Dan TyminskiThe Greencards Mountain HeartSierra Hull

Nashville, Tenn. — A handful of Bluegrass Artists are scheduled to play the CMA Music Festival, June 5-8, 2008 in Nashville, Tenn. The CMA Music Festival, formally known as Fan Fest, includes more than 400 artists performing concerts and participating in Meet and Greets and Autograph Sessions for over 185,000 fans.

Bluegrassers scheduled for appearances during the CMA Music Festival include: The Grascals, The Greencards, Sierra Hull, Dan Tyminiski, The Steeldrivers, Riders in the Sky and Mountain Heart. See listing below for times and places.

Proceeds from the Festival are donated to the CMA’s charity “Keep the Music Playing” which supports music education in Metro Nashvilles, public school system through a partnership with the Nashville Alliance for Public Education.

All performances at the Chevy Plaza are free and open to the public.

The Steeldrivers, Kathy Mattea and Old Crow Medicine show are also scheduled to perform on Marty Stuarts Late Night Jam at the Ryman Auditorium during the CMA Music Festival.

Thursday, June 5, 2008 (11:00 AM - 4:30 PM) - Chevy™ Plaza
Free and open to the public. Sonny Burgess, Sierra Hull, KingBilly, Lucky Bucks, Daniel Lee Martin, Mountain Heart, The Steeldrivers, and Dan Tyminiski.
Sommet Center

Saturday, June 7, 2008 (11:00 AM - 4:40 PM) - Chevy™ Plaza
Free and open to the public. Deborah Allen, Band of Heathens, The Greencards, Jedd Hughes, James Intveld, Noe Palma, Michael Peterson, and Trent Summar.
Sommet Center

Sunday, June 8, 2008 (11:00 AM - 3:30 PM) - Chevy™ Plaza
Free and open to the public. The Grascals, La Familia, Little Joe, Bobby Marquez, Augie Meyers, Chase Mitchell, Ruben Ramos, Charlie Rich Jr., and Riders In The Sky.
Sommet Center

Marty Stuart’s 7th Annual Late Night Jam — Ryman Auditorium - June 4, 2008 at 10:00 PM
Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives (Kenny Vaughan, Harry Stinson, Brian Glenn), Charlie Daniels Band, John Rich & Friends, Kathy Mattea, Old Crow Medicine Show, Sunny Sweeney, The SteelDrivers, Mike Farris, and Gretchen Wilson! This concert benefits MusiCares, the philanthropic arm of The Recording Academy. To order tickets call (615) 255-9600 or go online www.ticketmaster.com

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There are several events coming up at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tenn. this month. Marty Stuart will be signing his book, “Country Music: The Masters,” on Saturday May 10, 2008 from 11:00 am to noon. Also happening on May 10 is a concert “The Music of Marty Robbins” featuring Jesse Lee Jones and Brazilbilly along with Marty Robbins son, Ronny Robbins.

There are also several songwriting sessions and instrument demonstrations that will feature Beck Hobbs, Mike Webb, Charlie Collins, Alan Rhody and Leroy Troy. A complete listing of Hall of Fame events through May 25 is below.

Friday, May 9, 2008

• Curator’s Exhibit Talk: Marty Robbins: Among My Souvenirs - 1:00 p.m.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

• Book Signing w/ Marty Stuart (Country Music: The Masters) - 11:00 a.m. (FREE)
• Songwriter Session w/ Alan Rhody - Noon
• Concert: The Music of Marty Robbins featuring Jesse Lee Jones & Brazilbilly with Ronny Robbins - 2:00 p.m.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

• Film Loop: The Drifter (1965) featuring Marty Robbins - All Day (FREE)
• Guitar and Fiddle Demonstration w/ Owen Morrison and David Coe - 1:00 p.m.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

• Songwriter Session w/ Becky Hobbs - Noon

Sunday, May 18, 2007

• Film Loop: Best of the Marty Robbins Show (1968-69) - All Day (FREE)
• Dobro and Guitar Demonstration w/ Mike Webb and Charlie Collins - 1:00 p.m.

Saturday May 24, 2007

• Songwriter Session w/ David Lee - Noon
• Family Program: Country Costuming with Katy K - 1:00 p.m. (FREE)

Sunday, May 25, 2007

• Film Loop: Marty Robbins’ Spotlight (1977) featuring special guests Brenda Lee and Porter Wagoner - All Day (FREE)
• Banjo Demonstration w/ Leroy Troy - 1:00 p.m.
• Film Screening: Tribute: Grand Ole Opry Stars of the Fifties hosted by Marty Robbins (1954-55) - 2:00 p.m. (FREE)

The Country Music Hall of Fame ® and Museum tells the story of one of the world’s most popular art forms. Here, the music and its makers speak through timeless art, the latest interactive exhibits and live performances. Visitors may also dine at SoBro Grill, located in the conservatory, which offers a wide variety of contemporary southern cuisine.

The Museum is located at 222 Fifth Ave. S. in downtown Nashville, and is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. The Museum Store is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily and the SoBro Grill is open from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. A snack bar, Sobro2Go, is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily.

Admission is $17.95 for adults, $9.95 for children ages six to 17, and free for children under six. The Museum offers discounted admission ($16.15) to seniors (55 and older), the military and students (with valid IDs). Group rates are available for tours of 15 or more. There is no charge to visit the Curb Conservatory or the Museum Store.

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Grand Ole Opry stars and husband and wife, Marty Stuart and Connie Smith, attend an event in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Ford Theater Wednesday. Photo courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame

Nashville, Tenn. — Country music icons Marty Stuart and Connie Smith held a “Gift of Love” ceremony at the Country Music Hall of Fame^® and Museum’s Ford Theater on Wed. February 13th. The cause, a sweetheart gift to the museum of instruments, stage costumes, photographs and other artifacts from the couple’s famed career.

Other items included in the gift to the museum included items once owned by some of Country and Bluegrass music’s biggest stars including, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Merle Haggard and Roy Nichols. All culled from an extensive collection of Country Music artifacts and mementos Stuart has collected through out the years.

Among the gifts was Lester Flatt’s 1950 Martin D-28 “Lester” guitar.

Known as “the holy grail of bluegrass guitars,” this instrument was purchased by Flatt for $115 at a Charleston, West Virginia, pawnshop in 1956. Home to Flatt’s world renowned G-run for nearly 25 years, the Martin was used on most of Flatt & Scruggs’s classic recordings and live performances, including Grand Ole Opry broadcasts and their appearances on the national television show Beverly Hillbillies and the Martha White-sponsored Flatt & Scruggs Grand Ole Opry.

The pearl inlay and snowflake patterns on the fingerboard were not Martin factory issue. When the guitar was entrusted for repair to independent Chattanooga luthier Mike Longworth, the fledgling craftsman also added the pearl inlay and glued his business card into the guitar. It was Longworth’s fifth job and the “L-5″ inlay stands for Longworth’s fifth, which made both him and the guitar famous.

In 1998, the Martin Company issued a Lester Flatt Limited Edition Signature guitar, which included a perfectly duplicated “L-5″ inlay. A series of 50 were made and sold.

In 1972, Flatt loaned the long-retired iconic instrument to Stuart, the young bluegrass prodigy who had joined his band that year and who was also living in the Flatt home. Stuart fell in love with the guitar’s familiar “rich and full million-dollar sound” and adopted it for live performances and recordings until the early 1980s. After that, Stuart continued to use the instrument on some recordings, but did not take it on the road. “It’s possibly one of the greatest rhythm instruments ever made,” Stuart said.

When Flatt retired and disbanded his bluegrass band, Stuart sadly returned the instrument thinking he would never see it again. Some time after Flatt’s death in May 1979, Stuart purchased the instrument from Flatt’s daughter, Brenda. Flatt & Scruggs were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1985.Country Music Hall Of Fame^® and Museum

An extensive breakdown of Marty Stuart and Connie Smith’s generous gift to the community is below.

Read more

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Marty Stuart

Marty Stuart was presented with the Joe Talbot Award from the Country Music Association on Wednesday, October 3^rd, to honor his work collecting and preserving country music memorabilia. Stuart accepted the honor at the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville, where a portion of his private collection is on display through Nov. 11. “You all know how much I love country music,” Stuart said. “I stepped off the bus [in Nashville] when I was 13 years old for a weekend and never went home. I dedicated my life to it. I love this music. We are a family.”

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Marty Stuart

Marty Stuart will host a new show on XM satellite radio starting next month. Debuting Friday, Oct. 5, “Marty Stuart’s American Odyssey” will expose fans to a broad range of American music, including traditional country, blues, rockabilly, bluegrass, gospel and rock songs. “American Odyssey” will be an amazing adventure inside the musical walls of our cities. It’s theater and radio has always been great theater to me; I knew XM was where it belonged,” said Stuart. “This will be a journey through America with a big smile.”

“It’s a real honor to add “Marty Stuart’s American Odyssey” to the roster of XM original music series. With seven dedicated country music channels, original programming that connects country fans with their favorite artists, our announcement today further demonstrates our commitment to country all year long.”Eric Logan, Executive Vice President of Programming, XM

Each hour-long episode of “Marty Stuart’s American Odyssey” will focus on a different part of the country and bring the region’s musical sounds and stories to life through informal interviews with local musicians, stories, guests and a regular cast of studio and touring musicians.

New episodes of “Marty Stuart’s American Odyssey,” will air on Fridays at 8 a.m. ET on XM’s classic country channel “America” (XM 10) and will also be available all day every Friday on “XMX” (XM 2), a recently launched channel that provides fans with XM’s most popular original music programming all in one place.

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