July 4th week: Eddie, Marty, Connie and Vince

After attending two events in Nashville this week, one fact seems to be abundantly clear. Eddie Stubbs is the king of this town. And rightfully so.

Eddie is the consummate professional, a torchbearer for the pioneers of classic country music, and as you'd find when you meet him, a perfect gentleman. For all of this and more, he's very highly respected by artists and fans alike. He is showered with accolades regularly by many artists, especially the folks he appeared with this week, and takes them all with class and humility.

I went to my second of his monthly "Intimate Evening With Eddie Stubbs" live broadcast on WSM, this one celebrating the 10th wedding anniversary of Marty Stuart and Connie Smith. It was another evening of fun and laughter and tracing two distinguished careers. Marty is a musician of integrity and, like Eddie, a champion for the cause of remembering the legends of country music (evidenced by his new book of photos and his memorabilia exhibit "Sparkle and Twang"). I had the chance to hear and meet Connie last month at CMA Fan Festival. Marty described her best: "My baby is an American essential!" One fact I did not know until that evening was that Marty and Connie co-wrote my favorite track of his, the duet "Farmers Blues" with Merle Haggard.

One very entertaining moment was when Marty did his best to distract Eddie as he was doing one of his off the top of his head sponsor spots. Yet, despite all of Marty's efforts (including showering Connie with kisses), the unflappable Stubbs didn't miss a beat.

During the autograph breaks, I got my picture taken with Marty and Connie. I declared Marty the hottest guy in country music and Connie wholeheartedly agreed with me. I also got to meet other folks in the audience that evening: Joanne Cash and Dr. Ray Yates of the Nashville Cowboy Church, and country music historian Robert K. Oermann.

Now that I've been to a couple of these "Intimate Evenings" I've begun to spot some regular faces in the line before the show. One person even shared her cookie with me. These are really fun events to go to if you win tickets and a great deal all around.

Eddie was also featured at another event, a Bluegrass concert featuring Vince Gill and Jesse McReynolds and the Virginia Boys. Mandolin bluegrass legend Jesse and his band did a fine opening set which featured a guest appearance by Vince. Jesse also threw in a few amusing rooster and chicken stories (making sure to note these were not the sponsored Springer Mountain Farms chickens he was talking about!).

With the exception of "Go Rest High" (done as an encore by audience request), there weren't any of Vince's greatest hits in his set. Vince's roots are in bluegrass and he played many songs he loved when he was a young picker (covering much of his "top 9") and songs from the bluegrass disc of his well-received "These Days" collection. Regarded by many as an ace guitar player as well as a great singer, Vince played mandolin all evening and showed some fine skill.

Of course, an evening with Vince Gill wouldn't be quite complete without some of his trademark humor, and there was much of that throughout the evening. The highlight for me was the story of how he and his young bluegrass band opened for KISS in the 70s for $100. It was a disaster, with the band being booed off the stage after two songs. But the group did not escape notice from a reviewer. The review noted the opening act's mismatch with the rock band, and mentioned that group member Vince, upon leaving the stage, told the crowd which part of his anatomy they could kiss.

Vince brought in a special guest musician for one number: none other than Eddie Stubbs. Eddie played fiddle in Maryland as a member of the Johnson Mountain Boys, and fans here got a taste of that. Eddie received a rousing ovation.

Next time I go to an "intimate evening" broadcast, I'm getting me one of those "STUBBS" shirts.