Among his many other attributes, Marty
Stuart is a great host. The duets on
Compadres span genres and generations,
but Marty proves himself a
gracious and generous partner throughout. He
bends his own style to find common ground
with everyone from legendary bluesman B.B.
King to young mountain-music upstarts Old
Crow Medicine Show, and from soul veterans
The Staple Singers to country luminaries like
his own wife, Connie Smith. “Rawhide,” which
features a teenage Marty with Lester Flatt and
the Nashville Grass in 1974, isn’t just a novelty—
it’s a barn-burner that earns its spot here.
Unlike most such compilations, Compadres
adds up to more than the sum of its parts.
These aren’t record-label-engineered pairings,
but meetings of like-minded artists whose
musical philosophy and generosity of spirit
mean more than their stylistic differences.
Marty’s choice of duet partners and the
warmth of his interactions with them offer
unexpected insights into the parameters of his
personality and the depth of his talent.