Marty Stuart facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marty Stuart
Stuart at MerleFest in April 2012
Background information
Birth name	John Marty Stuart
Born	(1958-09-30) September 30, 1958 (age 66) Philadelphia, Mississippi, U.S.
Genres	Country bluegrass
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Instruments	Vocals guitar mandolin
Years active	1968–present
Labels	Sugar Hill, Columbia, MCA, Universal South, Superlatone, Ridge Runner

John Marty Stuart (born September 30, 1958) is an American country and bluegrass music singer. He is also a talented songwriter and musician. Marty Stuart started his music career very young, in 1968.

He first toured with famous musicians like Lester Flatt and Johnny Cash. Later, he became a solo artist in the early 1980s. Marty is known for mixing different music styles. These include rockabilly, country rock, and bluegrass music. He often works with other artists and sings cover songs. People also recognize him for his unique stage outfits.

Marty Stuart had his biggest success in the early 1990s with MCA Records. He has released over 20 studio albums. More than 30 of his songs have appeared on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. His song "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'", a duet with Travis Tritt, reached the highest spot on the charts.

Stuart has won five Grammy Awards and was nominated 16 times. He is also a member of the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Marty Stuart's Early Life and Music Journey

John Marty Stuart was born in Philadelphia, Mississippi, on September 30, 1958.

Marty learned to play the guitar and mandolin when he was a child. By age 12, he joined a gospel band called The Sullivans. In this band, Stuart met Roland White, a mandolin player. White was part of Lester Flatt's band. White invited Stuart to play with Flatt in 1972. This led to Stuart becoming a regular member of Flatt's band. He toured with Flatt until 1978. That year, he also recorded his own album, With a Little Help from My Friends.

After Flatt retired, Stuart played with Vassar Clements and Doc Watson. In 1980, he joined Johnny Cash's band.

In 1982, Stuart released his second album, Busy Bee Cafe. It was on Sugar Hill Records. This album was like a jam session with many country and bluegrass artists. Johnny Cash, Doc Watson, and Earl Scruggs were some of them. In 1985, Stuart played on the Class of '55 album with Johnny Cash. Other stars like Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and Jerry Lee Lewis were also on it. After this, Carl Perkins gave Stuart his guitar. Later that year, Stuart left Cash's band. He then signed a record deal with Columbia Records.

Marty Stuart's Recording Career

Stuart released his first album with Columbia, called Marty Stuart, in 1985. His first song from this album, "Arlene", was his first to appear on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. Three other songs from the album also charted in 1986. These were "Honky Tonker," "All Because of You," and "Do You Really Want My Lovin'". However, these songs were not as popular.

Because "Arlene" did well, Marty was nominated for Top New Male Vocalist. This was at the Academy of Country Music Awards. He recorded another album for Columbia, Let There Be Country. Two songs from it, "Mirrors Don't Lie" and "Matches," charted in 1988. But these songs did not do well enough. So, Columbia decided not to release the album. Stuart then left the label and went back to Mississippi.

Joining MCA Records: 1989-1991

After a short time back with The Sullivans, Marty Stuart returned to Nashville. In 1989, he signed with MCA Records. His album Hillbilly Rock came out that year. This album had four songs that made it onto the Hot Country Songs chart. The first was a cover of Johnny Cash's "Cry! Cry! Cry!". Next was "Don't Leave Her Lonely Too Long". These songs were not very successful.

However, the album's title track became Stuart's first top-ten country hit in 1990. The last song released from the album was "Western Girls". Hillbilly Rock was certified gold in 1997. This means it sold 500,000 copies.

His second MCA album, Tempted, came out in 1991. This album had four songs that charted between 1991 and 1992. These were "Little Things", "Till I Found You", "Tempted", and "Burn Me Down". All of them, except "Till I Found You", reached the top ten.

In 1991, Stuart also wrote a song with Travis Tritt called "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'". This song was on Tritt's 1991 album It's All About to Change. It became Stuart's highest-charting song, reaching number two in early 1992. It also won Stuart his first Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals. This song's success led to Stuart and Tritt touring together in 1992. They called their tour the No Hats Tour. This was a joke because many country musicians at the time wore cowboy hats, but they didn't.

Later MCA Years: 1992-1995

Marty Stuart often works with Travis Tritt, who is shown here in 2014.

Marty Stuart's next MCA album, This One's Gonna Hurt You, was released in 1992. The first song, "This One's Gonna Hurt You (For a Long, Long Time)", was another duet with Travis Tritt. It was a top-ten hit in 1992. But the next songs, "Now That's Country", "High on a Mountain Top", and "Hey Baby", were not as successful. Johnny Cash sang on the song "Doin' My Time". The song "Me and Hank and Jumpin' Jack Flash" used recorded voices of Lester Flatt, Hank Williams, and Ernest Tubb.

This One's Gonna Hurt You was certified gold in 1993. Stuart won his second Grammy Award in 1993. This was for Best Country Instrumental Performance. He won it for being one of the artists on Asleep at the Wheel's song "Red Wing".

Love and Luck was his next album, released in 1994. Only one song, "Kiss Me, I'm Gone", reached the top 40. The album included two cover songs: Billy Joe Shaver's "If I Give My Soul" and The Flying Burrito Brothers' "Wheels". It also had a mandolin song called "Marty Stuart Visits the Moon".

After this album, MCA released a collection called The Marty Party Hit Pack in 1995. It had songs from his earlier MCA albums. It also included "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'", two new songs, and two cover songs. The cover songs were "Don't Be Cruel" by Elvis Presley and "The Weight" by The Band. The new songs were "The Likes of Me" and "If I Ain't Got You". Both new songs were released as singles in 1995, but they did not make it into the top 40. The Marty Party Hit Pack became Stuart's fourth gold album in 1998.

Stuart released Honky Tonkin's What I Do Best in 1996. This album had two more songs that charted. These were the title track (another duet with Tritt) and "You Can't Stop Love". The title track also won Stuart an award from the Country Music Association.

Marty Stuart's Career Since the Late 1990s

Stuart released another album in 1999 called The Pilgrim. Only one song from it, "Red, Red Wine and Cheatin' Songs", charted that year. This album told a story about a love triangle. It featured singers like Pam Tillis, George Jones, and Emmylou Harris. Johnny Cash also recited a poem on the album. This album was not very successful. So, Stuart left MCA in 2000.

His next album was Country Music in 2003. It was released on Columbia Records. For this album, Stuart formed a new band called Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives. The band included Harry Stinson on drums, Kenny Vaughan on guitar, and Brian Glenn on bass guitar. The album had cover songs like "A Satisfied Mind" by Porter Wagoner. It also featured a duet with Merle Haggard called "Farmer's Blues". Two songs from the album, "If There Ain't, There Ought'a Be" and "Too Much Month (At the End of the Money)", both charted.

In 2005, Stuart started his own record label, Superlatone Records. He used it to release old Southern Gospel and Roots music. Stuart released three albums on Superlatone: Souls' Chapel, Badlands, and Live at the Ryman. In October 2005, Stuart released Badlands: Ballads of the Lakota. This album honored the Sioux culture in South Dakota. In 2007, Stuart produced Porter Wagoner's last album.

Meet The Fabulous Superlatives

The Fabulous Superlatives in 2022. From left to right: Marty Stuart, Kenny Vaughan, Harry Stinson, and Chris Scruggs.

The Fabulous Superlatives is Marty Stuart's band. They have been playing together since 2002. Marty Stuart plays guitar and mandolin. Kenny Vaughan plays guitar. Harry Stinson plays drums. Brian Glenn played bass from 2002 to 2008. Paul Martin played bass from 2008 to 2015. In 2015, Chris Scruggs took over on bass. He also plays steel guitar. Every member of the band also sings.

Marty Stuart's Musical Style and Look

Marty Stuart is known for his unique musical style. He mixes different approaches in his singing. His main musical influences include Johnny Cash, Bill Monroe, and Muddy Waters. In the 1990s, Stuart's look was also very distinct. He had striking black hair, often tied with a bandana. He wore faded jeans, a black T-shirt, cowboy boots, a concho belt, and a special rhinestone-studded suit jacket. These jackets were designed by Nudie Cohn and were called "Nudie suits."

Marty Stuart's Amazing Collection

Stuart is famous for his huge collection of country music items. Some of his collection was shown at the Tennessee State Museum in 2007. The exhibit was called "Sparkle & Twang: Marty Stuart's American Musical Odyssey." It later traveled to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Ohio. It was also shown at the Arkansas Statehouse Museum.

In early 2018, Stuart helped create an exhibit at the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was called "Marty Stuart's Way Out West: A Country Music Odyssey." This exhibit showed how the West Coast influenced country music. It featured items from artists like Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, and Stuart himself. Many items came from Stuart's own collection. This included the last photo of Johnny Cash, which Stuart took four days before Cash passed away.

Marty Stuart in January 1993, with Clarence White's special B-Bender guitar.

Yvonne and Mavis Staples of the Staple Singers gave Marty Stuart one of their father "Pops" Staples' guitars. They gave it to him after Pops passed away. Mavis Staples said that Marty sounds just like her father when he plays guitar.

Stuart also owns a special two-tone Fender Telecaster guitar named 'Clarence'. This guitar once belonged to Clarence White. It is the original B-Bender guitar. White and Gene Parsons built it around 1967. It lets the guitarist change the 'B' string's pitch to sound like a pedal steel guitar. Stuart bought this unique guitar in 1980 from White's widow.

The Marty Stuart Show

Marty Stuart hosts The Marty Stuart Show. This show features traditional country music. It is like old TV shows such as The Porter Wagoner Show and Hee Haw. The Marty Stuart Show started airing on November 1, 2008, on RFD-TV. Even though new episodes are not made anymore, the network still shows old episodes. They are called The Best of the Marty Stuart Show.

Each episode features music by Stuart and his band, the Fabulous Superlatives. Stuart hosts and produces the 30-minute shows. WSM disc jockey and Grand Ole Opry announcer Eddie Stubbs is the show's announcer.

Marty Stuart's Contributions to Country Music

Stuart is a member of the board of the Country Music Foundation. He has also been a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1992. On August 12, 2020, Stuart was chosen to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Marty Stuart's Family Life

Marty Stuart's first wife was Cindy Cash, Johnny Cash's daughter. They were married from 1983 to 1988.

Since July 8, 1997, Stuart has been married to country artist Connie Smith. He had admired her since he was a child. Stuart met Connie when he was 12 years old. She came to his hometown of Philadelphia, Mississippi, to perform at a fair. Stuart told his mother then that he would marry Connie Smith.

Discography

Awards and Nominations

A. shared with Joe Nichols, Rhonda Vincent, Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, James Taylor, Alison Krauss, Vince Gill, Terri Clark, Merle Haggard, Carl Jackson, Ronnie Dunn, Rebecca Lynn Howard, Glen Campbell, Leslie Satcher, Kathy Louvin, Pamela Brown Hayes, Linda Ronstadt, Patty Loveless, Jon Randall, Harley Allen, Dierks Bentley, Larry Cordle, Jerry Salley, Dolly Parton, Sonya Isaacs, Del McCoury, Pam Tillis, Johnny Cash and The Jordanaires.
B. shared with Everett Lilly, Bea Lilly, Charles Lilly, Daniel Lilly, Mark Lilly, Rhonda Vincent, Billy Walker, Ronnie McCoury, Rob McCoury, David Ball, Charlie Cushman, Larry Stevenson, Joe Spivey, Eddie Stubbs, Jason Carter, Dickey Lee, Freddie Weller, Mike Bub, Rad Lewis, Andy May, Darrin Vincent, Marcia Campbell, Clay Rigdon, Eric Blankenship and Bill Wolfenbarger.