Emmylou Harris, Billy Strings & Marcus King Join Marty Stuart At The Ryman

Marty Stuart hosted and headlined his 19th Late Night Jam all-star concert at Nashville’s The Ryman Auditorium on Wednesday. Emmylou Harris, Billy Strings, Marcus King and Lainey Wilson were among the musicians who joined Stuart at the return of the event after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

The concert was part of the CMA Music Fest week with proceeds going towards Stuart’s under-development Congress of Country Music project in Philadelphia, Mississippi. Some of the performers utilized iconic guitars from Marty’s collection, including Pops Staples’s 1969 Fender Rosewood Telecaster, Johnny Cash‘s 1937 Martin D-45 and George Jones‘ 1957 Martin D-28.

“It was a strange feeling for the past two years when the first Wednesday night in June rolled ’round and we didn’t have the Late Night Jam,” Stuart told the crowd towards the beginning of the show as per the Tennessean’s report.

Lainey Wilson starred on Hank Williams’ “Lost Highway,” while Marcus King performed his own “Wildflowers & Wine” and teamed with Marty Stuart And His Fabulous Superlatives for Howlin’ Wolf’s blues classic “Killing Floor.”

Billy Strings’ time in the spotlight included a duet with Marty on the traditional bluegrass song “Long Journey Home,” teaming with Stuart and a band that featured bassist Royal Masat on Jimmie Driftwood’s “Tennessee Stud” and leading Stuart And His Fabulous Superlatives for The Delmore Brothers’ “Freight Train Boogie.”

Connie Smith paired with Marty Stuart, her husband, in honoring the late Merle Haggard with “The Fugitive,” while Georgia’s Jontavious Willis made his Ryman debut. Later in the night, Emmylou Harris’ appearance featured a new duet with Stuart dubbed “Three Chords And The Truth” according to the Tennessean.

Colt Clark And The Quarantine Kids were the final guests of the show. Marty and his bandmates joined the youngsters and their father for a series of covers, including Freddie King’s “Going Down” and “Get Back” by The Beatles. Clark changed the lyrics to the former to reference Nashville and singing on The Ryman’s stage.

Watch fan-shot video featuring highlights of last night’s concert below:

[via Tennessean]