Marty Stuart
As a stunning part of the Tribute to Grandpa Jones weekend, the Ozark Folk Center is very proud to announce that Marty Stuart will be headlining the evening performance on Saturday, September 4, 2010 at 7 pm.
From 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 and band member Roland White.. White invited Stuart to play with him and the Nashville Grass at the Labor Day gig in Delaware in 1972. After this, White asked him to join the band permanently and Stuart accepted. This made White responsible for the rest of Stuart's education. Marty stayed with Lester Flatt until Flatt broke up the band in 1978 due to his failing health.
In 1979, Flatt died. Stuart pushed forward and worked with fiddler 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, With A Little Help From My Friends, on Ridge Runner Records. In 1982, he released a second album called Busy Bee Cafe on Sugar Hill Records. Both of these albums were strongly Bluegrass albums, and they failed to garner any success for Stuart. In 1983, Stuart married Johnny Cash's daughter, Cindy. They divorced 5 years later. In 1985, Stuart left Cash's band to pursue a solo career.
In 1985, Stuart left Cash's band and landed a recording contract with Columbia Records in 1985. In 1986, he released a self-titled album on the label. In 1985, just after landing his deal with Columbia, he had a Top 20 hit with the song "Arlene."
Stuart soon returned to Nashville. He landed a deal with MCA Records in 1989, which was formerly Decca Records. That year, Stuart released his first album on MCA, 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 album got great reviews from critics, who compared Marty's work 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, Tempted, and the title track became Marty's first Top 5 hit.
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, Connie Smith. He also co-wrote 8 out of 10 songs on the album.
In 2000 he did the voice of Reverend in Tom Sawyer (2000 film) Stuart left MCA in 2000, joining Columbia Records, 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.
His collection of music memorabilia and photography was exhibited at the Tennessee State Museum in 2007 as "Sparkle & Twang: Marty Stuart's American Musical Odyssey." In October, 2008, the "Sparkle & Twang" exhibit opened at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, OH. 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 hosted the "Sparkle & Twang: Marty Stuart's American Musical Odyssey" from April 4 through October 5, 2008. The exhibit was on loan from the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville.
Marty Stuart announced in August 2008 a new TV show that he would be hosting, featuring traditional country music in the vein of The Porter Wagoner Show, Flatt & Scruggs and Hee Haw. The Marty Stuart Show began airing at 8 P.M. on November 1, 2008 on cable's RFD-TV, and continued each Saturday through April 25, 2009. Each episode featured 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. "
Marty Stuart’s show on September 4, 2010 will start at 7:00 p.m. and the tickets are $20.00.
