Marty Stuart and Studio B

If the different branches country music could spawn a love child, I'm pretty sure that Marty Stuart would be the offspring. It seems like Marty Stuart has been around this genre forever, and in a way, he has. It's tough to find an artist who can tell the stories that Marty Stuart can. He got his start touring and playing bluegrass with Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs as a teenager in the 1970's, before moving on to mainstream country music in the 1980's. He was once married to one of Johnny Cash's daughters, and broke through with chart success and significant album sales from the late 1980's to the mid-1990's.

While Marty hasn't been a force on the mainstream country music charts in recent years, he remains one of country music's most important figures. He is a member who appears regularly on the Grand Ole Opry. A devout historian of the music, over the years Marty Stuart has amassed quite possibly the most impressive collection of artifacts relating to the history and origins of country music outside of the Country Music Hall of Fame. His collection is so great, he often receives calls from the Hall to donate items for display. When Marty has the great honor of inducting a new member to the Grand Ole Opry, you can feel the deep appreciation, love and affection that he has for the Opry and the genre as a whole.

With his charting singles and recording for major record labels behind him, Marty now freely records the material he wants to record and promotes all the branches of country at his leisure. With his recent Sugar Hill Records release, Ghost Train -- The Studio B Sessions, Marty makes a triumphant return with this excellent project. The album has got Marty back on the radio with Americana stations gladly playing cut after cut from this magnificent album. This project is vintage Marty. He successfully marries the most traditional themes of country music, such as love, death, prison and hope. If you've read my Taboo Topics post, this album covers everything I said was lacking in modern country music. This album is a throwback to the old days and it sounds as fresh and modern as can be.

Marty is one of the rare artists who uses his touring band, The Fabulous Superlatives, in the recording studio. The result is an authentic live-sounding album. Marty and the Superlatives are all class A musicians, true experts in their field. Ever the historian, Marty recorded the album in the historic RCA Studio B which is the home to some of the greatest and most important recorded music in history. Elvis Presley recorded there. So did Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Eddy Arnold, Charley Pride and on down the line. Marty Stuart successfully restores the old studio to its former glory and its original purpose. RCA Studio B is now primarily a tourist attraction, part of a tour package where fans can walk through following their time viewing the Country Music Hall of Fame.

There are many key cuts to this album. The lead track, Branded, brings back memories of some of Merle Haggard's earliest hits such as The Fugitive and Sing Me Back Home. Bridge Washed out is another highlight for me, all musicians are at the top of their game on this track and Marty's voice is as strong as ever. There are also many poignant moments on this record. The great steel guitar player who gave Waylon's records such a unique sound, Ralph Mooney, contributes on three tracks, most notably the song he co-wrote, Crazy Arms. Crazy Arms was a monstrous hit for the legendary Ray Price. Marty performs with his wife, Connie Smith, on I Run to You. Perhaps the most important track on the album is Hangman. Marty Stuart co-wrote this song with Johnny Cash. As fate would have it, Hangman is the last song that Johnny Cash would write, as he passed away shortly after its completion.

Marty Stuart continues to impress. He may not have as many radio hits as most of his contemporaries who came along in the 1980's/1990's. But make no mistake. His contribution to country music, Americana, roots, bluegrass and alt-country and the development of those genres cannot be measured or understated. He is an important figure in this history of this music. The day will come where the Country Music Hall of Fame will not be calling just to borrow some the artifacts in his extensive collection. They will be calling to tell him that he will be taking his place alongside his peers, friends and heroes as a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

To learn more about Marty Stuart, his music, and to sample the Ghost Train -- The Studio B Sessions album, please go to:

www.martystuart.net

To learn more about other Sugar Hill Records artists, such as Sam Bush, Joey and Rory, and the Infamous Stringdusters, please go to:

www.sugarhillrecords.com

To learn more about the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, please go to:

www.countrymusichalloffame.org