The Rock of Marty Stuart / Ep. 58

Marty Stuart rocked the country radio in the early 90s and albums that blended Steve Earle-esque country rock with badass guitar playing and a nod to traditional country.

In this episode, we take a listen to the trajectory of Marty's music. Traditional country to modern country to where his music lives now: as rock music.  

Did that really happen?

Stuart has more than 20 studio albums, has charted more than 30 times on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, won five Grammy Awards, and is an engaged member of the Grand Ole Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame. 

It is a fascinating truckload of music.  Let's go.

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NOTES:

The Fabulous Superlatives, Marty Stuart's band since 2002, includes Stuart on guitar and mandolin, Kenny Vaughan on guitar, and Harry Stinson on drums, and from 2002 until 2008, Brian Glenn on bass. From 2008 until 2015, Paul Martin was on bass. In 2015, Chris Scruggs replaced Paul Martin on bass, and also played steel guitar. Every member sings.

Stuart's guitars also include "Clarence", a two-tone Fender Telecaster, once owned by Clarence White. This instrument is the original B-Bender guitar, built and designed by White and Gene Parsons (Byrds) in 1967, to allow the guitarist to manually raise the guitar's 'B' string one whole step to play in a style similar to a pedal steel guitar.

Stuart bought the guitar in 1980 from White's widow.  

Mavis Staples of the Staple Singers gave one of her father "Pops" Staples' guitars to Marty Stuart after Pop's death. "My father was Marty's godfather. My sisters and I took him in as our brother. He's the only one that I've heard who -- when he's playing guitar, sounds like Pop. He can play just like him."