Marty Stuart

Marty Stuart

John Marty Stuart (b. September 30 1958, Philadelphia, Mississippi) is an American country music singer, known for both his traditional style, and eclectic merging of rockabilly, honky tonk, and traditional country music. In the early-1990s, he had a successful string of Country hits.

Once infamous for his flamboyantly hedonist party image, he is now a born again Christian and records both Country and Gospel music. He is known for wearing rhinestone-studded Nudie suits onstage, but after the passing of his friend and former father-in-law Johnny Cash he now wears black in his honor.

Early Life & Rise to Fame

Born as John Marty Stuart, Marty Stuart has grown to be known as one of Country Music's most eclectic artists, probably due to his various styles of Country Music he performs and records. It is one of his reasons for his success in the 1990s, just when Traditionalism was making a comeback in Country Music.

Since an early age, he was obsessed with Country Music. He was so obsessed in fact, that he taught himself how to play the guitar and mandolin. At the age of 12, Stuart started performing with the Bluegrass group The Sullivans. He later met Lester Flatt bandmember Roland White. He invited Stuart to play with him and his band at the Labor Day gig in Delaware in 1972. After this, White asked him to join the band permanently and Stuart accepted. This left him responsible to the rest of Stuart's education. Marty stayed with Lester Flatt up until Flatt broke up the band in 1978 due to failing health.

In 1979, Flatt passed away. Stuart pushed forward and worked as a fiddler for the group Vassar Clements. He also worked with guitarist Doc Watson. In 1980, he joined Johnny Cash's backing band. The previous year, Stuart made his first solo album, entitled With A Little Help From My Friends under Ridge Runner Records.

In 1982, he made an attempt at a second album called Busy Bee Cafe under Sugar Hill Records. Both of these albums were strongly Bluegrass albums, and they failed gaining any success for Stuart. In 1983, Stuart married Johnny Cash's daughter, Cindy. In 1985, Stuart left Cash's band to pursue a solo career.

Recording career in the 1980s & 1990s

In 1985, Stuart left Cash's band and landed a recording contract with Columbia Records in 1985. In 1986, he released a self-titled debut album on the label. In 1985, just after landing his deal with Columbia, he had a Top 20 hit with the song "Arlene". Although, he had a hit on his hands, his 1986 album Marty Stuart didn't sell. Stuart had recorded a follow-up album (entitled Let There Be Country) to the previous, but Columbia failed to release it.

His marriage to Cindy Cash ended in divorce in 1988 and that led to Stuart returning home to Mississippi. Roland White invited Stuart to rejoin his band as their fiddler and this helped Stuart get his confidence back to return to Nashville and try again at becoming a singer.

Stuart soon returned back to Nashville. He landed a deal with MCA Records in 1989, which was formerly Decca Records. That year, Stuart released his first album on the label entitled Hillbilly Rock. In 1990, he finally made it big with the album, when two of his songs from Hillbilly Rock became hits. The title track, "Hillbilly Rock" was his first Top Ten hit on the Country charts. The other song "Western Girls", just broke the Top 20. The album got great reviews from critics, comparing Marty's sensibility to that of Country singer Dwight Yoakam. The album featured a cover version of the Johnny Cash hit "Cry, Cry, Cry". In 1991, he released another album entitled Tempted, the title track becoming Marty's first Top 5.

In 1991, Marty also co-wrote a song with Travis Tritt called "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'". The song was recorded as a duet on Tritt's 1991 album It's All About to Change, and gave Marty his biggest hit. In 1992, his old record company, Columbia finally released his album Let There Be Country. It was also that year, that Stuart released another album entitled This One's Gonna Hurt You. The album featured the title track as his single, which was a duet with Travis Tritt. Their single was another Top Ten hit for Stuart. This One's Gonna Hurt You was also Marty's first ever gold album.

Between 1991 and 1992 Marty and Travis hit the road to go on tour, on what they called the "No Hats" tour, referring to "hat acts", which was the trend of the day for mainstream people in Country Music. Although, Stuart earned quite a following from fans, his follow-up success was hard to re-create for Stuart. The release of his 1994 album Love and Luck turned out to be less successful than he hoped it to be. He released three singles from the album, only one of which made the Top 40, called "Kiss Me, I'm Gone". His sales of records also started to slip. This led to MCA releasing the album The Marty Party Hit Pack in 1995. This also led to a series of "Marty Party" concerts on the Nashville network. The year, 1996, saw a release of another album entitled Honky Tonkin's What I Do Best. However, this was yet another failed response from the public that year. Once again, Stuart released three singles, again only one of which made the Top 40. The title track was the song that made the Top 40.

Career since the late 1990s

In 1997, Stuart married legendary Country Music singer Connie Smith. Connie and Marty met back in the 1960s, when he saw Connie performing at one of her concerts, and he told his mother that day, that someday he would marry her. In 1998, he helped produce Smith's comeback album on the Warner Bros. label, simply entitled Connie Smith. He also co-wrote 8 out of 10 songs on the album. Stuart released another album in 1999 called The Pilgrim, along with another unsuccessful single, that failed to even make the Top 40.

He left MCA in 2000, joining Sony, releasing a new album in 2003; however, this album was credited to "Marty Stuart & the Fabulous Superlatives". The lead single just missed Top 40 status. In 2005, Stuart launched a custom record label, Superlatone Records, to issue overlooked Southern Gospel and Roots music recordings. Stuart released three critically acclaimed collections on Superlatone, Souls' Chapel, Badlands and Live at the Ryman. In October 2005, Stuart released a concept album, Badlands: Ballads Of The Lakota, which pays tribute to the Sioux culture in what is now South Dakota.

On June 23 2004, Stuart was arrested in Hendersonville, Tennessee, on suspicion of DUI.[1]

His collection of music memorbillia and photography will exhibit at the Tennessee State Museum in 2007 as "Sparkle & Twang: Marty Stuart's American Musical Odyssey". Also in 2007, Stuart produced country legend Porter Wagoner's debut album on the predominantly punk label Epitaph Records.

The Statehouse Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas is hosting the "Sparkle & Twang: Marty Stuart's American Musical Odyssey" from April 4th through October 5th. It is on loan from the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville.

The Marty Stuart Show (2008)

2008 August - Marty Stuart recently announced a new TV show which he will be hosting that will feature traditional country music in the vein of "The Porter Wagoner Show," "Flatt & Scruggs" and "Hee Haw." "The Marty Stuart Show" will begin airing Sunday nights come November on cable's RFD-TV.

Each episode will feature music by Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives, as well as his wife, Grand Ole Opry star Connie Smith, and guests.

"This show is about authenticity, from the artists who visit us in the studio every week to the people watching at home," said Stuart. "I want to establish a show that gives a voice and stage to traditional country music."

Stuart will host and produce the 30-minute episodes. Grand Ole Opry announcer Eddie Stubbs will be his sidekick. His show will be part of the prime-time lineup with "Hee Haw" reruns, "Postcards from Nebraska" and "Music & Motors."

Collections

Stuart has one of the largest collections of clothing associated with country music's past, featuring classic suits by Nudie and Turk from such greats as Rose Maddox, Porter Wagoner and Hank Williams. He travels the United States on a tour bus that once belonged to Ernest Tubb. He also collects guitars from some Country Music legends, like Maybelle Carter, Lester Flatt, Hank Williams, Don Rich, and Clarence White who was co-inventor of the B-Bender device for telecasters.

He and his Superlatives currently have a weekly show on XM Satellite Radio called "Marty Stuart's American Odyssey."

Writings

He has also written articles and published photos of Country singers for various magazines.

Country Music Foundation

He joined the board of the Country Music Foundation, and even served as its President. He has also remained a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1993.

Discography

Main article: Marty Stuart discography

References

• Marty Stuart Official Site on Sony Music
• Marty Stuart at IMDb
• Superlatone Records
• Himes, Geoffrey (1998). "Marty Stuart". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 517.