To celebrate the joys of photography and country music, we’re giving away a copy of American Ballads: The Photographs of Marty Stuart.
If you only know Marty Stuart the legendary country musician, you need to get to know Marty Stuart the phenomenal photographer. From the publisher of Stuart’s photo book, American Ballads: The Photographs of Marty Stuart.
“Although known primarily as a country music star, Marty Stuart has been taking photographs of the people and places surrounding him since he first went on tour with bluegrass performer Lester Flatt at age 12. His inspirations to do this include his own mother, Hilda Stuart, whom he watched document their family’s everyday life in Mississippi, bassist Milt Hinton’s photographs of fellow jazz artists, and Edward Curtis’ well-known images of Native Americans at the turn of the 20th century.
“Stuart’s work ranges from intimate and often candid behind-the-scenes depictions of legendary musicians, to images that capture the eccentricities of characters from the back roads of America, to dignified portraits of members of the impoverished Lakota tribe in South Dakota, a people he was introduced to through his former father-in-law, Johnny Cash. Whatever the subject, Stuart is able to sensitively tease out something unexpected or hidden beneath the surface through a skillful awareness of timing and composition as well as a unique relationship with many of the subjects based on years of friendship and trust.
For slideshow, click arrow on right of image.
“The book presents images from these three bodies of work: ‘Badlands,’ on his time with the Lakota; ‘The Masters,’ from his work with musicians like Bill Monroe, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Dolly Parton, George Jones, Kitty Wells, Willie Nelson, and Waylon Jennings; and ‘Blue Line Hot Shots.’ As Stuart explains, ‘The newly built Interstate Highway System was at one time represented on our maps by the color red, while the two-lane highways and back roads of the nation were represented in blue. The back roads are where you’ll find some of the people that I admire, respect, and always keep an eye out for. ... They are renegades. … As Roger Miller once said, ‘These people flush to the beat of a different plumber.’
“The photographs are framed by an introduction by Stuart and a context-setting essay by photography historian and [Frist Art Museum CEO] Susan Edwards. The book and accompanying [traveling] exhibition demonstrate that Marty Stuart is a master storyteller not only through his songs but also through his revealing and compelling photographs.”
Enter for your chance to win a copy of the book.
Read about the American Ballads photo exhibition on view at the Birthplace of Country Music.
Enter some of your own favorite shots in our annual C&I Photo Contest.
The deadline is November 3, 2019!
About the American Ballads book (from the publisher):
- Edition: Hardcover, list price $35
- Publisher: Vanderbilt University Press, a Frist Art Museum title (2014)
- Illustrations: 92 (81 duotone plates, 11 color and duotone figures)
- Dimensions: 11 in. x 10.5 in.
- Page Count: 132
