Marty Stuart Takes His Country Music Artifacts Seriously
The April 28th issue of Country Weekly features Saving Country Music’s 2012 Artist of the Year Marty Stuart and his legendary 20,000-piece archive of country music collectibles, clothing, instruments, and other memorabilia. As Marty Stuart tells the magazine, his passion for preserving artifacts led to his career in country music.
When I was in John’s [Johhnny Cash’s] band, the first time I went to London, I ran into a guy named Issac Tigrett who was the co-founder of Hard Rock, a Southern guy. And I went to the first Hard Rock and I saw The Beatles, The Stones, Otis Redding, The Who, all their stuff on the wall. And in my mind I went, “Well that’s just as important if it’s Porter Wagoner, Hank Williams, George Jones, and who on.” And so when I came back to America, I made it a mission. I mean it became my whole focus at that time. Get a record deal, start a band, make them look cool, and get all of the country music artifacts you possibly can and preserve them, lock them down, because they’re getting away fast.
Marty says he would find boots, suits, and other sundries from country music legends just sitting in thrift stores and second-hand shops in Nashville, forgotten and unwanted from the changing times.
Everything was changing in country music. The look of it, the sound of it, and this stuff was just a throwaway…The ultimate mission is not just to preserve this stuff, protect it, promote it, save it, but to get the music into the hands and hearts of young people that are coming through and [saying), “Well I want to do that, but they tell me I have to be like so and so.” But we’ve already got one of those. Be who you are, at any cost.
In the early 90’s Marty Stuart was singed to MCA Records and had multiple hits. Along with Travis Tritt, the two were known as “No Hat” acts. Then as the 90’s wore on Marty’s mainstream popularity waned.
It’s a lonely life sometimes, but it’s rewarding. I wouldn’t trade what’s going on in my life these days for what happened in the 90’s when the records were hitting and popping. I wouldn’t trade it for any amount of money because this is the real stuff.
This is not just country music history, this is American history. And you cannot just dismiss this stuff because it doesn’t matter to anybody’s chart anymore or anybody’s demographic. It’s bigger than all of that.
Much more on Marty Stuart and his collection can be found in this week’s Country Weekly, and in the videos below. You can also check out a recent Marty Stuart interview with Eddie Stubbs.
April 23, 2013 @ 8:58 am
The very first time I saw Marty Stuart live. He was playing mandolin in Lester Flatts band. The last time I saw him was a bluegrass festival. It had rained out the stage so instead of canceling the show, co headliner The Del McCoury Band and Marty and his band just jammed under a big tent. You wouldn’t see that happening in country music.
March 7, 2014 @ 10:27 am
(In response to goldencountry’s comments)
How could you say you won’t see that in Country Music. Having spent the better part of four decades in Country Music, I can safely tell you that we have played many shows in much worse conditions and often for free or at the loss of our personal financial, equipment and travel time. Went ahead and played outside shows when it was so cold we couldn’t keep the instruments tuned and our fingers could hardly make a clean chord.
I can appreciate positive comments of how someone “you like” goes that extra step to complete a performance under less than perfect circumstances. What i don’t understand is how one could think that the “Country Artist” would never go that extra step.
However, there are those new young singers today wearing the Country brand that won’t work if they don’t get prefrential royal treatment, but to condemn the rest of us Country Musicians as artist who won’t do a professional show under rough circumstanes is unreasonable and untrue. (which Marty is one of us (Country Artist) so don’t know where you got the idea he’s strictly bluegrass. He is anything but as his history shows. So it doesn’t make sense to label him pure bluegrass or country artist as something less in professionalism and concern than others.
Just saying. Marty has for a fact been way more involved and spent more time in Country music than he has in bluegrass. That is not to offer a complaint, compliment, agree or disagree, but rather, just to ask folks who prefer one or the other to not feel we are in competition and must take away from one to build up the other.
We all love both, most of us have played in both at some points during our careers and in most cases played together, get along very well and don’t feel that we are in competition with each other but always enjoy the rare opportunities when we do get to meet and pick together. thanks
March 7, 2014 @ 6:05 pm
My hat’s off to you. I know Marty isn’t just
bluegrass I don’t think I said he was. When I say you wouldn’t see that in country music I’m talking about the mainstream artists.
March 8, 2014 @ 5:55 pm
And I agree with your follow up comment 100%. thanks
March 7, 2014 @ 6:45 pm
Actually Marty got his start in Lester Flatt’s band back in the 70’s
April 23, 2013 @ 9:07 am
Marty is an original. He grew up in Philadelphia, Mississippi, which is thirty miles from my hometown of Meridian, MS.
April 23, 2013 @ 9:18 am
To me Marty Stuart is the “country music saviour”. He is the only one who not only is preserving country music’s history, but also seems to have his ear to the ground. My only problem with Marty is although he is promoting real country music with his own music, RFDTV show, and many performances with the Ryman, I don’t see him bringing young people into the mix. I love the music on the RFDTV show but the show is rather hokey and seems to be more in tune with the Branson type of crowd.
April 23, 2013 @ 9:43 am
I’ve had that same thought while watching the show. However, he had old crow medicine show on which ain’t Branson material for sure. Marty is the real deal no doubt about it.
April 23, 2013 @ 9:46 am
I think you might be surprised how many younger people watch the Marty Stuart Show. It may be a minority and not a big crowd, but I hear from young people all the time who say they love that show. Having said that, I’m not sure if the point of The Marty Stuart Show is to make young converts. I hear this more in the approach of Marty’s music. You listen to his last two albums, and you can make the case it is the most guitar-driven country music out there right now with the dueling Telecaster sound he’s pulling off with Cousin Kenny Vaughan. It blows my mind more young people aren’t into it, and I think they would be if they were simply exposed to it. The great thing about Marty Stuart is he can be different things to different people.
April 24, 2013 @ 10:38 am
I would be curious to know how many younger people watch the show. I know myself I DVR it along with the Shotgun Red variety show, but usually only watch it if I’m interested in the bands they bring in. I just watched the Old Crow Medicine Show on it and they were great. I love Marty’s band too but I just have a hard time getting past the “Branson” style of it and respects to Connie Smith but I don’t like listening to her. I would just like them to update the platform and set of the show slightly.
April 24, 2013 @ 11:36 am
Speaking of youngins.. My 5 year old absolutely loves to watch Cousin Kenny and Leroy Troy..
April 24, 2013 @ 9:35 pm
28 years old, DVR every single episode of The Marty Stuart Show.
Marty does bring in young talent when it’s real, and real country. Brandy Clark was on there recently, and that girl can SING. I got goosebumps watching her and Marty perform her song “Take a Little Pill” together.
I would love to see more young talent, but what he does bring in, is amazing.
As far as the dueling Telecaster aspect of Marty’s current music, it’s absolutely a big draw to me. There’s something very powerful about two absolute masters playing side-by-side. I spend a lot of free time watching guitar players at work on Youtube (I’m trying to learn to play guitar myself.), and when I watch the two of them, I’m mesmerized.
Marty Stuart is the hero country music doesn’t even realize it needs yet, just like Waylon was decades ago.
April 23, 2013 @ 11:03 am
I have been a huge fan of Marty Stuart for a long time. Discovered his RFD TV show and now DVR it regularly. Yes, the show is a throwback to Hee Haw and Porter Wagner, but it has great musicians and guests, Merle Haggard will be on this season’s final show and it will be an hour. (at least at the taping they said an hour special) After attending his Late Night Jam at the Ryman the night before CMA Music Festival, it’s on my annual “must attend” list. The music festival won’t be. I LOVE his commitment to preserving the history of country music. I agree with you Trigger that his last album was the best of the year, next to Kellie Pickler. I do all I can to help introduce his music to people.
April 23, 2013 @ 3:08 pm
Hey everybody,
If you’re Marty Stuart fan — as I am — you really owe it yourself to listen to his three-hour get together with WSM’s Eddie Stubbs: http://www.wsmonline.com/watch-listen/eddie-stubbs-show/
Highly recommended.
Dave
April 23, 2013 @ 11:31 pm
Thanks for the reminder Dave, I completely meant to put that link into this article. I will add it now.
April 23, 2013 @ 3:16 pm
Marty Stuart is the man. I love his music and I love what he’s doing for country music. I watch the rerun of his show every Sunday right before I go to church. Can’t think of a better way to start my Sundays.
October 22, 2014 @ 10:30 am
i love what he has doing to keep country alive . I am 47 years old and have always. Loved the roots of country music . From Bob Wills to Tammy Wynete . I am a. Huge. Fan odd George Strait , Alan Jackson as well .
April 24, 2013 @ 12:05 pm
Marty is a fake. If you can’t see that then you’re blind. He is an imitator and a poseur. He procured items for his collection from families of dying legends on loan and would keep them despite being asked for them back. Anyone who has real soul and talent in Nashville knows what a fake shithead he is.
April 24, 2013 @ 1:30 pm
That is an opinion, and one you’re only willing to give anonymously. I have personally spoke to 90-year-old country music performer Don Maddox of the Maddox Brothers & Rose, and specifically about how Marty came about owning the band’s colorful uniforms that are given credit for inspiring Elvis, Nudie, and others, and that are now on display at the Country Music Hall of Fame on loan from Marty as part of their Bakersfield Sound exhibit. Don is nothing but complimentary of Marty, and is glad Marty is in possession of the suits instead of them going to someone else who would not have as much of a civic attitude towards displaying and preserving them. Like all collectors, I’m sure Marty is proud of his collection. I don’t know the story of how he came about each item, and I wouldn’t be surprised if friends or family of certain performers feel they deserve the items more than he does. That’s the way these things commonly go. But what I don’t understand is how it benefits Marty to spend his money hoarding country collectibles most of the American public doesn’t care about instead of paying publicists and labels to push his music and keep him in the public eye if the point of what he’s doing is to push his cult of personality….a personality that an extremely small percentage of the American public even know exists, and only that is because of a few hits in the 90’s.
April 24, 2013 @ 12:11 pm
Hey Ward, I’m a Meridianite as well, so I reckon we get to claim Marty as a hometown hero. As for the comment about Marty not having any young guys on the show, I’d point out that the first time I heard Justin Townes Earle was on The Marty Stuart Show.
Now if only I could pick like the Scarfed One, or pull off wearing one of those outfits from Nudie’s Rodeo Tailor, I’d be set.
April 25, 2013 @ 4:14 pm
Never was much of a Marty fan back when he was having hits, but now as I approach 40 I’m a big fan of his show. He has a good mix of guests, even if they do skew older. A lot of his older guests would get zero airtime this decade if not for his show. Remember when Charlie Louvin was on not long before he passed away? That was really swell.