XM, the nation’s leading satellite radio service with more than 8.2 million subscribers, today announced the launch of a new, weekly show hosted by Marty Stuart. Debuting on Friday, October 5, “Marty Stuart’s American Odyssey” will expose fans to broad range of American music – including traditional country, blues, rockabilly, bluegrass, gospel and rock songs– with Stuart serving as host.

"American Odyssey will be an amazing adventure inside the musical walls of our cities. It’s theater and radio has always been great theater to me; I knew XM was where it belonged,” said Marty Stuart. “This will be a journey through America with a big smile.”

Each hour-long episode of “Marty Stuart’s American Odyssey” will focus on a different part of the country and bring the musical sounds and stories of that region to life through informal interviews with local musicians, stories, guests and a regular cast of studio and tour musicians.

A contemporary artist with a strong passion for country music’s history and traditions, Marty Stuart began his career in the country spotlight as a musical prodigy who at age 13 began touring with the bluegrass pioneer Lester Flatt and joined Johnny Cash’s band before he turned 20. After six years with Johnny Cash, Stuart – who plays guitar, bass, mandolin, and fiddle – became a sought-after session and concert musician, playing with the likes of Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, Randy Travis, and Roy Rogers. As a solo artist soon he has received one platinum album, five gold albums, four GRAMMY® awards, and is a member of the Grand Ole Opry, among other accomplishments.

New episodes of “Marty Stuart’s American Odyssey,” which airs Fridays at 8 a.m. ET on XM’s classic country channel “America” (XM 10), will also be available all day every Friday on “XMX” (XM 2), a recently launched channel that provides fans with XM’s most popular and critically-acclaimed original music shows all in one place. The XMX schedule is built around a ‘program of the day’ format designed to provide more opportunities to tune in anytime and listen to episode premieres or catch up on episodes from previous weeks or seasons.

“It’s a real honor to add ‘Marty Stuart’s American Odyssey’ to the roster of XM original music series,” said Eric Logan, executive vice president of programming, XM. “With seven dedicated country music channels, original programming that connects country fans their favorite artists, our announcement today further demonstrates our commitment to country all year long.”

XM will be showcasing its country music programming throughout October as part of Country Music Month. Highlights include original music specials featuring Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill, Brooks & Dunn, Jack Ingram, Kris Kristofferson and Bill Anderson, among others, and exclusive programming, including broadcast of the Big State Festival from the Texas World Speedway. Complete details on XM’s Country Music Month programming will soon be available online at http://www.xmradio.com.