Marty Stuart Joined Ed Clark at Nashville Tech Foundation Benefit

Marty is a regular visitor of the Art's Company owned by Nashville Tech's Dr. Ann Brown and took a strong liking to Ed Clark's photography. Marty expressed he would like to meet Ed and was told that he lives in Sarasota, FL. Marty was doing a benefit in Sarasota a few weeks later so he made arrangements to take Ed to lunch. Marty and Ed have been friends ever since. Last year after the first annual Ed Clark benefit, Dr. Brown was taking Ed to the airport and he suggested that for the next exhibition Marty should join him. As you can figure, Marty accepted the invitation to show his work with Ed's. "Marty's a solid photographer with an excellent eye--that's why I invited him to be a part of this year's special event," stated Ed.

Some of Ed's photographs that we all have seen are of Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell, John F. Kennedy, Al Capone and Minnie Pearl. His most influential picture that I remember is of a parade commemorating the 37th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution in the Red Square. He was not allowed to photograph the parade because of the military equipment so he returned to his hotel. It was to Ed's advantage, for his window had a great view of Red Square and he got his pictures. In 1955, any foreign media was scrutinized severely in the U.S.S.R.

Marty has been taking photographs for over 25 years as a hobby and is very proud to have his work displayed with Ed's. I personally found Marty's photography to be of distinctive talent and mixed well with Ed's work. Marty's modern offstage look at country music icons like himself are a rare find to be seen by the public. "Photography is a hobby to me done from the perspective of shooting snapshots at a family reunion. I've always loved documenting. The people I play music with I've been fortunate to work in the presence of some masters in music. Ed Clark is in the same league. His guitar just happens to be a camera," Marty states. Marty's picture of Jerry Lee Lewis was exceptionally entertaining to many, but the picture of Tammy Wynette in a candid atmosphere will surely make a mark in photographic history.

The evening was enjoyable and provided great entertainment that I will remember. I always look forward to this event. Nashville State Technical Institute is truly grateful to all those who brought the event together this year. Ed Clark's Photographic Legacy: The Music Lives On is sponsored by the Nashville Tech Foundation in cooperation with The Art's Company, Gobbell Hays Partners, Inc., Athlon Sports, and the Frist Foundation.

Article written by David Cawthon, Editor

(The Falcon is the newspaper for Nashville State Technical Institute)