Wagoner on a Wednesday - Porter on David Letterman

Kevin Costner and Modern West will be on the Opry this weekend!

Check him and his band "Modern West" out when they take the stage of the Opry. It seems he has a true passion for music and is serious about it. There will be many great performers on the Opry this weekend so be sure to get your tickets now and check it out.

See the full list of who is playing at the Opry website.

The Sparkle Goes Dark at 5 O'Clock Today

The Sparkle & Twang Exhibit at the Tennessee State Museum ends today at 5:00pm. I hope you got the chance to see this while it was on display because it was one cool show. Thanks Marty for showing you collection, it rocked!

Today We Bumped Into Marty Stuart at the Sparkle and Twang Exhibit

We went to see Sparkle and Twang at the Tennessee State Museum today. We wanted to have one last look before it was gone and we couldn't enjoy the sweet sparkles dancing before our eyes.



While they pulled a crowd of trip winners into another room, we continued to casually look around. Suddenly a couple of folks came through a back door and into the room where we were and it was Marty Stuart coming to give the crowd a quick speech and before going upstairs to sign some copies of his new book, Masters. I've seen him here and there around Nashville and he has always been quite the gentleman.



Once at Noshville, I went out to get a Tennessean and as I walked I glanced over the paper. Without looking up I reached up to open the door for some folks that were coming towards me and as the door opened and I looked up, there was Marty Stuart and his beautiful wife. They smiled two beautiful smiles, thanked me and stepped into the restaurant.

Yep, this is a fun city to live in.

Nashville Tidbits with Beverly Keel

Marty Stuart

Jim Lauderdale

Emmylou Harris

From Tennessean music writer Peter Cooper:
With Marty Stuart's Sparkle & Twang exhibit as the sparkling, twanging background, Emmylou Harris, Buddy Miller, Jim Lauderdale, Rodney Crowell, Mike Farris and other artists paid tribute to Porter Wagoner on Wednesday night at the Tennessee State Museum.

"We've been so inspired by him for so long," said Emmylou, who sang three Porter songs with Buddy before inviting Jim up for a resplendent version of "Satisfied Mind."

The event was a kickoff to the Americana Music Conference and a chance for Porter's friends, family and fans to remember the Wagonmaster


~Titans QB Vince Young not only gave away candy Halloween night, but he also signed footballs (which he provided) and photos for trick-or-treaters at his Sumner County home.


~Jessica Simpson will be in town next week to attend the BMI and CMA Awards.



Read Beverly Keel's column and read more of these stories PLUS read about Toby Keith, Carrie Underwood, Koinonia reunion and more.

Sparkle and Twang

Visit the Tennessee State Museum and see Marty Stuart's collection from June 6 through November 11

It's a Superlative Sunday

Forget the Blue Law..Chug-A-Lug, Chug-A-Lug

Sparkle & Twang: Marty Stuart's American Musical Odyssey

Marty Stuart invested his heart and soul in country music when he was a child growing up in the '60s in Philadelphia, Miss. Years later, he began investing his money in country music memorabilia and has amassed one of the largest and most significant collections this side of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. Items from his holdings have been previously displayed at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and the Louvre in Paris.

Picture is from Marty Stuart's website

Part of the collection is featured in Sparkle & Twang: Marty Stuart's American Musical Odyssey, an exhibit opening Wednesday (June 6) at the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville. Representing more than 50 years of musical history, the display ranges from custom-made suits worn by the likes of Johnny Cash and Elton John to Hank Williams' handwritten lyrics to "Your Cheatin' Heart and a Fender Jazzmaster guitar owned by the late Roebuck "Pops" Staples of the Staple Singers. The exhibit, which features rhinestone suits created by Nudie the Hollywood Tailor, will run through Nov. 11 before traveling to other museums throughout the U.S.

With the CMA Music Festival bringing thousands of country music fans to Nashville this week, Stuart will host his annual Late Night Jam on Wednesday (June 6) at the Ryman Auditorium. A benefit for MusiCares, a nonprofit organization providing health and human services to those in the music industry, the concert will feature performances by John Rich of Big & Rich, Neko Case, Pam Tillis and two Country Music Hall of Fame members -- Charley Pride and Porter Wagoner.

Stuart talked about his passion as a collector during a recent interview with CMT.com.

The recent fire at Johnny Cash's former home house was a reminder that even immoveable objects can be lost in the blink of an eye.

Stuart:

I was walking through my orchard watching that burn. I mean, it was really a piece of me. I think what it burned out of me was a little bit more of the truth. I thought I had it settled that even though he wasn't there, the house was. I can kind of pretend that he wasn't gone ... we're on the road or something. I mean, what you said is exactly right. In the blink of an eye, it's gone. There's nothing you can do about it. Some things you can never get back.

There's so much in the way of country music memorabilia that has gotten lost along the way because it has been sold, donated or just thrown away.

Stuart:

That brings us to why I got into this. First of all, I just loved it. It followed my heart, and it was just stuff I just grew up loving. The first time I ever went to the Hard Rock Cafe [in London] was in the early '80s when I was on the tour over there with John [Cash] and his band. I ran into [Hard Rock founder and Tennessee native] Isaac Tigrett on the street. He's a Southern guy, and we got to talking to him and he said, "Come on down. See what I'm doing." So he took me to the first Hard Rock, and on the wall was all this stuff from the Beatles and the Stones and Jimi Hendrix that I thought that was really cool. Even though it was a hamburger joint, they treated it with a certain amount of respect. All the way home I was thinking, "You know, country music is really changing. I don't see new rhinestone suits coming. They're just kind of being washed away. Like they're cut off, and that branch is fading."

To see the rest of this interview, visit Country Music Television