Although known primarily as a country music star, Marty Stuart has
been taking photographs of the people and places surrounding him
since he first went on tour with bluegrass performer Lester Flatt
at age twelve. His inspirations to do this include his own mother,
Hilda Stuart, whom he watched document their family's everyday life
in Mississippi, bassist Milt Hinton's photographs of fellow jazz
artists, and Edward Curtis's well-known images of Native Americans
at the turn of the twentieth century. Stuart's work ranges from
intimate and often candid behind-the-scenes depictions of legendary
musicians, to images that capture the eccentricities of characters
from the back roads of America, to dignified portraits of members
of the impoverished Lakota tribe in South Dakota, a people he was
introduced to through his former father-in-law, Johnny Cash.
Whatever the subject, Stuart is able to sensitively tease out
something unexpected or hidden beneath the surface through a
skillful awareness of timing and composition as well as a unique
relationship with many of the subjects based on years of friendship
and trust.
This book will present images from these three bodies of work:
"Badlands," on his time with the Lakota; "The Masters," from his
work with musicians like Bill Monroe, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles,
Dolly Parton, George Jones, Kitty Wells, Willie Nelson, and Waylon
Jennings; and "Blue Line Hot Shots." As Stuart explains, "The newly
built Interstate Highway System was at one time represented on our
maps by the color red, while the two-lane highways and back roads
of the nation were represented in blue. The back roads are where
you'll find some of the people that I admire, respect, and always
keep an eye out for. ... They are renegades As Roger Miller once
said, 'These people flush to the beat of a different plumber.'
"
The photographs are framed by an introduction by Stuart and a
context-setting essay by photography historian Susan Edwards,
executive director of the First Center for the Visual Arts. The
book and accompanying exhibition at the First Center demonstrate
that Marty Stuart is a master storyteller not only through his
songs but also through his revealing and compelling
photographs.
Excerpt
"When I first began traveling I loved the adventure of going from
town to town and exploring what each place had to offer. Whenever
possible, on the day of the show I walked the streets and back
roads, gathering stories and songs from local folks. I studied
everything from the different kinds of architecture that surrounded
me to the majesty of the sunsets and how they affected the mood of
the town I was in. That first season was filled with the joy of a
new musical life taking flight. The applause, the spotlight, the
sparkle of the fame, the freedom of 'here today, go somewhere else
tomorrow' charmed me night after night, day after day, until show
business found its mark and became a way of life. I enjoyed every
minute of the dance. I still love those things, but most of all
it's the people that I've enjoyed along the way, namely the
characters. The kind of characters who can be defined as American
originals."
--"from the Introduction by Marty Stuart""
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