RFD-TV, or Rural Free Delivery TV, is a United States satellite and cable television channel devoted to rural issues, concerns, and interests. The channel's name is a reference to Rural Free Delivery, the name for the United States Postal Service's system of delivering mail directly to rural patrons. Production and uplinking occurs at Northstar Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, while the corporate and national sales office is in Omaha, Nebraska.

The station was launched in December 2000 and is currently distributed via the Dish Network and DirecTV satellite systems, as well as through the Mediacom, Charter Communications, Cox Communications, Comcast, Verizon FiOS and Time Warner cable systems.^[1][2]

The network has begun to extend its brand further, opening a theater in Branson, Missouri called RFD-TV The Theater (housed in the former venue of comedian Ray Stevens) in early 2007, and launched an HDTV version of the channel in the fall.^[3]

It is marketed as "Rural America's Most Important Network" and its programming is similar to the now-defunct The Nashville Network (which was eventually replaced by Spike). A U.K. version called Rural TV launched on March 2nd, 2009.

Much of the programming of RFD-TV is concerned with the culture of farming and agriculture, as well as the culture of the Great Plains of North America and the agriculture associated with that area. The network does not air infomercials, instead supplementing its advertising revenue with the sales of a company magazine and other merchandise. The network also restricts its advertising and programming to products, advertisements, and shows fit to be seen by a family audience; products such as erectile dysfunction medications and male enhancement products are not shown on RFD-TV.^[4] The network does feature traditional 30-second advertising commercials and holds special phone-in forums from time to time sponsored by organizations such as Monsanto (for their RoundUp product line), John Deere, and the Medicare program, though the sponsorship of each program is clearly disclaimed in programming listings and disclaimers and hosts do not have interests in the products.

At least two stations broadcast RFD-TV over the air: Selective TV, Inc. broadcasts RFD-TV in the Alexandria, Minnesota area as part of a slate of cable-to-air channels, on channel 34. K22CU in Cortez, Colorado, part of a similar slate of channels, broadcasts RFD-TV on its digital subchannel, 22.3. RFD-TV also offers its programming via subscription Internet television.

[edit] Imus in the Morning

When Don Imus returned to radio in late 2007, he had also struck a deal to simulcast Imus in the Morning on RFD-TV. The program broadcast from 6am to 9am on weekdays, along with a primetime play of the program on RFD-HD (which features a different programming schedule from RFD-TV's SD slate). During much of the show's run, a news ticker was shown with the day's news, much like Imus' days on MSNBC. The program left RFD-TV on August 28, 2009, and moved to Fox Business Network several weeks later.^[5]

[edit] The Big Joe Polka Show

One of the very first programs to be aired on RFD-TV was "The Big Joe Polka Show", a Polka and dance variety program hosted by Omaha resident Joseph "Big Joe" Siedlik, which continued to be popular among the network's estimated (approximately) 40-plus million available households until its final RFD-TV airing on 01 January 2011. In 2010, litigation commenced between RFD-TV and Polka Cassettes of Nebraska, the creators/producers of "The Big Joe Polka Show" involving several lawsuits and counter suits (mostly over a contractual dispute). RFD-TV contends they had an option to air the program until December 31, 2010, while Polka Cassettes of Nebraska contends that the show was being aired against their wishes, and after cessation of the effectiveness of the previous contract, which expired on December 31, 2009. In August 2010, a multi-million dollar "slander and defamation" suit was brought against Polka Cassettes of Nebraska by RFD-TV.^[6]

The show was replaced by "The RFD-TV Polka Fest" on 05 January 2011, and airs during the same time schedule. RFD-TV Polka Fest was later replaced by Mollie B Polka Party hosted by Mollie Busta in July, 2011.

Programs[link]

Other programs added in Winter 2007-08 included a revival of Crook & Chase and Bluegrass & Backroads.^[7]

Agriculture[link]

• Ag PhD
• America's Heartland
• Prairie Farm Report
• Georgia Farm Monitor
• California Country
• Successful Farming Machinery Show
• Superior Livestock Video Auctions
• Making it Grow
• Virginia Farming
• Farmweek
• Today’s Ag
• Louisiana Ag
• The Cattle Show
• Down Home Virginia
• Oklahoma Horizon
• Machinery of the Past
• FFA Convention
• FFA “LIVE”
• RFD-TV “LIVE”
• National Tractor Pull
• This week in Agribusiness (hosted by Orion Samuelson and Max Armstrong)
• Brazil Ag Report (formerly listed as Brazil Extension)
• U.S. Farm Report

Equine[link]

• All Around Performance Horse Weekly^[8]
• Wide World of Horses
• Dennis Reis
• Clinton Anderson
• Chris Cox
• Horse Sense
• Parelli Natural Horsemanship
• HorseCity.com TV
• Meredith Hodges
• Horse Babies
• Horseman's Edge
• Charles Wilhelm
• Paso Fino
• Dressage UnLtd.
• Ken McNabb
• Craig Cameron
• Linda Tellington-Jones
• The Roping Show
• Best Of America By Horseback
• Inside Eventing
• Extreme Cowboy Race
• Horse Master
• Equestrian Nation
• Women's Pro Rodeo Today

Music and Entertainment[link]

• Hee Haw
• The Porter Wagoner Show
• The Wilburn Brothers Show
• The Jimmy Sturr Show
• Cumberland Highlanders
• Midwest Country
• Pop! Goes the Country
• Gaither Gospel Hour
• 'Out There' With Baxter Black
• The Penny Gilley Show
• RFD-TV The Theatre (Branson, Missouri)
• Texas Country Reporter
• Ralph Emery
• Crook & Chase
• The Marty Stuart Show
• PBR Now
• The Roy Rogers Happy Trails Theatre/The Roy Rogers Show
• Larry's Country Diner
• Country's Family Reunion and its variants
• The Shotgun Red Variety Show

Rural Lifestyle[link]

• Southern Fresh
• Classic Tractor Fever
• Talk’n Tractors
• Texas Country Reporter
• Dakota Life
• Trains & Locomotives
• Campfire Cafe
• Rural Heritage
• Michigan Magazine
• Quilt in a Day
• The American Rancher
• 20X Rodeo High
• Bluegrass & Backroads
• Dutch Oven Cooking
• I Love Toy Trains
• Ms. Lucy’s Cajun Cooking
• Justin Wilson Lookin' Back
• Living The Country Life
• Heartland Highways
• Carolina Explorer
• Alaska TV Magazine
• Cowboy Flavor
• Cowboy Church

Former programs[link]

The following programs were aired on RFD-TV at one point, but are no longer listed on the official website.

• UK Extension (Agriculture)
• Richard Winters (Equine)
• Lynn Palm (Equine)
• Richard Shrake (Equine)
• Monty Roberts (Equine)
• RV Today (Rural Lifestyle)
• Turnin' To Country (Travel / Lifestyle)
• Country Carnival
• Showcase Jubilee
• Imus in the Morning (Entertainment)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Site
• RFD-TV The Theatre Official Site
• RFD Branson,MO Operations

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (July 2007)

Vince Gill
Gill playing at the Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2007
Background information
Birth name	Vincent Grant Gill
Born	(1957-04-12) April 12, 1957 (age 55)
Origin	Norman, Oklahoma, U.S.
Genres	Country Bluegrass Blue-eyed soul Country pop
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, Electric guitar, Mandolin, Dobro, Banjo
Years active	1979–present
Labels	RCA MCA MCA Nashville
Associated acts	The Notorious Cherry Bombs Pure Prairie League Rodney Crowell Amy Grant Dolly Parton Ricky Skaggs Emmylou Harris Carrie Underwood Sara Evans Alice Cooper
Website	VinceGill.com

Vincent Grant "Vince" Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman to the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s, and as a solo artist beginning in 1983, where his talents as a vocalist and musician have placed him in high demand as a guest vocalist, and a duet partner. Gill has recorded more than twenty studio albums, charted over forty singles on the U.S. Billboard charts as Hot Country Songs, and has sold more than 22 million albums. He has been honored by the Country Music Association with 18 CMA Awards, including two Entertainer of the Year awards and five Male Vocalist Awards. Gill has also earned 27 Grammy Awards, more than any other male Country music artist. In 2007, Gill was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Biography[link]

Vincent Grant "Vince" Gill was born in Norman, Oklahoma. His father, J. Stanley Gill, was a lawyer and administrative law judge^[1] who played in a country music band part time and encouraged Gill to pursue a music career. At the encouragement of his father, Gill learned to play several instruments, including the banjo and guitar, before he started high school at Oklahoma City's Northwest Classen High School. He first played with a teenage band called Bluegrass Revues in the late 1970s. The other members were: Billy Perry on the banjo, Bobby Clark on the triangle and Mike Perry on the bass.

While in high school, he performed with Mountain Smoke, a bluegrass band that once opened for Pure Prairie League and Kiss. After he graduated, he played in a number of bluegrass bands, including Ricky Skaggs' Boone Creek and Byron Berline and Sundance; later, he became a member of Rodney Crowell's road band, The Cherry Bombs.

Career[link]

Gill debuted on the national scene with the country rock band Pure Prairie League in 1979, appearing on that band's album Can't Hold Back. Gill is the lead singer on their hit song "Let Me Love You Tonight".

Mark Knopfler once invited Gill to join Dire Straits, but Gill declined the offer (although he sang backup on Dire Straits' album On Every Street).

Gill provided background vocals for the song, "Tennessee Line", from Daughtry's second studio album, Leave This Town.

Gill was scheduled to appear at the 44th Annual Country Music Awards on Nov 10, 2010.^[2]

Gill was mentioned at length by Lewis Black in Black's "Stark Raving Black" stand-up act. Black goes on to joke about how awful it was to follow Gill at a USO benefit show because of how well Vince and wife, Amy Grant, performed.

Gill is currently collaborating with Joe Bonamassa on his forthcoming album Dust Bowl.

In July 2011, Gill appeared as a guest on NPR's news quiz show Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me.

On February 23, 2012 Vince announced after 23 years with MCA Nashville that he had parted ways with the label

On April 14 2012, it was confirmed that Gill had been working with Bonnie Tyler on her upcoming album, performing a duet with her entitled "What You Need From Me".^[3]

Personal life[link]

Gill married country singer Janis Oliver of Sweethearts of the Rodeo fame, in 1980, and they had one daughter, Jennifer Jerene Gill, born May 5, 1982. Gill occasionally mixed sound for his wife's band at concerts. Vince and Janis separated in the mid-1990s and eventually divorced in June 1998. Vince married Christian/pop singer Amy Grant in March 2000. They have one daughter, Corrina Grant Gill, born March 12, 2001.

Gill, along with his wife Amy, are fans of the Nashville Predators. They have been season ticket holders since the opening season and are often shown on the jumbo screen. In the 2007 playoffs, he and Amy sang the national anthem for each game.

Though Gill never attended college, he's a big fan of the University of Oklahoma football team. He also attends nearly every men's basketball game at Belmont University in Nashville.

Discography[link]

Albums

• 1984: Turn Me Loose
• 1985: The Things That Matter
• 1987: The Way Back Home
• 1989: When I Call Your Name
• 1991: Pocket Full of Gold
• 1992: I Still Believe in You
• 1993: Let There Be Peace on Earth
• 1994: When Love Finds You
• 1995: The Essential Vince Gill
• 1995: Souvenirs
• 1996: High Lonesome Sound
• 1998: The Key
• 1998: Breath of Heaven: A Christmas Collection
• 2000: Let's Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye
• 2000: 'Tis The Season
• 2003: Next Big Thing
• 2006: These Days
• 2011: Guitar Slinger

Selected awards[link]

Academy of Country Music

• 1984 Top New Male Vocalist
• 1992 Song of the Year with John Barlow Jarvis - "I Still Believe In You"
• 1992 Top Male Vocalist
• 1993 Top Male Vocalist

Country Music Association

• 1990 Single of the Year - "When I Call Your Name"
• 1991 Male Vocalist of the Year
• 1992 Male Vocalist of the Year
• 1992 Song of the Year with Max D. Barnes - "Look At Us"
• 1993 Album of the Year - "I Still Believe in You"
• 1993 Male Vocalist of the Year
• 1993 Song of the Year with John Barlow Jarvis - "I Still Believe in You"
• 1994 Entertainer of the Year
• 1994 Male Vocalist of the Year
• 1995 Male Vocalist of the Year
• 1999 Vocal Event of the Year with Patty Loveless - "My Kind of Woman, My Kind of Man"

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

• Inducted in 2007

Grammy Awards

• 1990 Best Country Vocal Performance, Male - "When I Call Your Name"
• 1991 Best Country Vocal Collaboration with Ricky Skaggs and Steve Wariner - "Restless"
• 1992 Best Country Song with John Barlow Jarvis - "I Still Believe in You"
• 1992 Best Country Vocal Performance, Male - "I Still Believe in You"
• 1993 Best Country Instrumental Performance with Asleep at the Wheel, Chet Atkins, Eldon Shamblin, Johnny Gimble, Marty Stuart, and Reuben "Lucky Oceans" Gosfield - "Red Wing"
• 1994 Best Country Vocal Performance, Male - "When Love Finds You"
• 1995 Best Country Song - "Go Rest High on That Mountain"
• 1995 Best Male Country Vocal Performance - "Go Rest High on That Mountain"
• 1996 Best Male Country Vocal Performance - "Worlds Apart"
• 1997 Best Country Instrumental Performance with Randy Scruggs - "A Soldier's Joy"
• 1997 Best Male Country Vocal Performance - "Pretty Little Adriana"
• 1998 Best Male Country Vocal Performance - "If You Ever Have Forever In Mind"
• 1999 Best Country Instrumental Performance with Tommy Allsup, Asleep at the Wheel, Floyd Domino, Larry Franklin, and Steve Wariner - "Bob's Breakdowns"
• 2001 Best Country Instrumental Performance with Jerry Douglas, Gen Duncan, Albert Lee, Steve Martin, Leon Russell, Earl Scruggs, Gary Scruggs, Randy Scruggs, Paul Shaffer and Marty Stuart - "Foggy Mountain Breakdown"
• 2002 Best Male Country Vocal Performance - "The Next Big Thing"
• 2006 Best Male Country Vocal Performance - "The Reason Why"
• 2007 Best Country Album - "These Days"
• 2008 Best Country Instrumental Performance with Brad Paisley, James Burton, John Jorgenson, Albert Lee, Brent Mason, Redd Volkaert and Steve Wariner - "Cluster Pluck"

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame

• Inducted in 2005

See also[link]

• Best selling music artists

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Official Vince Gill UMG Nashville Artist Page
• How to Capture Vince Gill’s Guitar Tone
• Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
• Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Gill, Vince
• Vince Gill - Guitar Slinger Album Tracks Lyrics

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (April 2007)

Hank Williams III
Hank III performing in 2006 at the South by Southwest Festival.
Background information
Birth name	Shelton Hank Williams
Born	(1972-12-12) December 12, 1972 (age 39) Nashville, Tennessee
Genres	Country, Punkabilly, Punk Rock, Heavy Metal
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, drummer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, bass, drums keyboards, yodeling
Years active	1991–present
Labels	Hank3, Curb
Associated acts	Assjack, Arson Anthem, Attention Deficit Domination, Superjoint Ritual, Whipping Post, Bedwetter, Salida, BuzzKill, Unknown Hinson
Website	hank3.com
Notable instruments
Last Badass Gibson ES-175 Guild Acoustics and Nightbird Solidbody Fryette Pitbull Crate BV300H Randall RG100

Shelton Hank Williams, also known as Hank Williams III and Hank 3^[1] (born December 12, 1972), is a singer, drummer, bassist, and guitarist. In addition to his honky tonk recordings, Williams' style alternates between country, punk and metal. He is the principal member of the punk metal band Assjack, the drummer for the Southern hardcore punk band Arson Anthem, and was the bassist for Pantera singer Phil Anselmo's band Superjoint Ritual. He has released seven studio albums, including five for Curb Records. Williams is the grandson of country music legend Hank Williams and the son of Hank Williams Jr.. Williams has dabbled in feature length films, most notably a small role in the famous Mark Wahlberg film "Shooter".

Music career[link]

Early career[link]

Hank spent much of his early career playing drums in punk rock bands during the late 1980s and early to mid 1990s. Williams signed a contract with Nashville, Tennessee, music industry giant Curb Records. Three Hanks: Men With Broken Hearts was issued shortly thereafter, which spliced together recordings to make it seem that three generations of Williams men were singing alongside one another. In the late 1980s, upon first meeting Hank Williams III, Minnie Pearl, a friend of the late Hank Williams Sr., reportedly said "Lord, honey, you're a ghost," as she was astonished by his striking resemblance to his grandfather.^[2]

[edit] Risin' Outlaw and contract issues (1999-2004)

Hank Williams III first solo album, Risin' Outlaw, was released in September 1999 to respectable sales and strong reviews. While his name (and his uncanny vocal and physical resemblances to his grandfather) could have guaranteed Williams a thriving country audience, he had little patience for the often predictable Nashville sound, nor for even the minimal constraints on behavior his promoters required. His opinions on this subject are well summed up in his songs "Trashville" and "Dick in Dixie."

Williams' live shows typically follow a Jekyll and Hyde format: a country music set featuring fiddle player Adam McOwen and slide guitar player Andy Gibson, followed by a hellbilly set, and then an Assjack set. He plays both the country and the psychobilly with his "Damn Band." Assjack produces a very different sound than either, mixing heavy doses of metalcore, psychobilly, and hardcore punk.

The lineup for Assjack includes the addition of supplemental vocalist Gary Lindsey, bassist Zach Shedd switching from upright to electric bass, and the departure of his fiddle and slide guitar players. McOwen's predecessor was fellow-fiddle-player Michael "Fiddleboy" McCanless, who would play all three sets, adding traditional violin for the country set of the concert before plugging his instrument into an amplifier and distortion unit for later sets. Fiddleboy died in 2003. Another former band member was guitarist Duane Denison, previously with The Jesus Lizard, who left The Damn Band and Assjack in January 2001 and later that year formed Tomahawk.

Williams has had significant contractual conflicts with Curb Records. He expressed dissatisfaction with his debut, and reportedly the label was unwilling to release his appropriately named This Ain't Country LP, nor to allow him to issue it on another record label. In response, Williams began making t-shirts stating "Fuck Curb." Also during this era, Williams played bass guitar in heavy metal band Superjoint Ritual, a now-defunct band led by former Pantera vocalist Phil Anselmo.

[edit] Thrown out of the Bar and Straight to Hell (2004-06)

In late 2004 Thrown Out of the Bar was slated for release, but Curb opted not to issue it. Williams and label executive Mike Curb would be in and out of court for the next year before a judge ruled in favor of Williams in the spring of 2005, demanding that Curb release the album. Shortly thereafter Williams and Curb came to terms, and Williams dropped his "Fuck Curb" campaign. Bar was reworked into Straight to Hell, released on Curb’s rock imprint, Bruc. Battles with Wal-Mart delayed the appearance of this album, which was released on February 28, 2006 as a two-disc set in two formats: a censored version (for Wal-Mart), and an uncensored version that was the first major-label country album ever to bear a parental advisory warning. One of the songs, "Pills I Took", was written by a little-known Wisconsin group called Those Poor Bastards, who originally released the song on their 2004 CD Country Bullshit.^[3]

Independent releases (2007-present)[link]

Williams recently played drums for Arson Anthem, formed with Phil Anselmo and Mike Williams of the sludge band Eyehategod.^[4]

Williams released his long awaited punk-metal album AssJack on August 4, 2009.

His next album, Rebel Within, was released in May 2010.^[5] It charted at number 20 in Billboard magazine.

Williams' former label Curb Records released This Ain't Country under the title Hillbilly Joker on May 17, 2011 without the consent or input from Williams after his contract with the label had been terminated. Williams told his fans, "Don’t buy it, but get it some other way and burn the hell out of it and give it to everyone."^[6]

On May 18, 2011 it was posted on Williams's web site that he is busy making new material / album which could be released very soon.^[7]

On June 23, 2011, it was revealed through Williams' personal Facebook that he would be releasing four new CDs on September 6, 2011. It said to expect country, doom-rock, speed metal with cattle callin' on the releases. Entitled Ghost to a Ghost/Gutter Town (a 2 disc country record), 3 Bar Ranch Cattle Callin' (a metal record in the newly anointed cattle core genre) and Attention Deficit Domination (a doom-rock record), these new albums will be released on Williams's own record label Hank3 Records through Megaforce Records, and feature guest appearances by Tom Waits, Les Claypool (Primus), Alan King (Hellstomper), Ray Lawrence Jr., Troy Medlin (Sourvein), Dave Sherman (Earthride) and Williams' dog, Trooper.^[8]

On July 13, 2011, the track listing for the four upcoming albums were posted online.

On April 17, 2012, Curb released a Hank III album titled Long Gone Daddy, marking the second album the company has released under his name since his departure.

Discography[link]

• Three Hanks: Men with Broken Hearts (1996)
• Risin' Outlaw (1999)
• Lovesick, Broke and Driftin' (2002)
• Straight to Hell (2006)
• Damn Right, Rebel Proud (2008)
• Rebel Within (2010)
• Hillbilly Joker (2011)
• Ghost to a Ghost/Gutter Town (2011)
• 3 Bar Ranch Cattle Callin' (2011)
• Attention Deficit Domination (2011)
• Long Gone Daddy (2012)

Other appearances[link]

• Badlands: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska (contributing track: "Atlantic City") (2000)
• The Crybaby (The Melvins, vocals and guitar on "Ramblin' Man", vocals on "Okie from Muskogee") (2000)
• Driven Soundtrack (contributing track: "Hang On") (2001)
• Timeless: A Tribute To Hank Williams (contributing track: "I'm a Long Gone Daddy") (2001)
• Sharp Dressed Man: A Tribute To ZZ Top (contributing track: "Fearless Boogie") (2002)
• Dressed in Black: A Tribute to Johnny Cash (contributing track: "Wreck of the Old 97") (2002)
• Live in London... England (Dale Watson, backing vocals on "Country My Ass") (2002)
• Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit The West Memphis Three (contributing track: "No Values") (2002)
• Use Once and Destroy (Superjoint Ritual, touring only bassist) (2002)
• Grand Ole Opry at The Ryman Auditorium: Tribute to Hank Williams Sr. (2003)
• A Lethal Dose of American Hatred (Superjoint Ritual featuring Hank III on bass) (2003)
• Stars & Guitars (Willie Nelson and Friends, backing vocals w/Keith Richards and Ryan Adams on "Dead Flowers") (2003)
• Touch My Heart: A Tribute To Johnny PayCheck (contributing track: "I'm The Only Hell My Mama Ever Raised") (2004)
• 50 Years Too Late (Joey Allcorn, vocals on "This Ain't Montgomery")
• Rebel Meets Rebel (Rebel Meets Rebel, vocals on "Get Outta My Life") (2006)
• Everybody Loves ANTiSEEN: A Loving Tribute to the Boys from Brutalsville (contributing track: "Ruby, Get Back to the Hills") (2006)
• For the Sick: A Tribute To Eyehategod (contributing tracks: "Take as Needed for Pain" and "Torn Between Suicide and Breakfast"; credited as The Unholy 3) (2007)
• Arson Anthem (Arson Anthem featuring Hank III on drums) (2008)
• Satan Is Watching (Those Poor Bastards, vocals on "Swallowed by Sin") (2008)
• Black Dog Yodel 7" (Those Poor Bastards and Skelton, vocals on "Black Dog Yodel") (2009)
• Insecurity Notoriety (Arson Anthem featuring Hank III on drums) (2010)
• The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia (2010)
• Rare Breed: The Songs of Peter La Farge (contributing track: "Marijuana Blues") (2010)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Hank III interview on AmericanaRoots.com

Marty Stuart
Marty Stuart, January 1993
Background information
Birth name	John Marty Stuart
Born	(1958-09-30) September 30, 1958 (age 53) Philadelphia, Mississippi, U.S.
Genres	Country, Bluegrass, Southern rock, Gospel
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician
Instruments	Vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin
Years active	1972–present
Labels	Sugar Hill, Columbia, MCA, Universal South, Superlatone
Associated acts	Travis Tritt, Connie Smith, Johnny Cash, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, Merle Haggard, Bob Dylan, Clarence White, Leroy Troy
Website	Official Site
Notable instruments
Clarence

John Marty Stuart (born September 30, 1958) is an American country music singer-songwriter, known for both his traditional style, and eclectic merging of rockabilly, honky tonk, and traditional country music. In the early 1990s, he had a successful string of Country hits.

Early Life and rise to fame[link]

Born as John Martin Stuart in Philadelphia, Mississippi on September 30, 1958, Marty Stuart has become known as one of country music's most eclectic artists, because he performs and records several widely diverse types of country music. He is of French, English, Choctaw, and Colombian descent. That is one of his reasons for his success in the 1990s, just when Traditionalism was making a comeback in country music.

From an early age, he was obsessed with country music. He was so obsessed, in fact, that he taught himself how to play the guitar and mandolin. At the age of 12, Stuart started performing with the bluegrass group The Sullivans. He later met Lester Flatt bandmember Roland White. White invited Stuart to play with him and the Nashville Grass at the Labor Day gig in Delaware in 1972. After this, White asked him to join the band permanently and Stuart accepted. This made White responsible for the rest of Stuart's education. Marty stayed with Lester Flatt until Flatt broke up the band in 1978 due to his failing health.

In 1979, Flatt died. Stuart pushed forward and worked with fiddler Vassar Clements. He also worked with guitarist Doc Watson. In 1980, he joined Johnny Cash's backing band. The previous year, Stuart made his first solo album, With a Little Help From My Friends, on Ridge Runner Records

In 1982, he released a second album called Busy Bee Cafe on Sugar Hill Records. Both of these albums were strongly Bluegrass albums, and they failed to garner any success for Stuart. In 1983, Stuart married Johnny Cash's daughter, Cindy. They divorced 5 years later. In 1985, Stuart left Cash's band to pursue a solo career.

Recording career in the 1980s & 1990s[link]

In 1985, Stuart accompanied Johnny Cash to Memphis and played on the "Class of '55" album that also featured Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and Jerry Lee Lewis. At the end of the session Perkins presented him with his guitar.^[1]]. Later that year, Stuart left Cash's band and landed a recording contract with Columbia Records. The following year, he released a self-titled album on the label, which produced a Top 20 hit on the Billboard country charts in the song "Arlene." Stuart garnered his first cover story in 1986, appearing in a Mid-South magazine article titled "Nashville's New Hopes.".^[2] Also in the article were Vince Gill, Sweethearts of the Rodeo and Lisa Angelle. Although he had a hit on his hands with "Arlene", the album itself didn't sell. Stuart recorded a follow-up album, Let There Be Country, but Columbia failed to release it after Stuart had a heated run-in with the label head over his decision to drop Johnny Cash from the Columbia roster.^[3]

His marriage to Cindy Cash ended in divorce in 1988, leading to Stuart's return home to Mississippi. Roland White invited Stuart to rejoin his band as their fiddler and this helped Stuart build his confidence to try again at becoming a singer.

Stuart soon returned to Nashville. He landed a deal with MCA Records in 1989, which was formerly Decca Records. That year, Stuart released his first album on MCA, Hillbilly Rock. In 1990, he finally made it big with the album, when two of his songs from Hillbilly Rock became hits. The title track, "Hillbilly Rock," was his first Top Ten hit on the Country charts. The other song, "Western Girls," just broke the Top 20. The album received great reviews from critics, who compared Marty's work to that of country singer Dwight Yoakam. The album featured a cover version of the Johnny Cash hit "Cry! Cry! Cry!." In 1991, he released another album, Tempted, and the title track became Stuart's first Top-5 hit.

In 1991, Marty co-wrote a song with Travis Tritt called "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'." The song was recorded as a duet on Tritt's 1991 album It's All About to Change, and that became Marty's biggest hit. In 1992, his former record company, Columbia finally released his album Let There Be Country. That same year, Stuart released the album This One's Gonna Hurt You on MCA. The album's title track, a duet with Travis Tritt, was released as a single, and became another Top Ten hit for Stuart. This One's Gonna Hurt You became Marty's first gold album.

Between 1991 and 1992 Marty and Travis went on the road for what they called the "No Hats" tour, referring to "hat acts," as it seemed at the time every mainstream country singer was wearing a cowboy hat on stage. Although Stuart built quite a fans following, follow-up success was hard to find. In 1994, Stuart contributed the song "Up Above My Head / Blind Bartimus" with Jerry Sullivan + Tammy Sullivan to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Country produced by the Red Hot Organization. The release of his 1994 album Love and Luck turned out to be less successful than he hoped it would be. Three singles were released from the album, but only one ("Kiss Me, I'm Gone") made the Top 40. His record sales began to slip. This led to MCA releasing the album The Marty Party Hit Pack in 1995. This also led to a series of "Marty Party" concerts on the Nashville network. The year 1996 saw the release of another album, Honky Tonkin's What I Do Best. Once again, sales were less than hoped for. Stuart released three singles, with only one reaching the Top 40.

Career since the late 1990s[link]

In 1997, Stuart married legendary Country Music singer Connie Smith. Connie and Marty met back in the 1960s, when he saw Connie performing at one of her concerts, and he told his mother that day, that someday he would marry her. In 1998, he helped produce Smith's comeback album on the Warner Bros. label, Connie Smith. He also co-wrote 8 out of 10 songs on the album. Stuart released another album in 1999 called The Pilgrim, along with another unsuccessful single, that failed to even make the Top 40.

In 2000 he did the voice of Reverend in Tom Sawyer (2000 film) Stuart left MCA in 2000, joining Columbia Records, releasing a new album in 2003; however, this album was credited to "Marty Stuart & the Fabulous Superlatives." The lead single just missed Top 40 status. In 2005, Stuart launched a custom record label, Superlatone Records, to issue overlooked Southern Gospel and Roots music recordings. Stuart released three critically acclaimed collections on Superlatone, Souls' Chapel, Badlands and Live at the Ryman. In October 2005, Stuart released a concept album, Badlands: Ballads Of The Lakota, which pays tribute to the Sioux culture in what is now South Dakota.

His collection of music memorabilia and photography was exhibited at the Tennessee State Museum in 2007 as "Sparkle & Twang: Marty Stuart's American Musical Odyssey." In October, 2008, the "Sparkle & Twang" exhibit opened at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, OH. Also in 2007, Stuart produced country legend Porter Wagoner's debut album on the predominantly punk label Epitaph Records.

The Statehouse Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas hosted the "Sparkle & Twang: Marty Stuart's American Musical Odyssey" from April 4 through October 5, 2008. The exhibit was on loan from the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville.

Yvonne and Mavis Staples gave one of their father's, "Pops" Staples, guitars to Marty Stuart after Staples' death.^[4]

The Marty Stuart Show[link]

Stuart announced in August 2008^{[citation needed]} a new TV show that he would be hosting, featuring traditional country music in the vein of The Porter Wagoner Show, Flatt & Scruggs and Hee Haw. The Marty Stuart Show began airing at 8 P.M. on November 1, 2008^[5] on cable's RFD-TV.

Each episode featured music by Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives, as well as his wife, Grand Ole Opry star Connie Smith, and guests.

Stuart hosted and produced the 30-minute episodes, with WSM disc jockey and Grand Ole Opry announcer Eddie Stubbs as his sidekick. The show was part of the prime-time lineup with Hee Haw reruns, Postcards from Nebraska and Music & Motors.

Writings[link]

Stuart has written articles and published photos of Country singers for various magazines.

Country Music Foundation[link]

Stuart is a member of the board of the Country Music Foundation, and is a past President. Stuart has also been a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1993.

Personal life[link]

Stuart has been married to country artist Connie Smith since July 8, 1997.

Discography[link]

References[link]

1. ^ Dickerson, James L., Goin' Back to Memphis: A Century of Blues, Rock 'n' Roll and Glorious Soul, Schirmer Books, 1996, p. 12
2. ^ Dickerson, James, Mid-South magazine, The Commercial Appeal,February 23, 1986
3. ^ Dickerson, James L., Mojo Triangle: Birthplace of Country, Blues, Jazz and Rock 'n' Roll, Schirmer Trade Books, 2005, p. 225
4. ^ [1], Marty Stuart Rediscovers Gospel in 'Souls' Chapel'.
5. ^ "The Marty Stuart Show Episode #1.1" at the Internet Movie Database

• Marty Stuart Official Site on Sony Music
• Marty Stuart at the Internet Movie Database
• Superlatone Records
• Himes, Geoffrey (1998). "Marty Stuart." In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 517.