Artist Bios
Marty Stuart
So here he is again, almost four decades strong, in the
very space where so many Elvis Presley smash hits were
recorded as were classic sides by Charley Pride, Connie Smith,
Porter Wagoner, Dolly Parton and Waylon Jennings, only to name
a few. As the new Sugar Hill Records album title says, it’s
also where the latest Marty Stuart release, Ghost Train (The
Studio B Sessions), has just been recorded.
“The first recording session I ever participated in was in
this room,” Marty Stuart says, looking around Nashville’s
legendary RCA Studio B, “playing mandolin, in Lester Flatt’s
band, when I was 13. Lester walked over and said ‘Why don’t you
handle the kick-off on this one?’ This place has a profound
pedigree; it’s where so much of American music’s legacy was
forged, certainly country music’s. And sonically, this is a room
that welcomes music. It seemed to me that in order to
authentically stage a brand new traditional country music record
we should bring it home to Studio B. Even though Studio B is now
regarded as a museum of sorts, I had a feeling that all it would
take to bring the place to life were songs and a good band. I
just happened to have both. The Country Music Hall of Fame, who
operates the facility, gave me permission to come here and work.
It is indeed an honor.”
Since starting out singing gospel as a child, the bluegrass
stint with Lester Flatt in the ‘70s, the six years with Johnny
Cash in the ‘80s, and coming up with his smash “hillbilly rock”
hits of the ‘90s, the four time GRAMMY-winner, platinum
recording artist, Grand Ole Opry star, country music memorabilia
preservationist, stylist, designer, photographer, songwriter,
all around renaissance man, charismatic force of nature, and
(first of all, perhaps), leader of the extraordinary, versatile
touring and recording band The Fabulous Superlatives, Marty
Stuart has shown a showman’s zest for every conceivable flavor
of country music. Not to mention, a missionary’s zeal for
bringing the importance of the music and its themes home to
long-time fans and newcomers alike. Musicologist Peter North
cites, “Marty Stuart seems wrapped in his destiny at this point
in time. Not only as country music’s most notable
ambassador/caretaker, but as its main archetypical crusader. He
has without question evolved into one of the most important
roots musicians and visionaries in America.”
“I’m always on the prowl for the kinds of recordings that can
inspire and potentially make a difference,” Stuart says. “What
inspires me now, is traditional country music. It’s the music I
most cherish, the culture in which I was raised. It’s the
bedrock upon which the empire of country music is built, the
empowering force that provides this genre with lasting
credibility. It’s beyond trends and it’s timeless. With all that
being said, I found traditional country music to be on the verge
of extinction. It’s too precious to let slip away. I wanted to
attempt to write a new chapter.”
That live on stage, alive on records presence is also seen
regularly by TV viewers these days, on RFD-TV’s The Marty Stuart
Show, which adds a new chapter each week to the tradition of
simple, electrifying country TV with varied live sounds, and top
level guests. The Marty Stuart Show is currently the number one
program on the network, as it has been for the last two years.
“It gives me a good feeling to know that country music is alive
and well on television on any given Saturday night,” states
Stuart. “After people work hard and cope with the pressures of
life throughout the week, going out to a show or tuning in to
watch some characters in cowboy clothes, singing and playing
songs about real life is something I relate to. The show is not
only a staging ground for legends and icons, but it especially
welcomes a new wave of kids coming along in need of a place to
sing and play authentic country music. Personally, it’s been
helpful to have that show to go to as I developed Ghost Train.
Most of the songs on this record were presented on the air
before they were recorded. I’d invite the audience to respond
and they did.”
“Developing Ghost Train (The Studio B Sessions) was a life
changing experience in many ways,” Marty adds while strumming on
a guitar from his celebrated, lovingly assembled collection of
country music treasures (a flat top that once belonged to Hank
Williams Sr. no less). “These songs have been lived through and
this project comes from the heart. I’ve said it many times, it’s
amazing what happens when you fearlessly follow your heart,
whatever the cost. It always leads you to the right place. This
time, it led me home to traditional country music and the result
is the music of Ghost Train (The Studio B Sessions). I’m
comfortable with that, as a matter of fact, I’m very proud of
it…it’s truly who I am.”
-Barry Mazor, Nashville .
Visit Marty Stuart's website at:
www.martystuart.net
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