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MARCH 2018 Volume 49 Number 3 Issue 577
Editor Duncan Warwick
Contributors David Allan , Janet Aspley , Donnie Ayers , Craig Baguley , Larry Delaney , Don Cusic , Julie Flaskett , Kelly Gregory , Michael Hingston , Tony Ives , Spencer Leigh , John Lomax III , , Douglas McPherson , Stephen O ’ Hanlon , Roland Purdy , Adrian Peel , Paul Riley , Wayne Smart , Chris Smith , Alison Stokes , Tom Travis , Walt Trott , Jack Watkins
Assistant editor / Special projects coordinator Kelly Gregory
Photographers Helen Parish , Patricia Presley , Ian Tilbury , Barry Dixon , Billie McAleer
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News
Marty Museum
N
o one ever worked harder to promote their career than Marty Stuart has , and with such a talented better half as Connie Smith at home , the pressure mounts . She ’ s already a Country Music Hall of Famer . So now Stuart ’ s stepping up to open a combination museum and theatre in his birthplace , Philadelphia , Miss ., that ’ ll house his vast collection of country music paraphernalia and promote live performances , when it opens in three years . Reportedly , the Magnolia State will ante up $ 2 million for the project , as Stuart seeks further private funding . Mississippi has produced some sterling stars on the music scene , including Jimmie Rodgers , Elvis Presley , Conway Twitty , Charley Pride , Tammy Wynette , B . B . King , Bo Diddley and Muddy Waters .
Marty , now nearing 60 , toured in his youth with the likes of Lester Flatt and Johnny Cash , all the while developing a deep respect for roots music . This prompted a desire for “ collecting ” costumes , instruments , music and whathave-you , artefacts now numbering some 20,000 . His collection includes such mementos as Patsy Cline ’ s boots ; Hank Williams ’ handwritten lyrics ; and a suit from Cash , The Man In Black . Stuart ’ s Sparkle & Twang collectibles have already been exhibited in museums like the Tennessee State Museum , Graceland in Memphis , and Cleveland , Ohio ’ s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame .
Initially , Cash ’ s Columbia label signed Marty in the mid-1980s , when mainly known as Johnny ’ s son-in-law ( husband to Cindy Cash ). After managing only a Top 20 tune Arlene , and five follow-ups that tanked , he found himself freshly divorced and out shopping another label . Thanks to MCA ’ s assist , Stuart scored high marks in the early ’ 90s , via singles Hillbilly Rock , Little Things and Tempted , enhanced by smash follow-up duets with Travis Tritt : The Whiskey Ain ’ t Workin ’, and This One ’ s Gonna Hurt You ( For A Long , Long Time ). There was another solo success , Burn Me Down , but come Christmas ’ 92 , he found only coal in his stocking , as his year-end disc ,
Walt Trott in Nashville Duncan Warwick in London
High On a Mountain Top , couldn ’ t climb higher than # 24 . Thus , out of 33 charted Billboard entries , Stuart totalled six Top 10s . Nonetheless , he hung in there and over the next 25 years , kept his name in the news - not always favourably - while fronting an acclaimed band The Fabulous Superlatives , boasting “ hillbilly ” panache , balanced on a cutting edge . There were occasional albums , The Marty Party Hit Pack , Honky Tonkin ’ s What I Do Best , Live At The Ryman , tours , and besides being an archivist , he became a photographer of note , snapping shots of fellow craftsmen , images heightened by an insider ’ s insight .
In recognition of multiple talents , Marty earned three Grammys , and in 1992 an invite to become a WSM Grand Ole Opry cast regular . In 2008 , the RFD- TV network presented The Marty Stuart Show , a half-hour showcase spotlighting Smith , The Superlatives and Eddie Stubbs , emcee , for six seasons . Last summer , as Connie ’ s Top 10 Ain ’ t Love A Good Thing best define it , she and Marty marked their 20th anniversary .
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