It was a truly golden era for Nashville, he recalls, and he felt lucky to be there. ![]() Soon he had a solid mid-’80s solo deal with Columbia, but didn’t come into his own until he was snapped up by the Tony-Brown-led MCA Nashville in 1989 for his aptly-dubbed Hillbilly Rock bow, reflecting the two genres his sound smartly straddled, via his booming Fender Telecaster he’d named Clarence. ![]() The Grand Ole Opry-an aspirational goal for most country performers-was comfortably familiar to him before he hit 14, as were some of its most legendary stars he befriended in the process, like Tex Ritter, Roy Acuff, and Grandpa Jones. Since the age of 12, when the guitarist/mandolinist formed his first Gospel band, he seems to have had a guardian angel looking out for him, as almost every career decision he made effortlessly panned out, starting with his very next move, joining the backing group of the legendary Lester Flatt on mandolin and working with him until he retired in 1978, at which point he issued his first independent solo album before signing on with Johnny Cash’s ensemble in 1980. “I’m having more fun now than I’ve ever had in my life, and I think life is rich, life is really rewarding,” he marvels, acknowledging the gravity of The Beatles’ “Will you still need me?/ Will you still feed me?” Line from “When I’m 64.” “And that’s the daily question, isn’t it? And I think if all of The Beatles had been lucky enough to stick around, they would have said, 64? Yeah, absolutely! Come on in!’”īut it helps, as well, that Stuart just might be the most fortunate man in show business. And its Duane Eddy-booming anthems like “Vegas,” “Tomahawk,” “Country Star,” and a three-part Roger McGuinn-reverent suite called “Lost Byrd Space Train” prove a perfect pandemic panacea, and reflect exactly where the artist is, existentially, right now at 64. It’s no coincidence that Altitude-Marty Stuart’s generous new 14-cut album with his longtime backing band, The Fabulous Superlatives-might be the most rollicking, feel-good spirit lifter he’s whipped up in years.
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