Marty Stuart was barely 14 when he took part in a recording session for the first time, and he revisited his past rather appropriately in cutting the 14th studio album of his career, Ghost Train (The Studio B Sessions).

Due Aug. 24, the project combined Marty’s love for traditional country music with his appreciation of historic pieces of the genre’s past. He’s noted for his collection of old stage outfits and instruments, and RCA Studio B is one of the ultimate historic locations in Nashville. It was not only the site of Marty’s first session, with Country Music Hall of Famer Lester Flatt, but it also spawned such hits as Bobby Bare’s “Detroit City,” Dolly Parton’s “Coat Of Many Colors,” Skeeter Davis’ “The End Of The World” and Elvis Presley’s “Are You Lonesome To-night?”

Marty’s wife, Grand Ole Opry star Connie Smith, also recorded her initial hit “Once A Day” at Studio B, and she joined Marty on Ghost Train in a duet they co-wrote, “I Run To You.” Marty also recorded a a remake of the Ray Price single “Crazy Arms,” the classic-country Warner Mack song “The Bridge Washed Out” and a song he co-wrote with Johnny Cash just four days before the Man in Black’s death.

“What inspires me now is traditional country music,” Marty says. “It’s the music I most cherish, the culture in which I was raised. It’s the bedrock upon which the empire of country music is built, the empowering force that provides this genre with lasting credibility. It’s beyond trends, and it’s timeless. With all that being said, I found traditional country music to be on the verge of extinction. It’s too precious to let slip away. I wanted to attempt to write a new chapter.”

In the meantime, Marty visits another historic location when he hosts his annual Late Night Jam June 9, 2010 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Known as the Mother Church of Country Music, the Ryman was the venue in which Marty first played the Opry during his tenure in Lester’s band. Revenues from the Jam will be funneled into flood relief. Guests announced thus far include Keith Urban, Connie Smith, Ronnie Milsap, “Elvira” songwriter Dallas Frazier, “Ballad Of A Teenage Queen” author Jack Clement, steel guitarist Ralph Mooney and the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band.

By Tom Roland