Marty Stuart - Early Life and Rise To Fame

Early Life and Rise To Fame

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, performing and recording diverse types of country music. He is of French, English, Choctaw, and Colombian descent.

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.