Even More News
Marty participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Country Music Hall of Fame on June 17, 1999. He brought along Jimmie Rodger's guitar that was used on the Bristol recording sessions and gave a particularly moving speech. Details and photos can be found here. Marty is also honorary chairman of the Artists Division of the fundraising efforts.
Marty headed to Washington, DC and performed with an orchestra for a gala honoring Mississippi artists on May 23, 1999 at the Kennedy Center.
The May 8, 1999 issue of Billboard Magazine reviewed Marty's new single, "Red, Red Wine and Cheatin' Songs." According to Chuck Taylor, "Marty Stuart has always occupied a unique niche in the country music community. He serves as a bridge between the genre's past and present. More than any other current artist, he has a sense of the music's roots and traditions (knowledge that no doubt comes from having left home to go on the road with his heroes while in his early teens). While he is a critic's darling, his role as country's missing link" has often proved a commercially difficult road. With this single, however--the first release from his concept album, "The Pilgrim", due June 15--Stuart skillfully delivers a single that is a tribute to country's best traditions yet is also commercially accessible. Programmers should have no trouble playing this radio-friendly, uptempo tune. Stuart has never sounded better vocally, and his production is right on target. This should find a comfortable home on country playlists and should whet appetites for the albums."
From Maria-Elena at Marty's office:

In the coming weeks, Marty will be adding his vocals to 'Riding On A Dream,' co-written with Kostas for the soundtrack album to Daddy & Them. Dwight Yoakam and Sheryl Crow have already put their vocals on the track which Marty co-produced with Pete Anderson. The film stars Ben Afleck, Andy Griffith, Jamie Lee Curtis and Music City's very own John Prine.

The May 11, 1999 issue of Country Weekly's Country Notes featured snippets on Marty and Connie:

Marty Stuart gives autographs -- and he gets 'em. "I'm one of the biggest fans country music has," Marty tells Country Weekly. "Every time a song comes on the radio, I hope I like it so I can be the singer's fan. And I've always collected autographs. I have about 300 -- everybody from Jimmie Rodgers to Garth Brooks.

"The first autograph I ever got was Minnie Pearl when I was 5 years old. She came through my hometown in Mississippi on a tour promoting a guy running for governor. She came into the bank where my mom worked. Of course, my mom knew I love country music, so she got me Minnie's autograph. Minnie spelled my name 'Martie.' "

* * * * *

Marty's wife, Grand Ole Opry songbird Connie Smith can really dish it out. Connie divulged more than just recipes when she served as the celebrity chef during a cooking demonstration at Nashville's Southern Women's Show. After providing tips on making her signature seven-layer salad, she fielded questions from the crowd.

"What is Marty's favorite dish?" an audience member asked. Without missing a beat, Connie laughed and answered, "I'd like to think I am!"
WSIX-FM Radio in Nashville featured Marty's new single, "Red, Red Wine and Cheatin' Songs" as their "new music" song for April 26, 1999. After it finished playing, morning DJ Gerry House took six comments on the song. Two people (who have no idea what they are talking about) said it was "awful" and "please don't play it again." Two people "liked" the song, with one adding "I like anything Marty Stuart sings" and another one saying "I thought it was good and country. It made me want to dance." The smartest call of the bunch said, "Incredible! That's the first and only time I've ever heard a honky tonk shuffle waltz. Beautiful!" Personally, I LOVE the song!
Marty performed on the Grand Ole Opry on Friday, April 23, 1999 in the 7:30 p.m. (CT) segment. He brought along special guest Earl Scruggs who picked "John Henry--The Steel Drivin' Man" with Marty playing mandolin. Next, Brad Davis, Josh Graves, Glen Duncan and Gary Scruggs joined in for "Salty Dog" and "Foggy Mountain Breakdown." Porter Wagoner invited Marty to sing "Misery Loves Company" with him. The duet was wonderful!
Fan club prez, Jodee Stocki, shares this with us:

"Wednesday (4/21/99) night I attended a listening party at the Boundry in Nashville for Marty and The Pilgrim hosted by MCA. I felt so privileged to be asked to attend but I did think of all of you, the fans, while I was there. You all would have enjoyed this the most.

This is how the evening went. Bruce Hinton, President of MCA, presented Marty with a Gold Record Plaque for The Hit Pack. YEA!! Next, Tony Brown spoke about Marty's longevity with MCA and his brilliance concerning The Pilgrim. I quote, "This is the best album that MCA has ever put out." Quite a compliment. Then Marty spoke. He has such a way of telling a story to a crowd that everyone there thought that he was talking directly to them. He told the story of how The Pilgrim came about from the beginning. He also told about how he incorporated the additional singers and players and why he chose them. Then we listened to the entire CD while we snacked on elegant finger foods. Each song ended with applause, the strongest applause coming after 'Red, Red Wine and Cheatin' Songs,' 'Sometimes the Pleasure's Worth the Pain,' 'Reasons' and 'Draggin' Around These Chains of Love.' In the end, I was very happy for Marty. He deserves this recognition and all that will come in the future."
From Brad Schmitt's column on The Tennessean's website, "HERE'S HOW I CAN MAKE SOME EXTRA BUCKS: That faboo musician Marty Stuart has a new CD coming out, The Pilgrim, and apparently some free-lance writer has found a way to make some money out of this.

MCA Nashville sent out lovely press kits and advance CDs, and one free-lance decided to auction his/her copy on the Internet. The bids got up to $150 before MCA asked the free-lancer to cease and desist.

(I'll sell ya mine for only half that...)"

[Note: I've offered Brad the $75. Let's see if he takes it!]
June Carter Cash's new album, Press On, has been released on Small Hairy Dog/Risk Records. Marty joins June on a song called "Diamonds In The Rough." According to June, "Marty Stuart, at a family function years ago, was playing music with us - John said I could have any guitar player I wanted for my band. I chose Marty. He is a true traditional picker."

"Marty Stuart said to me, 'Why don't you sing that one Carter Family song for me that I love so much, 'Diamonds in the Rough?' And I said, 'Sure I'll be glad to do that for you,'" she recalled. "I didn't even know that was going to be a record. I sang it one time and didn't even put the last verse in there, and they said, 'That's it! That's it!' That was the first record we cut."
Marty and the Rock & Roll Cowboys performed on the world-famous Grand Ole Opry on Saturday, April 17, 1999. They performed "Hobo's Prayer" on the early show in memory of Boxcar Willie who recently passed away. On the second show, they performed "Red, Red Wine and Cheatin' Songs." Both songs appear on Marty's new album.
Marty joined an all-star cast of performers on April 6, 1999 to honor Johnny Cash. Marty hosted a concert segment devoted to Johnny's gospel music contribution and was joined by the Fairfield Four for a performance of Belshazzar, a gospel song written and recorded by Johnny during his early days at Sun Records. "He represented mystery to me," says Marty of Johnny's early influence on his music. "He was the kind of guy who could take your hand and walk you into the cowboy world or the Indian world or the prison world or the Jesus world. He was a communicator between a lot of worlds."

"The one accomplishment he may feel under recognized for is his role as a gospel singer. From day one, he's been very vocal about the fact that through his affiliation with every label he's recorded for, he's tried to be a gospel singer. In his heart of hearts, I think that's what he really longs to be."

Marty, who played in Johnny's band and was married briefly to Johnny's daughter Cindy, regards him as a surviving folk hero who'll be remembered long after other artists have been forgotten. "In just about any pocket of American culture, he's mentioned and mentioned with esteem, I really do think he is the guy, concerning what we do -- playing country music -- most qualified to shut out the lights on the 20th century around here."

Don't be surprised if you're walking down Lower Broadway in Nashville and a contraption with spinning scrub brushes rolls up and Marty says "Step aside, please." It's just the Nashville Downtown Partnership's "Green Machine" -- a sidewalk sweeper that looks like a cross between an ice rink Zamboni and a riding lawn mower. The $27,000 vehicle actually is red because it was special-ordered that way. It's part of the Downtown Partnership's new Operation NeatStreets program to clean up litter and graffiti. Soon, the voice of Marty, Nashville's official tourism ambassador, will be added to ask pedestrians to clear the way.
The "coffee table" book of Marty's photographs is a done deal. Rutledge Hill Press is publishing a book of Marty's photographs and it will be out sometime later this year. In order to make this book a success, you need to let everyone know that it's coming out. Won't it make wonderful Christmas presents? The publisher is currently picking out the photos that will be going in the book. They have the working title.

L-R: Governor Kirk Fordice; Marty, Pops Staples; and David Haley, VP of National Promotion, MCA Nashville 		Marty is one of nine recipients of the Mississippi Governor's Excellence in the Arts Artist's Achievement Award. A resolution introduced by State Senator Terry L. Jordan commended and congratulated Marty on the award. Click here to read the resolution Mississippi Governor Kirk Fordice presented the award to Marty on March 19, 1999.
Marty and the Rock & Roll Cowboys performed on the Grand Ole Opry Friday March 12 and Saturday March 13, 1999. Review and pictures from the Friday night show are on the website. LaDonna Cable shares her review and photos from Saturday night.
The release date of Marty's new album The Pilgrim has been pushed back to June 15, 1999.
The nominations were announced on March 8 for the Academy of Country Music awards. Marty's song "Same Old Train" is nominated in the Top Vocal Event category. He could actually win TWO awards as the award is presented to the performers and the producer of the song. Also nominated in the same category is "Burnin' The Roadhouse Down" by Garth Brooks and Steve Wariner, "If You See Him/If You See Her" by Brooks & Dunn and Reba, "Just To Hear You Say That You Love Me" by Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, and "No Place That Far" by Sara Evans and Vince Gill. The awards will be presented during a CBS TV special on May 5, 1999.
From Maria-Elena at Marty's office: Fan club president, Jodee Stocki, put together a surprise "Congrats on the Grammy" picnic luncheon for Marty on March 2, 1999. "Needless to say, the last thing Marty expected to see today was a procession of band/crew members bearing an assortment of culinary delicacies. Fellow Grammy winner, Pam Tillis also stopped by to add her congratulations (or could it have been just for the banana pudding?)"
From Stacy's Music Row Report: "Having been a booth announcer, I can tell you there is a little bit of an art to it, so you might expect that CBS and NARAS would want to select someone capable of seguing to commercials with the names of Grammy winners whose awards had been given prior to February's telecast. This was not so, as the presumably highly-paid announcer proceeded to announce that "Mary Stuart" was one of the country winners (with no correction nor apology to MARTY STUART later on in the program)!" Isn't it also true that Marty once had a passport that did indeed show his name as MARY STUART?
Marty has lent his voice (speaking and singing) to the upcoming animated film Tom Sawyer. Marty's the voice of Brother Ram--the preacher. His "character" also sings on the soundtrack. According to Marty, "You know what the world needs is another Hillbilly that can't act." Lee Ann Womack and Hank Williams, Jr. are also involved in the project. The movie should be released next year.
Congratulations to Marty! "Same Old Train" won the Grammy Award for Country Collaboration with Vocals. Also joining Marty in the win were Clint Black, Joe Diffie, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Patty Loveless, Earl Scruggs, Ricky Skaggs, Pam Tillis, Randy Travis, Travis Tritt and Dwight Yoakam. This category had some stiff competition--Vince Gill and Patty Loveless, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Reba and Brooks & Dunn, and Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks. WAY TO GO MARTY! Check out the pictures! Marty was also nominated for Best Country Instrumental Performance for "Reuben's Train" from Merle and Doc Watson's album Home Sweet Home.
Marty has finished his new album, The Pilgrim. The word on the street is this album is a knock-out. Listen for the vignettes between the songs which tie the album together. Whether radio embraces this music remains to be seen, but I think every fan of country music needs to hear this album. June 1999 cannot come soon enough for Marty's fans.
Check out Marty singing "Smoke, Smoke, Smoke That Cigarette" off the Hi-Lo Country soundtrack. Marty and Rock and Roll Cowboy Gary Hogue produced several songs on the album. I understand Marty has a bit part in the movie.
From Brad Schmitt's column in the January 19, 1999 edition of The Tennessean:

"Marty Stuart's been keeping busy with a new album expected in May. He was mixing last week with Neil Dorfsman, an engineer who has worked with Bruce Springsteen and Sting. And Neil's also produced some tracks for Dire Straits.

Also giving Marty an assist was Pam Tillis who sang harmony on several songs. Other help came from Ralph Stanley and Emmylou Harris.

This'll be Marty's first album in three years. Oh, but that's not all. Marty continues to work on the soundtrack for Billy Bob Thornton's upcoming movie, Daddy and Them, co-starring John Prine. That film'll be out in September."
From 1998
The Country Music Hall of Fame is looking for big-money sponsors to help fund the new Hall of Fame, set to move from Music Row to downtown Nashville. Gaylord Entertainment has donated $1 million to lay claim to a series of multimedia exhibits on the second floor of the proposed building. Included in this section will be the Marty Stuart Collection, which will showcase country music memorabilia from his private collection, and the Owen Bradley Office exhibit. If a few million dollars is out of your reach, a mere $25,000 will get your name on the Art Department Offices.
Here are some tidbits Maria-Elena posted on Marty's AOL board: "In addition to harmony vocals by Pam Tillis, Marty's new project, The Pilgrim, will also showcase vocals by Emmylou Harris. You know, Marty's new album is sounding better and better and better all the time. The scoring for the movie Daddy and Them is almost complete. Remaining is an end credit duet between John Prine and Iris DeMent, which Marty will be producing."
This from Brad Schmitt's column in The Tennessean on December 10, 1998: "Billy Bob Thornton's in town, mm-hmm. The actor/director is here to work with Marty Stuart on the soundtrack for his upcoming movie, Daddy and Them, a dark romantic Southern comedy starring John Prine. Billy Bob and Marty struck up a friendship a couple of years ago, and now they have converted a Nashville music studio into a film soundtrack studio. They have TV monitors set up everywhere and musicians are playing along to rough cuts of the movie. Marty and his pal Travis Tritt laid down an instrumental track right before Travis played the sold-out WSIX Parade of Pennies show Tuesday night. Travis got to screen the movie in Billy Bob's hotel room late Monday night. Early word is that John Prine's acting is outstanding."
The Nashville soundtrack from "The Prince of Egypt" is getting a lot of attention. Marty and Pam Tillis wrote an incredible song for the album called "Milk and Honey Bound." From country.com: "I think the best songs just fall into place and they're sort of channeled," says Pam Tillis. "It was neat because Marty (Stuart, who produced Pam's "Milk and Honey") is a real spiritual person. We said a little prayer that our song would be anointed and we went to work. And also, Marty has a great little warehouse with all different kinds of cool memorabilia and instruments. So I used Mother Maybelle's old guitar and he had Johnny Cash's guitar from the 50's, and it made the whole project feel like real magic."

This album was certified gold on December 21, 1998.
From Maria-Elena at Marty's office: CBS News interviewed Marty as part of a 13-part series on the history of country music called "Century of Country Music." The series will begin airing in March 1999 and will incorporate an instrumental track of "Same Old Train" as its theme song. As a companion to this series, they are also preparing 52 "minutes" which will run independently of the series on TNN. These "minutes" are similar to those which CBS produced for the Bicentennial. Marty was one of the four hosts of these "minutes" which were taped at the Hall of Fame in October and will air throughout 1999.
Pam Tillis once again joins Marty singing harmony on "Red, Red Wine and Cheatin' Songs" and "Reasons" which Marty has recorded for his new album. Bluegrass music's legendary Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys also make an appearance on the album. Earl Scruggs also lends his bango/guitar talents to the album. Marty has spent the last 2-1/2 years writing songs for this album which will take listeners on a musical journey of country music from A. P. Carter's front porch to its present sound. It's slated for a June 1999 release.
On November 14, 1998's Opry Backstage, Marty mentioned he will begin working on the soundtrack to the movie "Daddy & Them." The Billy Bob Thornton movie will also star Andy Griffith, Jim Varney and Laura Dern. Sources say each of the Rock & Roll Cowboys had an opportunity to co-write with Marty on this project.
Marty makes an appearance on the new release "Pearls In The Snow--The Songs of Kinky Friedman" performing the song "Lady Yesterday." Also performing on the album are Lee Roy Parnell (who used to be a member of Kinky's band, the Texas Jewboys), Delbert McClinton Guy Clark, Lyle Lovett, Asleep at the Wheel, Willie Nelson and Dwight Yoakam. The album can be ordered through Kinky's website.
Connie's album was reviewed by Jay Orr, staff writer with The Tennessean. He says, "Produced by Smith's husband Marty Stuart and engineer-turned producer Justin Niebank, the new album seems crafted to fit her strengths. Few singers can ride a shuffle like she does in How Long, the opening track, You Can't Take Back a Teardrop or Just Let Me Know. Mostly, though, it's her singing, not the songs, that shines here. Listening to Connie Smith, it's easy to see why Warner Bros was ready to take a chance on her again. At 57, she still sings with the inimitable style that helped her earn stardom beginning in 1964 with Bill Anderson's Once a Day, and she still has plenty to offer as an artist." The album received three stars.

Connie co-wrote nine of the songs--eight with Marty (to whom she dedicated the album). Two of the Rock & Roll Cowboys played on this album as well--Steve Arnold and Gary Hogue. Former Hot Hillbilly Band member Larry Marrs is also featured on the album. There is not a bad song on this CD, so I'd advise you to pick up a copy NOW!
Marty and Connie were on hand at the induction of Merle Kilgore, Eddie Rabbitt and Kent Robbins into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on September 19, 1998. They sang a medley of Merle's songwriting hits including More and More, Wolverton Mountain, Johnny Reb and Ring of Fire.

This from CKRY-FM's website: "Next time you see Marty Stuart, check out his guitar. Several artists have been honored by instrument makers, who issue guitars in their style and under their signature. But Stuart is racking up his second guitar-maker. Country Song magazine reports Stuart is being honored with a Fender Signature Electric Guitar, and last year Stuart was honored with a Martin signature acoustic guitar also issued bearing his name."
The exhibit of photographs by photojournalist Ed Clark and Marty, called "Ed Clark's Photographic Legacy: The Music Lives On" was on display at The Arts Company in Nashville, TN the entire month of September. A reception for Ed and Marty took place on Thursday, September 10, 1998. Click here to read all about it.
The new IFCO Club House publication says Marty is producing two Floyd Tillman songs being recorded by Willie Nelson and Beck They also state Willie is in the movie Hi-Lo Country (Marty produced a few songs on the soundtrack album) which will be in theaters late Fall or early Winter.
Sony Music has a webpage for the "Tribute To Tradition" album being released on Columbia Records on September 22, 1998. Audio clips of the songs are included and there's even a short video of Marty talking about his song "Same Old Train." Click here to enjoy the sights and sounds of the "Tribute To Tradition" and make sure to buy the album. From the sound clips I heard, this is a first-class album and the music is outstanding. [Marty is pictured with Pam Tillis who performs on his song "Same Old Train." Other performers on the song include Clint Black, Joe Diffie, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Patty Loveless, Earl Scruggs, Ricky Skaggs, Randy Travis, Travis Tritt and Dwight Yoakam.]

From left to right: Margie Hunt, Sr. Director of Product Development, Sony Music Nashville; Mike Kraski, Sr. Vice President, Sales/Marketing, Sony Music Nashville; Marty Stuart; Blake Chancey, Vice President, A&R, Sony Music Nashville; Patsy Bruce, President/CEO, Patsy Bruce Productions Vice President, A&R, Sony Music/Nashville; and Bonnie Garner, Stuart's manager.

Marty made a visit to Sony Music's Nashville office to deliver the final mixed version of "Same Old Train." The collaboration is the final cut on the highly anticipated album from Columbia Records. Tribute To Tradition is slated for a September 22, 1998 release date. Marty wrote and produced the song exclusively for the project and enlisted help from some of country music's elite -- Clint Black, Joe Diffie, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Patty Loveless, Earl Scruggs, Ricky Skaggs, Pam Tillis, Randy Travis, Travis Tritt and Dwight Yoakam. Marty also performs on the tune. Tribute To Tradition is a collection of classic country songs recorded by today's contemporary country artists
Photo in banner taken by Mario Mattioli
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