The Pilgrim (Marty Stuart album)

Last updated
The Pilgrim
Marty Stuart - The Pilgrim.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 15, 1999
Genre Country
Length48:57
LanguageEnglish
Label MCA Nashville
Producer Marty Stuart
Marty Stuart chronology
Honky Tonkin's What I Do Best
(1996)
The Pilgrim
(1999)
Country Music
(2003)

The Pilgrim is the 10th studio album of country music artist Marty Stuart, released in 1999. It is a concept album, telling the story of a man (The Pilgrim) from Marty Stuart's hometown of Philadelphia, Mississippi. Stuart plays the role of the Pilgrim, as well as other roles. It was a significant move in Stuart's career, as before The Pilgrim, he had been focusing more on trying to score a hit song instead of making the music that really mattered to him. With this album, he demonstrates his songwriting skills (every track is either written or co-written by Stuart) and his diverse instrumental skills. The album features many country/bluegrass legends as guest stars, including Emmylou Harris, Pam Tillis, George Jones, Ralph Stanley, Earl Scruggs and Johnny Cash.

Contents

Plot

The Pilgrim is based on a true story of a man from Stuart's hometown, named Norman. Everyone was surprised when Norman (described as "cross-eyed Norman" in the album's liner notes) married Rita, the town's beauty queen. As time went by Norman grew more and more possessive and jealous. Rita took comfort in the charms of a man she worked with at the hospital. That man was The Pilgrim, who came from a town 40 miles away, and did not know that Rita was married. She never responded to his affections, despite the fact that he begged her to marry him. She never told him she was married. Norman began to feel the distance between him and Rita at home, and knew she was on the verge of leaving him. One evening, Norman came home, and Rita wasn't there. He wrote her a letter, put it in his coat pocket, got his gun and went in search of his wife. He found her at the hospital - holding hands with The Pilgrim. He began making threats, and The Pilgrim, not knowing who Norman was, jumped up to defend Rita. She had to finally admit that she was married. Norman then regained control, and shook The Pilgrim's hand, saying "I just wanted to meet the man that tore up my home and let him see what it's done". The Pilgrim tried reasoning with Norman, claiming that he did not know Rita was married, but his words fell on deaf ears. Norman kissed Rita, told her that he loved her more than life, handed her the letter, and shot himself in the head. After Norman's funeral, Rita left town to escape the scandal, and The Pilgrim was in despair. He truly loved Rita. The only thing he was guilty of was falling in love with a woman that he didn't know was married. He left town, and began hitchhiking and hoboing all across America. He developed a drinking problem, and rode the rails until he reached the Pacific. It was at the Pacific where he decided that the love he had known had to be put back together. He tracked Rita down, and today the couple are happily married and raising a family.

Reception

The album fared poorly in the charts, but was popular amongst critics and Stuart's fans, receiving almost entirely positive reviews.[ citation needed ]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Intro"Marty Stuart0:26
2."Sometimes The Pleasure's Worth the Pain" Marty Stuart, Gary Nicholson 3:10
3."The Pilgrim (Act I)"Marty Stuart0:54
4."Harlan County"Marty Stuart1:32
5."Reasons"Marty Stuart3:31
6."Love Can Go To..."Marty Stuart0:31
7."Red, Red Wine and Cheatin' Songs"Marty Stuart3:12
8."Truckstop"Marty Stuart1:27
9."Hobo's Prayer"Marty Stuart3:37
10."Goin' Nowhere Fast"Marty Stuart3:11
11."The Observations of a Crow"Marty Stuart5:27
12."Intermission"Marty Stuart0:31
13."The Greatest Love of All Time"Marty Stuart3:29
14."The Greatest Love of All Time (Reprise)"Marty Stuart1:54
15."Draggin' Around These Chains of Love"Marty Stuart, Mike Campbell 3:13
16."The Pilgrim (Act II)"Marty Stuart0:37
17."Redemption"Marty Stuart1:49
18."The Pilgrim (Act III)"Marty Stuart6:04
19."Outro"Words: Excerpt from "Sir Galahad" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Music by Marty Stuart2:33
20."Mr. John Henry, Steel Driving Man"Marty Stuart, Earl Scruggs 2:01


Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks
No.TitleLength
21."The Pilgrim (Act IV)" (unreleased alternate take)1:21
22."That'll Be All Right With Me"2:55
23."Been Lonely Too Long" (Demo)3:03
24."I Think We're In Texas"0:21
25."Shout Little Lulie"2:03
26."Call And Response"0:40
27."Evelina"1:25
28."Tennessee Wagoner"1:58
29."Even Trains Have To Cry" (Demo)3:36
30."The Vanishing" (Demo)1:31

Deluxe Edition

In honor of the album's 20th anniversary in 2019, The Pilgrim was reissued in several forms, including digital and vinyl deluxe editions featuring 10 previously unreleased bonus tracks. [1] In addition, a coffee table book was released under the title of The Pilgrim: A Wall-To-Wall Odyssey. The package includes a CD of the original album and the deluxe edition tracks and the text itself tells the story of the album's history and production, as well as its ultimate release and reappraisal. [2]

The Marty Stuart Show

Marty Stuart (alongside his Fabulous Superlatives) often performs tracks from this album on The Marty Stuart Show on RFD-TV. They have performed tracks such as 'Reasons', 'Red, Red Wine, And Cheatin' Songs', 'Hobo's Prayer', 'The Greatest Love Of All Time', 'The Pilgrim (Act III)' and with special guest Earl Scruggs, 'Mr John Henry, Steel Driving Man'.

Personnel

As listed in liner notes

The Rock & Roll Cowboys

Personnel

Chart performance

Chart (1999)Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums63
Canadian RPM Country Albums21

Related Research Articles

Marty Stuart

John Marty Stuart is an American country and bluegrass music singer, songwriter, and musician. Active since 1968, Stuart initially toured with Lester Flatt, and then in Johnny Cash's road band before beginning work as a solo artist in the early 1980s. His greatest commercial success came in the first half of the 1990s on MCA Records Nashville. Stuart has recorded over twenty studio albums, and has charted over thirty times on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. His highest chart entry is "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'", a duet with Travis Tritt. Stuart has also won five Grammy Awards out of sixteen nominations. He is known for his combination of rockabilly, country rock, and bluegrass music influences, his frequent collaborations and cover songs, and his distinctive stage dress. Stuart is also a member of the Grand Ole Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame.

<i>The Mountain</i> (Steve Earle album) 1999 studio album by Steve Earle and Del McCoury Band

The Mountain is the eighth studio album by Steve Earle, backed by the Del McCoury Band, and released in 1999.

<i>Bluebird</i> (Emmylou Harris album) 1989 studio album by Emmylou Harris

Bluebird is an Emmylou Harris album from 1989, which merged a number of eclectic songs with polished, country music production. It included her most recent top-ten country-charting single, "Heartbreak Hill". The album enjoyed renewed interest in 2004 when The Sopranos introduced its fifth season with "Heaven Only Knows."

<i>All of This Love</i> 1995 studio album by Pam Tillis

All of This Love is a 1995 album from American country music artist Pam Tillis. The album reached #25 on the Billboard country albums charts. Singles from the album were "Deep Down" at a #6 peak on the Hot Country Singles chart, "The River and the Highway" at #8, "It's Lonely Out There" at #14, and "Betty's Got a Bass Boat" at #62, her first single since the late 1980s to miss Top 40 entirely. Bruce Hornsby's "Mandolin Rain" is covered on this album as well. The album has been certified Gold for shipments of over 500,000 units in the U.S.

<i>The Ballad of Sally Rose</i> 1985 studio album by Emmylou Harris

The Ballad of Sally Rose is an album by Emmylou Harris released in February 1985. It marked a significant departure for Harris for two reasons. First, all the songs were written by her and her then-husband Paul Kennerley, while her previous albums had consisted mostly of others' material. Secondly, it is a concept album, loosely based on Harris' relationship with Gram Parsons. The album tells the story of a character named Sally Rose, a singer whose lover and mentor, a hard-living, hard-drinking musician, is killed while on the road. Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Gail Davies sing harmony on several of the songs. Many of the songs flow into one another to create a continuous momentum.

<i>Pure Country</i> (soundtrack) 1992 soundtrack album by George Strait

Pure Country is the soundtrack album to the 1992 film of the same name, and the thirteenth studio album by country singer George Strait. The film stars Strait as fictional country singer Dusty Chandler, and the album consists mostly of songs sung by Dusty in the film. The Pure Country soundtrack is Strait's first soundtrack album. It was released in 1992 by MCA Records.

<i>The Mystery of Life</i> 1991 studio album by Johnny Cash

The Mystery of Life is the 77th album by country singer Johnny Cash, released in 1991, and his last for Mercury Records. The songs featured are culled from both recent sessions and from leftovers from Cash's first Mercury session in 1986 for the album Johnny Cash is Coming to Town.

<i>Duets</i> (Emmylou Harris album) 1990 compilation album by Emmylou Harris

Duets is a compilation of duets by the country music artist Emmylou Harris in partnership with other well-known country and rock artists. Most of the twelve tracks on the album originally appeared as singles or on albums released by her singing partners. Several of the tracks attained positions on the Billboard Hot Country Singles charts: "That Lovin' You Feelin' Again" with Roy Orbison was at #6 in 1980; "If I Needed You" with Don Williams at #3 in 1981; "Wild Montana Skies" with John Denver at #14 in 1983; "Thing About You" with Southern Pacific at #14 in 1985; and "We Believe in Happy Endings" with Earl Thomas Conley at #1 in 1988. Also included is "Love Hurts", an early duet with Gram Parsons from his Grievous Angel album. Duets reached #24 on the country albums chart in 1990.

Gail Davies

Gail Davies is an American singer/songwriter and the first female record producer in country music. She is the daughter of country singer Tex Dickerson and the sister of songwriter Ron Davies. Gail's son, Chris Scruggs, is a former co-lead singer and guitarist for the roots-country band BR549 and is currently on tour with Marty Stuart as a member of his Fabulous Superlatives.

Brad Davis is an American country/folk singer-songwriter and guitarist. Initially a member of country singer Marty Stuart's road band, Davis has also performed with Earl Scruggs, Sam Bush, Billy Bob Thornton and several other country and musical acts, in addition to writing songs for artists like Tim McGraw, Jo-El Sonnier, Tony Trischka, and Thornton.

<i>Thunder & Roses</i> 2001 studio album by Pam Tillis

Thunder & Roses is the seventh studio album recorded by American country music artist Pam Tillis. It is also the last album she recorded for the Arista label. Its lead-off single, "Please", was a #22 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in 2002. "It Isn't Just Raining" was later recorded in 2003 by its co-writer, Jennifer Hanson, on her self-titled debut album, and the title track was previously recorded by Mindy McCready on her 1999 album I'm Not So Tough. "Please" would go on to be Pam's last appearance on the Country Singles Chart after it peaked in spring of 2001.

<i>Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two</i> 1989 studio album by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two is a 1989 album by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The album follows the same concept as the band's 1972 album, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, which featured guest performances from many notable country music stars.

<i>Burn Your Playhouse Down – The Unreleased Duets</i> 2008 studio album by George Jones

Burn Your Playhouse Down – The Unreleased Duets is the 60th and final studio album by American country music singer George Jones released on August 19, 2008 on the Bandit Records label. It features duets never before released, including some that were cut from his 1994 duets album The Bradley Barn Sessions. The only new recording in the collection is "You And Me And Time", a song Jones recorded with his daughter by Tammy Wynette, Georgette. A music video accompanied the song. The album features several duets with artist from outside the country music pantheon, including Mark Knopfler, Leon Russell, and Keith Richards. The album peaked at number 15 on the Billboard country albums chart. Of the album's title track, Andrew Meuller of Uncut opined in July 2013, "The segue from Richards trying to sing like Jones to Jones actually singing like Jones is hilarious."

<i>When I Call Your Name</i> (album) 1989 studio album by Vince Gill

When I Call Your Name is the third studio album from American country music artist Vince Gill. His breakthrough album, it was released in 1989 by MCA Records, Gill's first for the label. It features the singles "Never Alone," "Oklahoma Swing," "When I Call Your Name" and "Never Knew Lonely."

<i>Let There Be Country</i> 1992 studio album by Marty Stuart and Laine Hardy

Let There Be Country is the seventh studio album by country singer Marty Stuart, released in 1992, though it was technically the fourth album he recorded, cut between Marty Stuart and Hillbilly Rock.

<i>Love and Luck</i> 1994 studio album by Marty Stuart

Love and Luck is the eighth studio album by American country singer Marty Stuart, released in 1994. Nearly all the songs were written or co-written by Stuart himself. The album includes the singles "Love and Luck" and "Kiss Me, I'm Gone". "Wheels" is a cover of The Byrds, and "If I Give My Soul" of Billy Joe Shaver.

Country Music is the 11th studio album of American country singer Marty Stuart, released in 2003. With his previous album The Pilgrim, Stuart established himself as a serious recording artist and an accomplished musician. For this album he formed a new backing band called the Fabulous Superlatives. To date, Marty and his Superlatives are still touring, recording, and performing on The Marty Stuart Show on RFD-TV.

Ghost Train: The Studio B Sessions is the 17th studio album of country music singer Marty Stuart. The album was long-awaited by fans of Stuart, as most of the songs had already featured on The Marty Stuart Show, Stuart's country/bluegrass show on RFD-TV. It was recorded in the historic RCA Studio B in Nashville, which was being used by the Country Music Hall of Fame as a type of museum until Marty asked to use the "Home of a Thousand Hits" to record 'Ghost Train'.

<i>Deuces</i> (Charlie Daniels album) 2007 studio album by Charlie Daniels

Deuces is an album by the Charlie Daniels Band. All the songs are duets with other country artists. It was released on October 9, 2007. Daniels' final album before his death in July 2020.

Bernie Leadon discography

Bernie Leadon is an American musician and songwriter. In addition to his solo album and recordings with Eagles, Hearts & Flowers, Dillard & Clark, and the Flying Burrito Brothers, he has been featured as a performer and composer on many albums by other artists.

References