There is good reason to assume Marty Stuart had more chart success than he actually has.
For starters, he is an icon. He is the greatest ambassador for country music this side of Vince Gill. His musical pedigree is almost without peer between his bluegrass, rockabilly, country rock, and classic country credentials. He joined bluegrass legend Lester Flatt’s band at age thirteen. He then played and toured with Johnny Cash. He is an instrumental virtuoso, an expert mandolin player and guitarist. He is a journalist and a photographer of note. He is married to Grand Ole Opry member, and Country Music Hall of Fame member, Connie Smith. He has produced late-career albums by Smith, Kathy Mattea, and Porter Wagoner. Marty Stuart is a preservationist and a significant collector of country music artifacts and history. As cool and edgy as he was when he was young, he and his Fabulous Superlatives are the hippest quartet going today.
Yet, despite all the impeccable company he keeps. his prodigious talent and brilliant tendencies, and his placing thirty singles on the Billboard Hot Country charts, Stuart has never run a single to the top as a solo artist.
As Bob Allen said in the January/February 1990 issue of Country Music, “…there are always a select few who seem to be held back not by their lack of talent but by their abundance of it – artists who are capable of growing in so many directions at once that the question of focus can become a difficult one.”
Enter Tony Brown to provide that focal point.
Brown co-produced Stuart’s classic 1990 MCA album Hillbilly Rock along with Richard Bennett. He was once again busy as a bee inside his MCA hive, cross-pollinating his showiest flowers coming into bloom in the late ’80s and early ’90s in Nashville.
And nobody was flashier than Marty Stuart with his rhinestone Nudie suits and long-haired swagger, a country punk dripping with honeyed passion, gritty purpose and genuine faith in the power of country music.
Even while chasing hit records and fully playing the Nashville game at the time.
Stuart co-wrote “When the Sun Goes Down” and the reverb-drenched “Since I Don’t Have You” with fellow young upstart Mark Collie.
He co-wrote “Don’t Leave Her Lonely Too Long” with Kostas.
Paul Kennerley, who wrote two songs for Kelly Willis’ Well Travelled Love, contributes three cuts on Hillbilly Rock- the title track, “Western Girls,” and “Easy to Love (Hard to Hold).”
Stuart includes a killer version of Joe Ely’s story-song “Me and Billy the Kid ” featuring Stuart’s spectacular and sparkling mandolin playing.
He even faithfully covers Johnny Cash’s 1955 debut single “Cry, Cry, Cry.”
Dropping his bucket into all those creative wells should have guaranteed he pull up at least one smash single in Music City in 1990, if not a string of them.
Turns out, “Hillbilly Rock” would peak at number eight on the charts and the second single “Western Girls” would barely break the top twenty.
Maybe Nashville didn’t like that Stuart didn’t even have a hat to cock; he most definitely wore his gun all wrong.
That gun was this entire album and his absolute artistic credibility. It was, as Bob Allen said, “…a powerful confident, and finely tuned musical statement.”
The lead single “Hillbilly Rock” was a historical statement song. It defined Marty Stuart and his brand of music while also documenting the history of the genre, still sounding greasy, fast, and pumpin,’ while dragging it forward for a new, young audience to experience for the first time.
The entire album was all energy and attitude. Stuart had come close to matching this vibe with his largely ignored eponymous 1986 Columbia debut. His 1982 Sugar Hill album Busy Bee Cafe leaned more heavily into acoustic instrumentation and his bluegrass influences.
In the liner notes to his later Richard Bennett and Tony Brown produced 1992 album This One’s Gonna Hurt You, Chicago Tribune journalist Jack Hurst wrote, “This gospel bluegrass country rock & roller has always exhibited profound consciousness of and respect for the history of country music…This ain’t just a young man love with country music history, dudes; it’s a richly diverse artists determined to take that history to the kids and make it turn them on.”
One of those kids who got turned on to Marty Stuart’s music was Gary Allan who included a cover of Stuart’s “ Don’t Leaver Her Lonely Too Long” from Hillbilly Rock on his 1998 sophomore Decca effort It Would Be You.
Hillbilly Rock is a musical compass pointing due country, keepin’ up the rhythm steady as a clock all these years later. It is an essential album from the early 90’s’ country canon that bristles with “gutsy, imaginative, guitar-gramed [sic] arrangements, and stormy sensuality” even as it is too often overshadowed by the bigger commercial successes of its era.
Eight years’ worth of excellent RFD-TV programming (The MARTY STUART SHOW) have convinced me that hit records were very much a secondary consideration for Marty Stuart. Making good music was always his focus and he seems to have stayed true to his vision throughout his career.
I always liked Marty Stuart’s swagger and ability to mix a rock edge with traditionalism. Even as a four-year-old, there was just something about “Tempted” and “Hillbilly Rock” that captivated me. I think he kind of lost his focus for a while on later albums, but compensated by pulling a bit more traditional after that (e.g., “Red Red Wine and Cheatin’ Songs”).
…There are a lot of insanely talented Martys in country music, aren’t there?
I’ve always thought the same thing you touch upon in your opening paragraph…that if you asked your average moderate country fan of the 1990s with a pretty good memory how many #1 hits they thought Marty Stuart had, they’d probably throw out a double-digit number. His legacy has loomed larger than his actual chart success for quite some time, but his stint as the lead historian on Ken Burns’ miniseries really increased his footprint. It’s astonishing that bangers like “Tempted” and “Little Things” never hit the top of the charts or even got particularly close. And it’s even more astonishing that radio was always so cool toward a guy who so perfectly captured the musical zeitgeist of the era while being skilled enough and smart enough to adapt to whatever changes mainstream country underwent. A baffling example of a rare talent done dirty by country radio.
From the very 1st time I heard “Hillbilly Rock”i was intrigued n hooked on this guy’s sound n style. Have most all of his cd’s n albums. Tempted n little things are my favorites, however I like some of slower ballads like, “Till I found you”, If u wanted me around, and That’s what loves about”. Been puzzled by why these songs never made it to top 5-10, compared to some of the shit they play on the radio these days is crazy n sad. Marty is a musical genius n will always be my favorite. His music, style n swagger and the way he embellish’s the pioneers of country music speaks volumes!!!
I think one of the secret ingredients here is Richard Bennett. He didn’t get a lot of production credits, but when he did, he had this really distinctive touch. A lot of heavy beats, layered vocals, gallop beats, and mandolin everywhere. Another one of his tricks is breaking out the timpani, as you’d hear on “Tempted” from the next album.
Previous Flashback Friday entrant Marty Brown also had some help from Richard Bennett, as did personal favorite George Ducas. (“Lipstick Promises” just has amazing production.)
Will also shout-out Bennett for Kim Richey’s self-titled debut album, which I’d argue is one of the very best-produced albums in the genre’s history.
Hell yeah. I forgot about Kim Richey until I saw an ad for her in a back issue of “New Country”. Immediately put on “Just My Luck” and was like “OH YEAH, THAT SONG!” Awesome stuff.
I was a Kim Richey fan for life after that debut single. Her first album is still among the 10 best CDs in my collection. I have both George Ducas CDs as well and love them. That whole Radney Foster-connected group put out some of the best country music of the 90s.
Also wanted to give my shout outs to my love for the first two Richard Bennett produced albums by both Kim Richey and George Ducas. It gets harder to believe that there was once a time when Nashville major labels put out such quality, cool sounding records as those. Ducas’ second album, Where I Stand, is especially another example of the direction that I wish more modern mainstream country ended up going. It still sounds so fresh whenever I listen to it today and doesn’t sound dated, at all. Love the chiming guitars, catchy melodies, and great drumming all over that record!
Richey has released plenty of swell music in the interim, but I don’t think anything in her discog can touch that debut album (though her sophomore set Bitter Sweet almost gets there).
Her debut remains at the top of the Kim Richey pyramid for me.
Oh man this album is great. I also loved his next record. My favorite album of his will always be Ghost Train and the Saturday night part of the Saturday night/Sunday morning record. I think both are perfect from start to finish. Just A+ albums. I’d argue he gets better and better
I was a casual fan of his in the nineties, but I had no idea how respected he’d become in the industry after his mainstream success. I like several of his hit songs, but I love his albums that came after the mainstream success. I was able to attend a concert of his several years ago and it was among the best shows I’ve been to!
I just saw Marty Stuart and the Fabulous Supes up in Ridgefield, Conn, a few Sundays ago. He did “Tempted” and “The Whiskey Ain’t Working,” (sans Travis), among his hits and did “The Long Black Veil” and a bunch of songs that he first did with the Superlatives. He gets to the possible end of the show and says “Goodnight” and they walk off. You’re at that familiar spot where people aren’t sure if that’s it or not, and I say to the people next to me, “He’s definitely coming back, because he didn’t do the “Hillbilly Rock.” Sure enough, they come back and do about three more songs, and then they walk off–this time, for real–and he STILL didn’t do the “Hillbilly Rock”!
If I ever go to see Marty and the Supes again, I think I’m going to yell out, “Hey, Marty–Give us some’Hillbilly Rock'” at least once or twice before he exits.
Marty is a true icon!! He definitely deserves more credit for the things and his music he brought to country music. He can play multiple instruments n his swagger and style (rhinestone/flashy suits and boots) n choosing not to wear a cowboy hat like all the others just sets him apart, doing it his way. I’ve seen him 4 times in concert and he never disappoints!!
While Hillbilly Rock is a great album in its own right, especially with me always having enjoyed the title track, I’m a bit more partial to 1991’s Tempted and 1992’s This One’s Gonna Hurt You, perhaps maybe because those albums include most of the Marty Stuart songs that were a big part of my early childhood. Even as a little kid, his unique hairstyle and fancy nudie suits always stood out to me whenever I saw him on TV. I just absolutely love the way he blended the classic honky tonk style with a 50s rockabilly vibe and Johnny Cash influence, while occasionally also showing influences of 60s British pop/rock. His love and enthusiasm for country music and the respect he has for the genre’s past is also unmatched.
The cool rockabilly swagger of Marty’s “Little Things” is a part of one of my earliest memories of when my step dad and I were recording tapes together in early 1991. I was five, soon to be six, when we were recording a Ray Stevens album from my mom’s record collection (one of his serious ones from the 70s, before he fully became comedy) on to a blank 90 minute Memorex tape with grey wheels instead of yellow. After the last song on side A of the record (“Honky Tonk Waltz”) ended, we switched to the radio to start filling the rest of tape with whatever WMZQ played. The first song that happened to be playing was Marty Stuart’s “Little Things,” but it had already just started and was in the middle of the first verse. I still recorded it anyway. The funny thing is, we didn’t put enough space in between the last Ray Stevens song and where the radio part began, so just when Stevens’ song ended, you soon suddenly heard Marty exclaiming “The way you touched me baby!…” as he was singing that first verse, LOL! Even as a late five year old at the time, it was such a cool song to me, and the song’s beat and energy really stood out. That song still takes me back to when we lived in that old house on El Dorado Dr. that we were renting, me being into the Ninja Turtles, listening to that tape in my step dad’s 1985 Blazer, and the both of us starting to record those tapes together regularly. I even had that tape playing on the stereo while my step dad was video taping me during my 6th birthday when I was sick.
“Tempted” is one of my favorite Marty Stuart songs of all time that still always takes me back to the Fall of 1991 when I was six. I absolutely love the 60s British rock vibe of the song with its galloping beat, chiming guitars, and catchy melody. And that guitar solo during the instrumental break is so friggin’ cool, along with the unique choices in percussion throughout. Marty’s performance is also one of his most charming, as well. The first time I ever heard “Tempted” was when we recorded it off the radio during the Fall of 1991 on to a 90 minute Sony UX tape that also included the soundtrack to American Graffiti that my mom had on LP. Some other songs on the tape include: “Somewhere Tonight” by Highway 101, “Keep It Between The Lines” by Ricky Van Shelton, “I Keep Putting Off Getting Over You” by Don Williams, “It’s Like We Never Said Goodbye” by Crystal Gayle,” “Still Burnin’ For You” by Rob Crosby, “That’s What Your Love Does To Me” by Holly Dunn, “Some Guys Have All The Love” by Little Texas, “The Chill Of An Early Fall” by George Strait,” and “Heroes And Friends” by Randy Travis. Every song on that tape, especially “Tempted,” always still brings back fond memories of that time for me, and it was especially always a great tape to listen to on chilly nights. “Tempted” also reminds me of when my parents bought me the second Ninja Turtles movie, The Secret Of The Ooze, on VHS that Fall. :) The music video for “Tempted” is also still one of my favorite videos of his, as well, especially that cool part with the flashing lights during the guitar solo.
I also really adore “Til I Found You,” and it’s about neck in neck with “Tempted” as my most favorite Marty Stuart song. I absolutely love the song’s mellow style and Chris Isaak vibe, and the moody guitar licks throughout are so satisfying. I also love the timeless theme of the narrator’s life being better off and complete after finding the “right one,” and Marty gives it a warm, comforting, sincere vocal. For me, it has the same kind of charm as many of those classic sweet and simple love songs from the 50s and 60s Rock And Roll era. It always puts a smile on my face and puts me in a better mood whenever I hear it!
“Burn Me Down” is another one of my top favorites from Stuart with him once again putting on the fun rockabilly swagger. There are some truly smokin’ guitar parts featured throughout, and I love how you can tell he’s having the time of his life singing this song with his growls and low notes. I still remember when both my step dad and I heard it for the first time in early 1992 one night while we were recording another tape while we were temporarily living in my dad’s house in Fredericksburg, VA. The DJ introduced it as Marty Stuart’s brand new song, and as it played while I was recording it, we both fell in love with it. The song remained a favorite of my step dad’s even into the late 90s when WKIK out in Southern Maryland played it, and he was reminded how much he enjoyed the song after not having heard it in a long time. “Burn Me Down” still always reminds me of living in Fredericksburg when I was little, especially hanging around Spotsylvania Mall. It’s still one of the coolest songs of 1992 in my mind!
Besides those singles I mentioned, other favorites of mine off of Tempted are “Half A Heart,” “I’m Blue, I’m Lonesome,” “Paint The Town Tonight,” “Blue Train,” and the fun “Get Back To The Country.” It’s still one of my personal favorite albums of his, and the green album cover featuring Marty holding a guitar with his signature hair style and sporting one of his nudie jackets is perfect.
And as mentioned above, I also enjoy 1992’s This One’s Gonna Hurt You, which was actually the very first Marty Stuart album I owned when I found a cheap copy at Walmart in 2003 when I was really getting into a lot of early 90s country. I was blown away when I first listened to it, and it let me know right away what a cool character Marty was and just how much he truly loved country music and respected its history. It made me want to get more of his albums. Some of my favorite cuts are the honky tonk flavored title track with Travis Tritt, his excellent cover of Charley Pride’s “Just Between You And Me,” the chiming “Hey Baby,” “High On A Mountain Top, (featuring great harmonies by Pam Tillis)” “Doin’ My Time” (w/ Johnny Cash),” and the straight up rocker, “The King Of Dixie.”
While his next two MCA albums, 1994’s Love And Luck and 1996’s Honky Tonkin’s What I Do Best, may not be quite as strong as the last two, I still think they are good albums in their own right and each have quite a few quality cuts on to offer, as well. And 1999’s The Pilgrim is such a cool album all around, and it was a great way to end his stint on MCA. By the way, does anyone happen to know why Love And Luck (1994) is the only one of Marty’s MCA albums that is still not available on Spotify and other streaming services? It’s got cuts like “That’s When You’ll Know It’s Over,” “You Can Walk All Over Me,” “Wheels,” and “Oh What A Silent Night” that I’d love to stream and add to my playlists.