Finest Fashions: Lisa Sorrell chats with Marty Stuart

LS: Your musical genius is well known, but perhaps everyone isn’t so aware of your passion for collecting vintage country music stagewear. Why is this important to you?

MS: It’s about preservation. When I began collecting, you could find this stuff at thrift stores and garage sales. I understood that they were relics of the past. Plus, they looked cool! As a child, I’d watch country music shows with my dad on an old black and white TV. The first time I saw stagewear in color was when Ernest Tubb visited Mississippi, and I got to see him in concert. He and his band stepped out in pink suits with rhinestones, and it was the most beautiful vision ever.

I had the opportunity to meet many of the artists and makers behind the clothing when I was a kid traveling with Lester Flatt. We went to Nudies, and just by showing an interest, I got invited to back rooms to meet the makers — the ones actually doing the work. I met Manuel at Nudies when I was 13 or 14. I was interested in what they were doing, and because of that genuine interest, they shared information and knowledge and made me feel welcome. That gave me another level of appreciation for the clothing and boots as I began collecting them; I often recognized the work of individual artists.

LS: You and I met when you were commissioning boots from Jay Griffith in Guthrie, Oklahoma. How did you find Jay?

MS: In the early days of going out on my own as a musician, I played a bar in Oklahoma and met a guy named Bobby Barnett. He was a country music singer who had a great eye for clothing and boots, and he gave me some Nudie suits and boots. We hung out after a show one night, and he told me there was a bootmaker in Guthrie I needed to meet. He introduced me to Jay, who was an absolute legend. He was like the Porter Wagoner of boot making, one of the original architects of the craft.

Jay complained about the boots I wanted him to make for me. He griped about the high, undershot heel I wanted and the “damn Nudie toe,” and there was always a long wait between ordering the boots and receiving the boots. But when the box arrived in the mail and I opened it, it was worth it!

LS: Of all the interesting pieces you own, is there one that’s your favorite? One that makes you happy just to see it or touch it? MS: Connie Smith! Of my stage wear collection, though, I would have to choose a Nudie suit and boots made for Hank Snow. The suit is black with embroidered guitars and roses, and he wore it with a pair of Nudie boots that are pink and white with inlaid butterflies. The work is absolute perfection, and it looks as good up close as it does from far away.

LS: Has anything in your collection ever inspired or informed your music?

MS: Without question. When I dress for a show — when I put on these clothes — I feel like Superman coming out of a phone booth. That makes me write and perform like Superman too. The old country stars understood this. The clothes represented not only individualism and a way to set yourself apart, but also achievement. Many of those stars started out very poor, and the clothing acknowledged not just what they’d achieved but also the trust the public placed in them and the responsibility to give them a good show.

LS: Was collecting stagewear always a dream of yours, or did collecting develop out of the necessity to preserve it?

MS: Both, really. It started with the goal of preservation, but I began seriously collecting around the same time I was moving from being a band member to having my own band. This was also the time when song videos became a thing. I remembered watching TV with Dad, and I realized that wearing those suits might get a reaction. I didn’t want to do it exactly like the old stars — I wanted my own look — so I decided to wear my rhinestone jackets with blue jeans. It was all about visual appeal.

LS: Are there specific country music icons that inspired your taste and your looks?

MS: The Maddox Brothers and Rose were the best of the best. Their costumes were made by Nathan Turk, and they were drop-dead gorgeous. The set of the Marty Stuart Show featured a Rose Maddox outfit and many other items. It was a way of showcasing country music history and having those spirits and that vibe on stage.

LS: Is there anything about vintage country music fashion that you’d like to talk about or convey?

MS: Everybody needs to do it their way. If that’s a backward ball cap and ripped jeans and a flannel shirt, go for it. But after a while, you owe it to yourself to give classic country music stagewear a try.

LS: Final thoughts?

MS: Check out the upcoming “The World of Marty Stuart” exhibit opening on Saturday, May 7, 2022, at the Museum of Mississippi History. Also, be sure and follow and support the progress of my upcoming Congress of Country Music Museum in Philadelphia, Mississippi. It will be the home of the largest private collection of country music artifacts in the world, as well as a performance and educational space.

Marty Stuart