Marty Stuart: Keeper Of the Twang

My love for country music started with the Bakersfield Sound--led by Buck Owens--a steadfastly independent offshoot of mainstream Nashville, also known as West Coast Country. As a kid in the late 60s and early 70s in Southern California, I had a little AM radio and often tuned into a local station that played all of the West Coast greats, as well as the popular fare coming out of Nashville. As I grew into my teens, I enjoyed the country rock sounds that were brewing through groups like the Eagles and psychedelic crazies like Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen and the New Riders of the Purple Sage.

That twang--that pure "Fender Telecaster into a Fender amp" sound isn't dead...by a long shot. It still lives through the efforts of my favorite country artists today, including Marty Stuart. Marty offers the down-home warmth and every-man songs that attract non-musicians as fans, along with wicked chops on guitar and mandolin, and a killer team of top-notch band mates that attract musicians like myself to his music.

I came across the following article by Peter Cooper in the Tennessean Sunday about Marty Stuart. Check out the sentiment that rings true not only with me, but with a host of others who follow Marty, his music, his Saturday night TV show, and his relentless passion to keep the twang alive.


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Remember Marty Stuart?

CMA big-stage popularity may elude him, but excellence doesn'’t
country singer Marty Stuart was a major label star in the 1990s.
But the poor guy hasn'’t had a Top 40 country hit in 15 years.

Fifteen years was seven albums ago. It was 1997, when Steve Jobs returned to Apple Computer and Princess Diana died, and Rebecca Black of “Friday” You-Tube fame was born (OMG!!!) and Sony Records released music from newly signed band The Dixie Chicks. Fifteen years ago is, as Darrell Scott later wrote for those same Dixie Chicks, “a long time gone.” And so Marty Stuart won’t be playing the big LP Field stage at this week’s CMA Music Festival, where the hot contemporary country stars frolic and wave. And Marty Stuart is signed to independent record label Sugar Hill, not a major. And his television show airs on RFD-TV, a channel some people don’t get and the ones who do get it may never find it. (We’re here to help: Comcast Channel 136, Dish Network Channel 231 and Channel 345 for DirectTV’ers.) The weird thing is, Marty Stuart is on a roll. He has spent the past decade not so much reinventing himself as whittling away at excess and artifice until he emerged at his sharpest and truest, most creative and, somehow, most successful. Check this out:

» He fronts the Fabulous Superlatives, a band that rivals or bests any other for virtuosity, immediacy, adaptability and entertainment value.

» His work as a producer has revived popular and critical interest in country legends Porter Wagoner and Connie Smith, the former of whom is his wife. Wait, make that the latter, not the former. I always get those confused. (Porter and Connie, I mean. Not latter and former. I know those like the back of my hand.)

» Though stuck way up in the triple digits of television receivers, Stuart’s RFD-TV show draws guests including Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton, Lyle Lovett, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Willie Nelson, Dierks Bentley, Ray Price, Merle Haggard and Emmylou Harris.

It’s also a rollicking showcase for Stuart, the Fabulous Superlatives, Smith, Leroy Troy and other regulars. “Musicians of every genre watch us, and it’s become one of the favorite shows to watch on rock ’n’ roll tour buses,” Stuart says. “We’'ve got hay bales and rhinestones, but I knew this could be a profound, Smithsonian-level document.”

» Stuart’s more than 20,000-item collection of country music memorabilia features Hank Williams’ boots, Jimmie Rodgers’ railroad lantern, the guitar on which Johnny Cash played “I Walk The Line” and thousands of other treasures.

» Stuart’s making the finest, most traditional music of his career, the latest evidence of which is the tremendous Nashville, Volume 1: Tear the Woodpile Down. “When I reconnected with traditional country music I found myself, my calling,” he writes in the album’s liner notes. “The job seemed to be to champion it, love it, protect it, care for its people, attempt to write a new chapter for it and to make sure that everybody understands that it’s alive and well in the 21st century.” Done, done, done, done, done and done.

» While not a part of CMA Music Festival proper, beginning in 2002 Stuart has headed the festival’s decidedly unofficial kickoff, Marty Stuart’s Late Night Jam at the Ryman Auditorium. “It’s the pirate ship of the week, and it was kind of a necessity,” he says. “When I started this, I knew that the big stage comes and goes, and I knew I didn'’t want to play a lesser stage. So I thought, ‘Let’s start our own show. And let’s try to offer the fan an alternative to everything else they’re going to see, and set it up as something different.’ And along with buying the ticket came the contractual handshake with the ticket buyer: You have to trust me.” The Jam has featured a dizzying roster of artists, many of whom haven’t appeared during the official CMA Fest.

Stuart has had Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famer Duane Eddy on stage with up-and-coming western swing the Quebe Sisters Band. He’s hosted Earl Scruggs and Shooter Jennings, Old Crow Medicine Show and The SteelDrivers, Cowboy Jack Clement and the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band.

This year’s jam includes Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives, Connie Smith & The Sundowners, Wynonna, Roger McGuinn (yep, same Roger McGuinn that led The Byrds), the Oak Ridge Boys, Grand Ole Opry star Stonewall Jackson and grass roots gospel quartet The Chuck Wagon Gang.

Will it be any good?

We’ll just have to trust the poor guy. 

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From the Tennessean's Peter Cooper, Sunday, June 3, 2012

My Digital Tennessean Newspaper

Newspapers throughout the world are failing, one by one. In an age where information can be had by the click of a mouse, daily newspapers have taken a major hit. If it were not for the quality and the special local features offered by our paper here in the Nashville area--The Tennessean--we would probably opt out of having a newspaper delivered to our driveway altogether.

The Tennessean now offers a finely constructed e-version of the paper, available on PC and Mac computers, and  iPads and Apple/ Android phones. In an attempt to stay relevant in this digital age, the 200-year-old paper (through numerous acquisitions and mergers in it's history) took a bold step: The middle-Tennessee newspaper publisher is offering this souped-up digital version in addition to it's print version, as a part of the monthly subscription price, recently raised to accommodate the new offerings . Many cities have already taken this big step toward the future--and survival--but unlike many other markets, big and small, the Tennessean has decided to forgo offering the e-version of the paper through outlets such as the Apple Sore and Amazon.com. Instead, they are going at it in an independent fashion: through their own website. The cool thing is, we can send a complimentary e-subscription to a limited number of non-newspaper subscriber friends and family; a great way to market this new digital platform to potential customers.

I appreciate the journalistic concept of a local paper. It is still important to document culture, the life of the community--it's special interest stories of folks who make a difference in our little world--apart from the national news that, many times, can overshadow the local market. Fifty years from now, because of the journalist's efforts here in middle-Tennessee, we will be able to search the archives for stories of the the lives, the little happenings, the joys, sorrows and achievements of the local folks we hold dear.

Because of the e-version of the paper, when I go to California in a few weeks, I'll still have The Tennessean at my fingertips when I wake up in the morning, via my iPad. Let's continue to support our local papers, lest they fade into oblivion.

A Day To Remember

This past week my dad has re-watched Ken Burns' "The War" on his computer. Throughout the week I sat and watched a few segments with him. I was reminded that my dad was a part of this great war, albeit on the younger side of the spectrum: he was just out of high school when he joined the Navy in 1944.

Tom Harvill, WWII

His time in the Navy took him everywhere but overseas. Because of his lousy eyesight, he stayed back stateside as a hospital corpsman, working hand-in-hand with the Marines in a hospital at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. 

I'm glad because I have my dad to this day, and he's reliving the music, the culture and seeing the young faces of people close to his age, frozen in time,  throughout the Ken Burns documentary. He's almost 86-years-old, and many of the young people in the photos from the PBS special are mostly gone by now, even if they lived to a ripe old age. My dad is one of the last of a dying breed referred to as the "Greatest Generation."

Today we celebrate the bravery, selflessness and determination of tens of thousands of soldiers--men and women, both young and old--who sacrificed their lives for our freedom, at home and abroad. My dad was one who served in two wars: WWII and the Korean War. Without the bravery of people like my dad, we might today be speaking Japanese, German or even Russian as our first language in America. 

We remember the fallen today, as well as those who survived and were fortunate enough to return home to tell about their harrowing experiences. God bless you all!

Thinking About My Purpose In Life

Once again I am inspired by my friend Dr. John Stanko and his thoughts on the subject of finding one's purpose in life. My life was changed when I sat in one of John's "purpose" seminars nearly twenty years ago. I was leading my own classes on worship at the same seminar, but when I had a break in the conference schedule, I was a student in his class. I am still a student as I receive his weekly "Monday Memo," where he continues to ruminate on the pursuit of purpose.

In this week's "Monday Memo," John continues with the third installment in a trio of related articles--the first being "Purpose Prayer," the second, "Purpose Food," and this final installment in the series, "Purpose Thoughts."

I  was particularly intrigued by thought #3, as it relates to pursuing one's purpose as a profession.  Which points speak to you?

THE THOUGHTS

1. Purpose is more relevant than when I began teaching it 20 years ago. Why?  Because there are more opportunities available today than back then. When there are so many things you can do, you must ask the question what it is that you should do more than ever.
2. The number one reason why more people don't know their purpose is because they don't ask and keep on asking until they get an answer.
3. The number two reason why more people don't know their purpose is because they try to figure out too quickly how they can make money from it. Thoughts about career, salary and benefits hinder or destroy emerging purpose thoughts.
4. The number three reason why more people don't know their purpose is because they are afraid, not of failure, but of success!  Meditate on that for a moment.
5. The younger generation is not as interested in purpose as I would have thought.  They are interested in service and meaning, which emanate from purpose.  But because they have seen purpose kidnapped by salary and career interests, they react to the concept of purpose for the wrong reasons.
6. Women continue to be the main consumers of my purpose message, probably because purpose was denied them for so long.
7. I still maintain that motherhood is a role and not a purpose - seldom is anyone's purpose defined in terms of serving or helping another person exclusively, unless that person has special needs due to a physical or mental challenge.
8. It is never too early or too late in life to pursue purpose.
9. When I reached my 50s, I thought my development was pretty much over, that I would do what I had been doing, hopefully a little better or for more money.  To my surprise, my 50s were my greatest growth years.
10. I get more questions and sometimes opposition when I teach about doing what you love and what gives you joy than anything else I teach.  That always surprises me.
11. When I started teaching purpose, I thought every church in the world (well, at least in the U.S.) would want their people to hear that message.  They have not and pastors continue to misunderstand and even oppose the purpose message.
12. If I could help churches get more volunteers to usher, work in the nursery or sing in the choir, I would be a busy and probably wealthy man.

My Love For the Stratocaster

Ever since I heard the opening riff to "Sweet Home Alabama", I was mesmerized by the pure, plucky tone of the Fender Stratocaster. Of course I saw the one Hendrix played in the Woodstock movie my mom took me to for my birthday. But I never connected with the Strat until I heard Ed King's iconic Skynyrd lick sometime in '73-'74. The epiphany made me "aware" and I heard the Strat popping-up all over the place with the Outlaws and "Hurry Sundown",  to the group Orleans and their string of hits while I was in high school. Jackson Browne always had a great Strat tone on his records.

As I have mentioned several times in the past, I was raised in the same city in which the Stratocaster was born: Fullerton, California. All the tones of the Strat that caught my attention originated in a factory not far from my home. I really didn't put two and two together until I moved out on my own, away from Southern California. I'm sad that there is only a small monument to Leo Fender and his factory, on a street corner, in front of a parking garage that sits in the place of one of the most important sites in rock and roll history; it's truly a shame--but that's progress.

When I was a teen, I wanted a Strat so bad. So my dad took me to a local music store in Anaheim where a young salesman convinced me to buy a Telecaster Deluxe model instead. I went home elated yet disappointed at the same time; this Tele Deluxe was a Fender, for sure, but it didn't have that single-coil sound at all. In fact, it had humbucker pickups--ones with tone common to the Gibson Les Paul. I played that Tele throughout high school, in dance bands and a few other gigs. But I still had that love and longing for the Strat sound.

Me & my first Strat, somewhere in Kentucky, circa 1982

I finally saved my money while on the road in 1980 to buy my first 70s-era Strat. It was hanging on the wall of a pawn shop in Columbus, Nebraska. I loved it, bought it and carried it with me to gigs all over the US and the world. I later sold it to acquire a Yamaha electric--similar to a Gibson 335, because the tones I was needing to copy for the gig at the time were from a humbucker-style guitar. I was an idiot--and clueless at the time. Oh, how I wish I had that old 70s Strat today.

I purchased an Eric Clapton signature Fender Strat in the 90s. It was a great guitar. I had to sell it years later to pay some bills. IDIOT again! I wish I still had it. I then put together a "Franken Strat" with castaway pieces from the Island of Lost Guitars. It was nowhere near the quality of my earlier Strats, but it sounded pretty cool. I have done hundreds of recordings and gigs since with that "Franken Strat." That's until I met John Scott.

My new Bluesman Vintage "'54 Sedan" Strat

John's guitar company, Bluesman Vintage, is located here in my current hometown of Spring Hill, Tennessee. His guitars are built to strict vintage standards, with date-appropriate designs of the particular era in which the Fender models originated--down to screw types, plastics and hardware. I love his early 50s Strat model and purchased a '54 Strat relic with minor wear and amazing D. Allen pickups (that's a whole other post!). John's guitars are newly built in his shop but are made to look as old as an original. The build of Bluesman Vintage guitars surpass those of the originals, due to modern techniques in stabilizing intonation, pickup innovation and just "plain ol'" love and care.

I'm loving my new Bluesman Vintage "54 Sedan" Strat. It's funny that I've come full circle and now have a great guitar manufacturer in my backyard again. I may have lost the opportunity to connect with the Fender of my youth, but John Scott and the Bluesman Vintage crew have remedied that!

Gray Hair

Brenda has been reading articles about injecting newness into our home decor. After 11 years in the same place, our builder-grade carpets are starting to look like the hairline is receding; after multiple carpet shampoo sessions there's not much left to clean anymore. It's time for the wood floors that Brenda's been eying in the Traditional Home magazine.

When life sprouts gray hair (the carpet being one example), it's good to "head" it off at the pass and make some changes. There are several areas I can think of where staleness was creeping in and change was necessary. Even though Brenda and I are moving ahead, knowing that the cost of life-overhauls are expensive, it'll be worth it. For example, the air conditioner decided to give up two weeks ago and the alternator in Brenda's car left us stranded on a busy highway this week, leaving us with no choice but to call a tow truck ($75) to the rescue. So, there are a few more gray hairs that popped up out of nowhere, needing our immediate attention.

I find that life's gray hairs are always going to pop up, usually when we are at a low point financially. I do trust that God is ever-present in those challenging times. My best move is to take it all with a good attitude and start looking for wisdom in how to best deal with the situation. God promises that if I ask, He will give the needed wisdom. He's never failed me.

Being a giver is a quality I've tried to cultivate in my life. I find that others are quick to respond to my need, especially if I have been there for other people. I saw this video, an outtake from the Wrecking Crew film, to be inspiring. When one least expects, blessings can pop up in life to let us know God is watching.

Arcadius: Giving It All You've Got

This Sunday's Tennessean sports section had a sad photo on it's front page. It was of a horse that had made it first to the finish line, taking Saturday's Iroquois Steeplechase top honor. But winning jockey Brian Crowley soon realized the triumph in Nashville would take a tragic turn.

 Arcadius, the champion horse of the 71st running of the Iroquois, made it to the winner's circle, then suffered a pulmonary aneurysm and collapsed and died, to the horror of his rider and the fans looking on from the stands. The equine medical staff valiantly attempted to resuscitate Arcadius, but it was too late. The surprise and grief on the jockey's face, as officials shuffled to get answers and make sense of the sudden turn of events, said everything to all who see the photo. It was a huge shock, to say the least.

Seeing tragedies like this, either in person or from afar, cause me to reflect about the fragility of life. Many times there are no answers to why bad stuff happens because some things come upon us in such random fashion. Even though Arcadius ran it's last race Saturday, the horse obviously gave everything it had. Race chairman Dwight Hall said that a pulmonary aneurysm was unavoidable.

 Like Arcadius, I want to go out of this world having given all of my energy, heart and strength toward the purpose for which God called me in this life. Arcadius is a hero in my book; a true show of virtue in a world where character seems to be diminishing. Our hats are off to both rider and champion today. Well done!