Marty Stuart

Marty Stuart's road to country superstardom began at age 13 when he was hired as a mandolinist by Bluegrass legend Lester Flatt, with whom he played until Flatt's death in 1979. Stuart then spent quite a bit of time as a journeyman sideman playing acoustic and electric guitar for Doc & Merle Watson, fiddler Vassar Clements, and most significantly a long stint as lead guitarist for Johnny Cash. Stuart's own career as a leader didn't hit hard until 1989's "Hillbilly Rock" (1989), which pretty much sums up Stuart's traditionally minded, hard country sound. This record was a hit, as were many of the records that followed. Stuart is an inveterate collector of country memorabilia, owning several of Hank Williams guitars as well as Clarence White's original B-bender Telecaster guitar.