By R. David Shew
Not everyone in the crowd would call themselves a Hillbilly, but Marty Stuart sure did make me feel like a proud Kentucky Hillbilly with his Fabulous Superlatives Saturday night at Renfro Valley. Marty and the Superlatives rocked the stage from start to finish. The band’s version of “Hillbilly Rock” set the stage for a night of entertainment.
Marty played Clarence, his Fender Telecaster, and his acoustic guitar for most of the show, but it was so much fun to watch Marty and the Superlatives have fun when Marty picked up his mandolin. Watching Marty play the mandolin almost made my fingers ache with joy.
The Superlatives include Harry Stinson on drums, Kenny Vaughan on guitar, and Chris Scruggs on bass. The show featured Marty as lead on most songs, but Marty gives the Superlatives a chance to show off their individual talents. Marty stepped aside as each Superlative sang a couple of songs. Chris Scruggs sang “Blue Moon of Kentucky” early in the show when a fan screamed play “Blue Moon.” You could tell that it was not time for this, but Marty obliged and let Chris entertain the crowd.
My favorite song of the night was “El Paso” , a huge hit for Marty Robbins. Stuart told the audience that his mother named him after Marty Robbins, and Stuart’s rendition took me back to Texas and Rosa’s Cantina. This song was one of my father’s favorite songs.
Marty paid tribute to Merle Haggard with “Momma Tried” and sang two of his Grammy winners, “The Whiskey Ain’t Working” and “Same Old Train.” Another winner was “This One’s Gonna Hurt You (For a Long Time)” that Marty and Travis Tritt made popular.
Toward the end of the night, Marty went back to his gospel roots when Marty and the Superlatives sang “Heaven” with Kenny playing acoustic guitar. The harmony was some of the best of the evening.
Thank you, Marty, for bringing your cast, the Fabulous Superlatives, to the Big House in Mount Vernon, Kentucky. The sound was fabulous, and your rockabilly music made the New Barn Theatre the place to be in Kentucky!
