MARTY STUART IS VERY COOL!

Growing up, watching television was something that was a huge part of my life. Back in the day of three television networks (Yes, Virginia, there was a time!), I was pretty much familiar with each of the programming on ABC, CBS, and NBC....even if I didn't watch it.

That was then, and this is now. Aside from House, The Mentalist, and occasionally the excellent Men Of A Certain Age, there's not a lot that I watch on TV anymore. Time is of the essence, and most days there's not a lot of it.

There are a few guilty pleasures that I have from the tube. Most of them come from the cable network RFD-TV. Whether it be classic country shows like Porter Wagoner or Pop Goes The Country, much of the network's programming takes me back to my youth. That being said, there is one of the network's shows that I have on DVR every week that I just have to watch----The Marty Stuart Show.

Every Saturday night at 7pm central, Stuart hosts a trip back in time. The show, a modern-day Wagoner, is simply a delight from start to finish. Just like Wagoner had one of the best bands at the time in the Wagonmasters, I don't know if there is a better back-up band than the Fabulous Superlatives. They have such an incredible chemistry together. Then, there's emcee Eddie Stubbs, one of the best radio personalites anywhere, banjo player Leroy Troy. One might wonder if Troy is for real, or carrying on a bit. I used to think the same about Mike Snider. However, as Leroy was once a guest on the Mule Skinner Bluegrass Show, a show that Marcia Campbell used to host on a station I once worked for...let me tell you, he is real..very much so. Then, you have the legendary Connie Smith, who is still one of the best female vocalists you will ever hear. Dolly Parton, herself an expert on the matter, once said there were three great female vocalists....Streisand, Ronstadt, and Connie Smith. The rest, she admitted, were all pretenders....She still sounds exactly like she did in the late 60s, cutting those classics for RCA.

Then, you have Smith's husband, Marty Stuart. What can you say about the way that he has represented Country Music over the years? He is an ambassador for the old, and also a representative of the new....which is a pretty incredible balance to make. He does it effortlessly. One of my favorite parts of the show is the Gospel segment. Marty and the Superlatives perform many a song with a soul feel to it, some of them coming from the Soul's Chapel CD, one of his best-ever efforts. It's an education, but yet it's also entertainment. I'm kind of reminded what Bill Cosby once said week during the intro to Fat Albert & The Cosby Kids. "This is Bill Cosby coming at you with music and fun, and if you're not careful...you just might learn something before we done." I know that cross-referencing Stuart and Cosby might be a little strange to some, but I think you get the idea. So, I urge you...watch it this weekend. You'll be entertained!

And one more thing, after all these years, Marty Stuart still has the best hair in Country Music....and as someone a few years younger who doesn't have it anymore, that makes him cool....very much so!