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MUSEUM WELCOMES MARTY STUART COLLECTION
Sub: Country Music Artifacts Highlighted at the Old State House Museum
March 14, 2008
LITTLE ROCK--Sparkle & Twang: Marty Stuart’s American Musical Odyssey, a showcase of country and popular music, will be unveiled at the Old State House Museum on April 4, 2008. The exhibit makes a stop at the museum, on loan from the Tennessee Historical State Museum in Nashville. It features hundreds of items from the personal collection of country music icon Marty Stuart, representing more than 40 years of musical milestones from country, rock, bluegrass, and southern gospel music.
Bill Gatewood, Director of the Old State House Museum, said, “I think it’s incredibly interesting and telling when a person collects objects related to their own vocation. It suggests a passion and insight exceeding similar efforts by those outside that particular profession—in this case, music. Marty Stuart’s collection of country music memorabilia is unbelievable in scope and gives us a true insider’s view of that part of our heritage.” Stuart’s complete collection, which includes more than 20,000 items, is generally considered to be second only to that of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Numerous pieces from his collection were previously loaned to the Hall of Fame’s museum in Nashville, as well as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, and The Louvre in Paris, France.
“I believe country music holds a prominent place within the arts. For many years, I have been passionate about collecting and archiving the treasures of country music and its people,” said Marty Stuart. “Most country artists from that golden era ... you'd ask them what happened to that suit, and they'd say, ‘Ah, I gave it away. I didn't think anything about it.’ They didn't see the eternal value of it. Now that history has gone on and the world has turned a little more, this stuff means more than it ever has.”
The exhibit presents a unique perspective on American history, illustrating the impact of fashion and music on popular culture as revealed through performance costumes, accessories, hand-written lyrics, personal letters, instruments owned by country music legends, and unpublished photographs. It includes such outstanding pieces as Patsy Cline’s makeup case; Johnny Cash’s first “Man in Black” suit; Hank Williams, Sr.’s handwritten lyrics to Your Cheatin’ Heart; and an early Elton John custom cowboy-inspired sparkled suit complete with rhinestone-studded gun holsters. Sparkle & Twang will be on view through October 5, 2008.
For more information about the Sparkle & Twang exhibit, please call (501) 324-9685. Admission is free.
Stuart to Play Concert
This exhibit is not all that’s in store for visitors; on August 23, 2008, get ready for an exciting evening as Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives perform live in concert at the Old State House Museum.
One of country music’s most flamboyant icons with his flashy costumes and distinctive hair, Marty Stuart is also one of its most accomplished musicians and passionate historians. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Mississippi, he taught himself the guitar at the age of six and later mastered the mandolin. By the age of 12 he was playing professionally, and at 14 left school to play full-time for Lester Flatt and the Nashville Grass.
Stuart continued to hone his skills and broaden his knowledge of music by playing with some of country and rock music’s biggest stars, including Bill Monroe, Earl Scruggs, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Neil Young, and Billy Joel. A lifelong dream was realized when he joined Johnny Cash’s band. Stuart played with Cash for six years and developed a close friendship with him. He embarked on a solo career in 1986, and achieved stardom on his own in 1989, with the album Hillbilly Rock. Over the next three years he recorded six top-10 singles and placed three more in the top 20. Two of his biggest hits, The Whiskey Ain’t Workin’ and This One’s Gonna Hurt You, were duets with another rising young country star, Travis Tritt.
Tickets for the August performance are $35 per person and will go on sale July 20; call (501) 324-9685 for more information.
About the Old State House Museum
The Old State House Museum hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Guided tours are available seven days a week; please call in advance for group tour reservations at (501) 324-9685.
The Old State House Museum is a museum of the Department of Arkansas Heritage and shares the goal of all seven Department of Arkansas Heritage agencies, that of preserving and enhancing the heritage of the state of Arkansas. The agencies are Arkansas Arts Council, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Delta Cultural Center in Helena, Historic Arkansas Museum, Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, and the Old State House Museum. The Old State House Museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums.
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