Marty Stuart addressed his Ryman Auditorium audience late Wednesday evening: "The main thing you need to hang with me on the Late Night Jam is an open mind," he said. "You never know what it going to happen up here, but you know it's going to be good."

For his Late Night Jam, Stuart booked Native American dancers, bluegrass musicians, honky-tonk singers, upstarts and legends, and wound up with a lineup that should rank as the most diverse and intriguing of the CMA Music Festival week/weekend. We've already covered the "diverse" part. As for intriguing, anytime you have Tanya Tucker on stage after midnight, that's something to see. Plus, the Oak Ridge Boys performed a cover of the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army." Also, Canadian troubadour Corb Lund, hard-charging family band Cherryholmes and virtuoso group the Greencards all shone.

The highlight of the evening, though, may have been an appearance from the Martin Brothers, a duo of 8-year-old Kell Martin and 11-year-old guitar wiz March Martin. These kids are the sons of Stuart's bass man in the Fabulous Superlatives, Paul Martin. They're also the grandsons of Oak Ridge Boy Duane Allen and of Nora Lee Allen (of the Carol Lee Singers). Kill and March performed with their father and with mom Jamie Allen and received a standing ovation. Then March fired off some nice lead guitar lines with Stuart and the Superlatives on a version of "La Tingo Tango."

By Peter Cooper