Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives (Los Angeles, 2023)
I’ve always enjoyed country music. Growing up in the Southeast, it was always around me, and I appreciated the stories behind the songs. And I’m talking about the more traditional side of the genre. Topics like tradition, family, God, relationships, and the life of an American have resonated with me and always will. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy party (or bro) country too but there is a time and place for that. One of my favorite traditional country artists (or neo-traditional) is Marty Stuart.
Growing up in the state of Mississippi, Marty’s home state is represented through his blend of rock n’ roll guitar playing with carefully crafted lyrics in the country genre. He is a fantastic guitar player, playing for Johnny Cash’s band in the 80s, and becoming a successful solo artist with the release of Hillbilly Rock in 1989 under MCA Records. I love country artists who take the country genre and blend it with rock; when I saw Marty Stuart was playing at the Roxy, I knew I had to go.
I got to the show at a prime time, about 15 minutes before the curtains were scheduled to come up. The place was jammed packed, as it should be, but I guess I was thrown off guard since it’s in LA California and not LA Louisiana. I shouldered my way (politely) through the crowd and found my usual spot on the far corner of the stage. I shuffled my feet a bit and began to scan the crowd. It consisted of mostly older folks; the average age might have been 60. I was definitely the youngest. But I felt comfortable. Maybe it was because I tend to get along with older folks better. But I noticed many couples and groups of friends, glad to see country fans like me on the Sunset strip.
After about 15 minutes, the hum of a guitar radiated through the room. Showtime. The curtains came up as Marty Stuart and his Superlatives kicked into their first song, a cover of “Mama Tried” by the great Merle Haggard. Marty and his Fabulous Superlatives added some flair to their cover, featuring electric guitars and a faster tempo. After the song, Marty introduced himself and his band, which consists of “Cousin” Kenny Vaughn on guitar, Harry Stinson on drums, and Chris Scruggs on bass/steel guitar.
The next few songs were the bands own with the quick fired “Tomahawk” and the crooning “Going, Going, Gone” until Cousin Kenny took over the mic. I wasn’t too familiar with Kenny Vaughn and when he started with “Country Music Got a Hold of Me”, I was immediately hooked. The song is a great tribute to 50s country/rockabilly, and I smiled as I saw the older crowd start to dance with one another, creating their own dance floor. After that, Marty took back the mic and asked the crowd, “who in here is a truck driver?” Crickets. He laughed as he said, “I know it’s LA but there’s gotta be ONE of y’all here!” Three or four hands came up and everyone laughed. Dedicating the song to truck drivers, Marty and the band went into a cover of Davis Dudley’s “Six Days on the Road”. The audience (and I) ate it up. After that, Chris Scruggs came up to the mic and sang two songs; Harry Stinson did two as well. I was impressed that each member of the band had great singing voices and stage charisma. But the highlights of the night were when the band covered “Wipeout” by The Surfaris, which was awesome as each member gave their own electric solo moment of the tune. Chris Scruggs in particular was impressive with this one as he banged and played the bass (not the guitar, the actual bass) like a wizard. The other nice surprise was when Marty brought out his wife Connie Smith. She sang “There’s Something Lonely In This House”, giving an emotional performance as Marty played the steel guitar. I’ll admit, I felt myself tear up a bit because it was just so damn good. And after the song, Marty and Connie gave each other a brief kiss and hug before helping Connie off the stage. Now that my friends, is relationship goals. The band then came back on stage and performed a few more songs, including covers of “Pretty Boy Floyd” (Woody Guthrie) and “Orange Blossom Special” (Rouse Brothers), where Marty played the fiddle part with his steel guitar. The band ended with “Time Don’t Wait” until performing “Space” for their encore.
It was a great concert. Marty and his Fabulous Superlatives are exceptional performers and talents. I think true country music is one of the most beautiful things God has graced this country with and this show reminded me of that. If you haven’t seen Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives (or a country show at all), I highly recommend it!
Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives are on tour in the US now. Tour dates can be found at martystuart.net
Follow Marty and his band on Instagram @Martystuart.