Mother Knows Best

"My mama is the one who loved me and trusted me with this career," says Marty Stuart. "In a sense, I feel like she's a partner and I want her to know it."

While growing up, Marty and his family lived in Philadelphia, Mississippi where, he says, "Mama saw I didn't have a family business to get into." So at 13, Marty left home with Flatt's band.

Sixty-year-old Hilda Stuart remembers the 1973 decision to let him pursue his dream. "It was tough," she says, "but when I knew he had that much talent, I had to look beyond and think about what was best for him."

"It took a lot or faith, love and trust to turn me loose," Marty says, "to let me ride a Trailways bus to Nashville and then let me stay."

Marty rarely "stays" in one place these days. But when he's out on the road or at home in Nashville (where the Stuart family relocated), Marty talks to his mama once or twice a day, especially if he's heard a funny joke.