Stuart has taken the stage with some pretty legendary musicians, which include the likes of Willie Nelson and even got permission from the Man in Black himself to use the Johnny Cash name in the band's moniker.
My phone interview with Stuart was quite pleasant and I was particularly smitten with the way he began the interview by bubbling over with excitement over the fact that his first baby is on the way. Here is the article that I did for Now in Salt Lake featuring the interview with Mark Stuart. You can also read it online here.
Mark Stuart, the leading man and founder of Americana/alt-country band Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash has shared the stage with music legends such as Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Lucinda Williams, George Jones, and the list goes on. But when he calls Now in Salt Lake to talk about his successful music career, he wants to talk about the fact that he is going to become a dad for the first time.
Stuart tells me that he and his wife had spent the day before at a birthing center and shared his thoughts on becoming a dad. Let's just say that he is very excited and a little nervous.
After offering congratulations, I ask Stuart about the music that he has spent the past 15 years making. Stuart formed the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash in 1995, and was given permission to use the band's name by the late Johnny Cash himself. When asking Stuart to tell me the story behind getting Cash's permission to use the name, he said that it was a long story and that it was in his bio. While this response sounds a bit short, I realize Stuart has probably told this story many times.
When I check out his bio,I find that not only did Cash give him permission, but he also personally invited Stuart to his home in Tennessee to record albums.
Since I am persistent, I decide that if Stuart won't tell me the Johnny Cash story, then maybe he will tell me how he came up with the name.
"The inspiration behind the name was due to dreams I was having. Johnny Cash started coming to me in my dreams and started playing songs with me. When I was looking for a name to put to this music, that's what I ended up coming up with. I would meet him in my dreams and we would play songs together, and then I would wake up and go, 'That was weird,' " says Stuart.
In some way, Stuart's dreams manifested into a reality that allowed him to make playing music a full-time job.
"Music is all I have done since 1999. It can be hard work sometimes, particularly the travel, but it's also really rewarding," says Stuart.
He and his band of Bastard Sons have traveled all over the nation playing venues both big and small for country music-loving fans who are looking for a bit of what country music used to be. We discuss the days old country music, when musicians like Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and the like weren't dressing up in glittery cowboy hats and fringe jackets. Stuart says that the music he and his bandmates create is one that he thinks some people may need to look up.
"The best description would be Americana, and [I would] have them look up what the definition of Americana is, which is really the blending of country, folk, Western and swing. It definitely leans closest to country music. It's closer to the bar room than the board room," says Stuart, who says that the band will occasionally add in a "... a few covers in from our heroes," to their original material. As mentioned, the "bar room" music of the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash has caught the attention of many notable figures in music along the path of his 25-year career as a musician. When I ask Stuart what it was like to take the stage with some of his heroes, he seems humbled by the experience.
"Its very rewarding when you create something and then you get to go out and share it with the people that inspire you. That's probably one of the most rewarding things. As a musician, I am inspired by my heroes, and when you get to play with them in person ... [those are] some of the most rewarding experiences that I have had," says Stuart.
If you haven't been to a Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash show then you should definitely plan to attend. After all, if the legends of country music themselves think these guys are worthy enough to carry on the name of the Man in Black, then you should see them while they are playing at venues that allow you an intimate experience.
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