Marty Stuart

All quotes by Marty Stuart.

(Marty explains why he has had a dramatic image makeover.)

At the end of my Travis Tritt / Marty Stuart Double Trouble tour, I came in off of that tour and I came off of that tour and I took all of my rhinestone coats and I hung ’em in my warehouse (where Marty has a vast, extensive collection of country and western memorabilia) I said,’Goodbye rhinestone cowboy, you’ve been a friend to me.

I’ve had fun but, that’s over and done with with.’ I mean there was a time when I needed anything in the world for folks to notice me (he laughs). There was a time when me and Dwight Yoakum and about to other old, Grand OLE Opry stars, where the only folks you could find wearing one of those coats. It was just to be different. Then, the last awards show I went to about three years ago, I counted 43 of ’em in the audience. So I thought, this is over with. I was starting to se me become “Marty Party”, that fun, blasting ball of energy and that was great and a whole lot of fun, and that’s very much a part of me but I also saw that it was time to really go underground and just to maintain. But I also though it was time to just shut up and listen and follow my heart and see where it lead me. Now as far as me doing those songs about fast cars, Saturday night, with a rockabilly edge, well that’s cool, but there’s no depth to it. So it was just simply time to,’ ‘Well, this my cost me my whole career, but I am going to reinvent myself.

(Marty talks about his relationship with his wife, Connie Smith.)

Being married to Connie is the ultimate blessing. When I wake up next to her and I look over at her, man that’s the ultimate blessing. The day is already way ahead. I’m usually not at a loss for words but, sometimes I find no words to describe how full my heart is concerning her. If this is what love’s about man, then I got it and I’m gone with it, because it’s great. Connie does her music when she wants to. She is the most reluctant star I’ve ever met in my life. I mean first and foremost, she loves her kids. Here’s Connie right here, if they were giving her a lifetime achieve award at the Kennedy Center and one of her kids stubbed their toe and needed stitches, she wouldn’t go. She’s gonna go take care of her baby (he laughs). So show biz ain’t what drives Connie.

(Marty Talks some more about his New Album and the changes he’s made with his music and his image and his career.)

There comes a time when you’ve got to just stop and say, ‘God, you are the creator of my gift and I really just need to get out of the way here and for once, just completely surrender and forget everything I’ve ever dreamed and everything I’ve ever wanted to do. Why don’t you just talk through me for once.’ You know that attitude just goes back to what Hank Williams once said, ‘I don’t write those songs, God writes ’em and I just hang onto the pen.’ That’s where this record (his new album) came from. The subtitle of this record really could be,” A Boy Learning To Love God”. Because I just really got out of the way and let Him talk.

There comes a time when you have to quit singing out of your pocketbook and go back to who and what you really are. Then you make your music and then you look back at it when it’s all said and done and you say, ‘You know, that don’t really look like what’s going on on the charts right now (he laughs).’ Those kind of things just really disappear and they just don’t matter. Now I know a few things about rock ‘n’ roll or country music or blues or Gospel music, I know what’s going to last. We have just about one hundred years of American music from the modern era in our country’s history and there’s a lot of country music that was made in the last 75 years of the history of country music that’s some really lasting stuff. It’ s heart and soul stuff.

Now, as far as I’m concerned and this current record, hey it’s great to have hit records, I need to have hit records, it makes business better. But the thing about it when it’s all said and done, when they shut the lights out around here on the 20th Century, you’re probably going to notice that Bill Monroe may be the most important man who ever walked through the gates of this city (Nashville). Because he came here with an original vision, it was fearless and it was never truly commercially accepted by the masses, but when you go to a bluegrass festival like I did this past weekend and you see kids twelve years old playing mandolin and old men 50, maybe 70 years old, still covering his songs, that covers all peoples and all nations. That’s because his music is the stuff that touches people in their heart and soul. It’s not about hype or trend.

(How does that affect Marty and his current situation?)

Well, because that’s what’s left of center, that’s what’s out of style and that’s what I long to be with my music. I mean, by the time I got through with this record, I didn’t l know if it was any good or not. It took three years for me to write it and it was the most intense period of my entire life, to record this record. It was a total joy to record it, but when I was through, I was totally wrung out. I was sick of the project, so then I realized that I must have been finished (he laughs). Then, once I put it away for a while and then I came back to it and listened to it, I was really proud of the way it had turned out. I think I’ve finally made a record that, if Hank Williams where to come back, I wouldn’t be ashamed to play it for him.