Marty Stuart: You're Invited To His New TV Party

The party's big enough to deserve Roman numerals: Travis Tritt, The Kentucky HeadHunters, fiddler Vassar Clements and Dobro picker Josh Graves co-star.

"Anything goes at a Marty Party," said Marty, whose The Marty Party Hit Pack album was released in March. "All my guests are like my brothers--and what's represented here is blues, bluegrass, country music and rock 'n' roll."

The second of the four-Party series was taped in February at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Its stage set depicts a surreal back porch scene. Beside the porch is a rigid alligator and a large rocket with his nose crashed into the floor.

"When you're jamming on my back porch, it's the same thing--all it takes is a few good songs and a whole lot of heart and soul," Marty declares. Among those songs are "Down Home" from Stuart, "The Whiskey Ain't Workin' " from Stuart and Tritt, "Ten Feet Tall and Bulletproof" from Tritt and "Dumas Walker" from the HeadHunters. Classic acoustic performances of "Flatt Lonesome" and "Blue and Lonesome" by Clements and Graves lend tradition to the evening's revelry, with the entire cast joining in.

Party is Marty's theme this year, and the fans are snapping up his invitations. The two-time Grammy Award winner followed up his first TV Party special, a honky tonking jam session staged at Nashville's Wildhorse Saloon, with the release of The Marty Party Hit Pack album. The album earned Billboard magazine's Greatest Gainer status in April for jumping from its No. 50 debut spot to No. 38. The album features two new cuts ("If I Can't Got You" and his current single, "The Likes of Me"); duets with Tritt ("The Whiskey Ain't Workin' " and "This One's Gonna Hurt You [For A Long, Long Time"]; and a collaboration with The Staple Singers ("The Weight").

The third TV Party, Marty Goes Rockin', is to be taped soon at TNN for summer viewing. Producer Fred Tatashore. said this show will be taped in an arena-type environment featuring multiple, stylized sets allowing the audience to join in.

"Marty's taste in country music covers a wide range of styles, and so does his appreciation for parties," Tatashore said, "which is why The Marty Party special was created."

By Burt Brewer