Party Time: Marty Stuart

The Joint Was Jumpin'

It's the "Hillbilly Rock" and it's what attracted almost 1,000 Marty Stuart fans to his fan club party held at the Opryland Hotel's luxurious Adams Ballroom.

One of Marty's faithful followers, Glenda Rummell of Paris Ohio, explained to Country Weekly just why the Marty Stuart Fan club remains one of the largest in country music. "He's so talented," she said, eyes sparkling. "We all just love him to death." Having seen over 175 Marty Stuart performances, she rightfully considers herself one of the most loyal of the more than 15,000 plus members.

"He gave me the shirt he wore on the cover of the Love And Luck album. It was the nicest and best thing that's every happened to me," said the Marty Stuart-dubbed "Biscuit Queen," due to the fact that she's brought Marty fresh-baked biscuits to nearly every one of the 175 performances she's seen.

During the event, Marty hosted a Marty Stuart Trivia Game with questions like "what and where his tattoo is," "what he was nicknamed when he played guitar with Johnny Cash's band," "the color of his Cadillac" and "the name of his very first single." The winner was rewarded with a cardboard stand-up of the star. "A stand-up of me ain't near as much trouble as I am," joked Marty as he handed over the prize.

A short question-and-answer period followed allowing fans to ask personal questions like what type of hair products Marty uses (Aveda) to whether or not he can yodel (after an unsuccessful attempt, the answer was "no, I guess not."). Marty was sometimes shocked, but always amused and usually answered the questions with pleasure.

But the best part of the party was being witness to what Marty Stuart does best--grabbing his guitar and letting go, which is what he did for the better part of an hour. "If you've got something you wanna hear, holler it up and we'll do it," Marty said as the concert began.

After performing his latest single, "If I Ain't Got You," Marty invited a special friend, Benny Webb from Denham Springs, Louisiana, onstage to dance the "Hillbilly Rock" and close the show. At the end of the song, Marty stripped off his custom-made Manuel jacket and handed it to Benny as a gift for being such a longtime and faithful friend.

As the Paul Kennerley-penned song sung by Marty says, "They've got the juke joint jumpin', with their car clothes on, the whole place is shakin', there's something going on."

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