and orchard that kept her entertained.
Instead, she had Mary, who later obliged by becoming quite a tomboy.

Although the doctors told Juanita that she would risk her life if she attempted to have another baby, she was determined to have a boy. Martin's father, Preston Martin, was a lawyer, and her mother, Juanita Presley, was a violin teacher. As a young actress Martin had an instinctive ear for recreating musical sounds. She had close relationships with both of her parents as well as her siblings. Her autobiography described her childhood as secure and happy.
