Marty Stuart’s to be feted for 20 years as a Grand Ole Opry member

The Grand Ole Opry will honor one of its own, Marty Stuart, on Dec. 8 with a commemoration marking his 20th anniversary as an Opry cast member. During a one-hour segment of the show, Stuart will be celebrated with performances by his wife and fellow Opry member Connie Smith, as well as Charley Pride, Old Crow Medicine Show, and songwriter Brandy Clark. Also appearing with Stuart will be Phyliss Anderson, Chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, along with two Choctaw dancers.

The show will be held at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium, where Stuart made his Opry debut as a band member for Lester Flatt in September 1972 at age 13. Stuart joined the Opry 20 years ago today, on Nov. 28, 1992. He went on to become a five-time Grammy Award winner.

In addition to his bluegrass stint with Flatt in the ’70s, Stuart spent six years performing with Johnny Cash in the ’80s before launching his solo career. He charted 32 songs on Billboard Top Country Songs list between 1985 and 1996 including the top 10 hits “Hillbilly Rock,” “Little Things,” “Tempted,” and “Burn Me Down,” all in the early ’90s. In collaboration with Travis Tritt, he had two additional top 10 hits, “The Whiskey Ain’t Working” and “This One’s Gonna Hurt You (For A Long, Long Time),” also in the early ’90s.

Stuart is widely regarded as a top ambassador, historian and preservationist of country music, and currently fronts the touring band The Fabulous Superlatives.