Review: Country Music: The Masters by Marty Stuart

If my country music geek credentials are ever in question, let it be remembered that to cap off my Honeymoon in 2007, my new bride and I made a stop over in Nashville for the sole purpose of checking out the Country Music Hall of Fame and to visit the State Museum to see the Marty Stuart exhibit “Sparkle and Twang,” Stuart’s collection of country music memorabilia.

In the museum gift shop, there was a book on display. The chiseled black and white visage of Johnny Cash on a large hardbound book stared across the room. My wife and I picked it up and thumbed through a few of the pictures that made up the book and then gently placed it back in its place. It contained such beautiful photos, some of which were displayed in the exhibit, but the $100 price tag kept us from leaving the store with it.

But it stayed in our minds.

Almost a year later, on another trip to Nashville with some friends, we took them through the Country Music Hall of Fame. When we entered the gift shop we saw a sign announcing that Marty Stuart would be there that day to sign copies of his new book, Country Music; The Masters. There is sat, again, staring at us from afar. And this time it was on sale - $89.99 and we could take it home with Marty Stuart’s signature. As beautiful as this book was, printed on archive quality paper, linen bound, I decided to walk away.

But now, now, the book has returned. A small publisher picked up the book, printed in on less costly (but not cheaper) material and I finally have the book in my possession. The cover price has been cut in half (although you can get it on Amazon for under $40), but the beauty of the book has not been.

The title says it all - Country Music: The Masters. Johnny Cash, whose last portrait, taken just 4 days before his passing, makes up the cover image and the last image in the book. Merle Haggard. George Jones. Loretta Lynn. Lester Flatt. Bill Monroe. Jimmy Martin. Eddy Arnold. Buck Owens. Porter Wagoner. And so many more. These are the masters. These are the artists that command our respect and deserve to be remembered by in a book of this quality.

There are many straightforward portraits in these pages. Vern Gosdin, Gene Watson, Johnny Wright, Kitty Wells, they all look out from the pages in a stately manner, their faces etched with age and experience, their posture recounting the hundreds of days on the road.

There are fun pictures, too. Stuart remembers, in the books’ introduction, how he made it to Nashville and in turn how he began to take pictures of these legendary artists: “I was fourteen and I couldn’t drive. In order for me to go anywhere I had to go along with Lester, and his buddies became mine. Bill Monroe, Ernest Tubb, Stringbean, Grandpa Jones Jones, and Roy Acuff became my poker pals, fishing buddies, and musical compadres. It seemed an important event very time any combination of those men got together.” There is a picture of Bill Monroe playing mandolin for his chickens, Emmylou Harris striking a playful pose backstage in Italy, pictures of guitars, pictures of posters and concerts.

There are those pictures that carry heartbreak. The aforementioned Johnny cash portrait. A series of pictures of the crash site where the spirits of Patsy cline, Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins and Randy Hughes left this earth. Lester Flatt being helped from the bus and relaxing on the bus taking oxygen to be able to continue to entertain the fans. A picture of a flea market booth carry the personal belongings of Skeeter Davis after her passing, all marked $5 each.

If you have Stuarts’ book Pilgrims: Sinner, Saints and Prophets a few of these pictures will be familiar, although they are presented here in a large format and with new layouts surrounding them.

These are pictures of history and historical figures seen through the lens of an artist who will soon join them in that elite group. Stuart has and had access to the greats of the genre and he has shared them with us.

One thing this edition includes that the original release did not is an accompanying CD. This CD adds so much value to fans of country music history in general and Marty Stuart in particular. There are 21 tracks on the disc, including the song Stuart wrote for the passing of Cash, “Dark Bird,” which is only available here (although there is live version recorded as part of a radio show that was sold only at Stuart’s shows). There are three instrumental tracks containing Stuarts great mandolin and guitar playing that serve as musical interludes between the other tracks.

The remaining 17 tracks correspond with 17 pictures throughout the book, denoted by a small CD with a number on it in the corner of the page. The track tells a story relating to the photo you are looking at, telling of the circumstances and events surrounding the picture. This is like sitting down with Stuart and going through the book and having him talk you through it. Funny stories, touching stories, bits of trivia, it’s all here.

I know it is a little close to Christmas to get someone this gift on time, but, trust me, they won’t mind getting it a little late. Hey, I waited over a year!