Marty Stuart

WSMF-FM July Festival - Indianapolis, IN

Marty Stuart is one of the most respected people in country music. When it comes to style, Marty stands out among his Nashville peers with his funky hair and glitzy jackets. But its his own "hillbilly music with a thump," as he puts it, that has earned Stuart his own niche in the Nashville scene.

His journey to stardom has been as unique as his rhinestones. With roots in bluegrass music, Marty began his professional career at age 13 when he began touring with the legendary Lester Flatt. When Flatt died in 1979, Stuart spent six years as lead guitarist in Johnny Cash's band and became a first-rate session player in Nashville studios. "Bluegrass is where I started," he says, "and there's something about bluegrass that's always been a part of me and always will. Playing it always makes me feel better."

Marty's solo career did not really begin to soar until his third album, Hillbilly Rock, was released in 1989. His follow-up, 1990's Tempted, spawned four country hits--"Little Things," "Till I Found You," "Tempted" and "Burn Me Down"--and established him as a hot up-and-comer.

The year that catapulted Marty's career, however, was 1992 when he released This One's Gonna Hurt You and embarked on the highly successful "No Hats" tour with pal Travis Tritt. That same year, he was made a member of the Grand Ole Opry--over twenty years since the first time he performed on its stage at age 13--and received a pair of Grammy Awards, one for his duet with Tritt on "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'."

Luck has continued to be on his side in the last year with the release of Love And Luck, which earned him another Grammy nomination. He made numerous TV appearances in 1994 including CBS' The Roots of Country: Nashville Celebrates The Ryman, a one-hour star-studded tribute of which Marty served as host and musical director. The most recent of Stuart's accomplishments include the February airing of The Marty Party, the first of four TNN specials.

If you have never been to a Marty Party, you are in for a treat on July 4. Over the years, he and his band, The Rock 'n' Roll Cowboys, have earned the reputation for putting on one of the most exciting live shows in country music. "Basically," says Marty, "all we are is a revved-up 21st century Saturday night string band. We're that Saturday night bunch of boys who come into town, tear down the barn, and have some fun."

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