Marty Stuart – Hummingbyrd

I’m a fan of Marty Stuart and the guitarist to this song is dedicated. As you see in the title…it was written by Stuart in tribute to Byrds member Clarence White. The song is an instrumental from his 2010 album Ghost Train: The Studio B Sessions. It was recorded at the historic RCA Studio B in Nashville. The song reminds me a little of the Buck Owens song Buckaroo.

Marty Stuart is one of the best guitarists I’ve ever seen live. He showed up before Bob Dylan went on stage and Bob asked him to play with him. Not to play for a song or two…but for the complete show…that is how good this man is. He has been around since the 70s playing music. One of his big influences was Clarence White of The Byrds and Kentucky Colonels. This song managed to win a Grammy. He has been nominated 15 times and won 5 altogether.

Clarence White
Clarence White

He played with artists such as The Everly Brothers, Joe Cocker, Ricky Nelson,  the Monkees, Randy Newman, Gene Clark, Linda Ronstadt, Arlo Guthrie, Jackson Browne, and many more.

He is perhaps best known for developing and using the B-Bender guitar, which he co-invented with fellow musician Gene Parsons. This device allowed him to bend the B-string up a whole tone, enabling pedal steel-like sounds on the guitar. This innovation became a hallmark of his playing style and significantly influenced country rock guitarists. To make it bend…you gently push the guitar down on the strap and it will bend the string. When Marty Stuart first listened to Sweetheart of the Rodeo he wanted to know who played the steel guitar on some of the songs…it ended up being White playing the B-Bender.

Marty Stuart bought this guitar from White’s family. He gave them a blank check and told them to fill in the amount within reason. He then told them if it wasn’t within reason he would get a loan. They filled it in with $1495.00 which was way below price…even in 1980. The guitar had the first B-Bender so it was historical just for that. Marty played the guitar on this album with and uses it regularly.

Tragically, Clarence White’s life was cut short when he was killed by a drunk driver on July 15, 1973, at the age of 29. He and his brother Roland White were loading equipment in their car and a drunk driver killed Clarence but Roland survived. Roland just passed away in 2022 at the age of 83. Marty met Clarence once and played with his brother a lot.

I was talking to obbverse the other day about including more technical guitar talk. I hope it doesn’t bore you reading but I won’t have that much…but in this post, I thought it was necessary.

One short story about what Marty Stuart found in Clarence’s guitar. Once he got it he started to clean it and took it apart. He found something that he thought he knew what it was…but he sent it to a lab…and it was an acid blotter that Clarence had tucked away.

The story of how Stuart bought Clarence White’s guitar…it’s very interesting and shows the kind of person Marty Stuart is. It’s only six minutes and thirty five seconds long.

I included this video to show you what a B-Bender does. I’ve thought about adding one to my telecaster. They also have one called a “hip shooter” as it’s not as invasive on the telecaster as this version.

No lyrics…sit back and enjoy

Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player.

26 thoughts on “Marty Stuart – Hummingbyrd”

  1. I loved the Marty Stuart interview. His description of how Clarence White played the B-bender compared to others reminded me of a body-powered prosthesis (artificial hand, which is powered by shoulder movements via a harness and cables). And sorry to get all medical, but the description of the Joe Glaser B-bender sounds like modern surgical techniques (threading devices through a small hole instead of making big cuts). I’ve always considered orthopedic surgeons to be highly-paid carpenters with fancier tools (not to mention someone’s life in their hands), so I guess it’s fitting.

    Marty Stuart comes through town every couple of years. I’d better make up for lost time and go see him next time.

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    1. You are right…it is like that by the way he played it.
      I’ve been debating on whether to get my Telecaster fitted for one like this one…I would rather have this one than the non evasive one where no drilling or routing is involved….but I might get a cheaper Mexican Tele to do it with…once you do it…there is no going back.

      His guitar playing alone is worth seeing.

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  2. Marty is SO good! He should have been bigger than he was. He had some great stuff in the 90s. Most only know him from his duets with Travis Tritt. He plays a hell of a mandolin, too!!

    His Tempted album was one of my favorites.

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    1. Yes…the whammy bar or wah wah bar…I’ve heard it called all sorts of names…does bend all of the strings…the only downside to it…is unless your guitar is finely tuned so to speak….it will knock it out of tune.

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  6. I have heard the term B Bender before but had no idea what it was, very interesting and not being a musician I still don’t fully get it but I like the result. Didn’t know the Clarence White story either, Marty Stuart is one talented guy.

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  8. Really good post with interesting info. Marty Stuart is one of the good old boys of country music. Hasn’t seemed to get as much recognition as some of the other greats, but a Grammy puts him on the map. I loved the segments in Ken Burns’ Country Music series with Marty in them. The song reminds me of Chet Atkins, but what do I know.

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    1. I also heard a little “Last Train To Clarksville” in there…he mixed it up rather well!
      He is not the normal Nashville guy…he is out of that box…which is a good thing.

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  9. p.s. Good video of how he acquired the guitar. Clarence’ wife knew it was what her husband would have wanted: someone to take good care of the guitar. I wonder how many brilliant (and non-brilliant) lives have been cut short by some drunk f*****?

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    1. I know! That sucks beyond belief… he would have been a force if he would have lived. I have friends who were killed by them.
      I love the story of Marty finding acid in the guitar lol. Hey…it was the early 70s.

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      1. Max, I daresay virtually every person alive (at least in the US) knows at least one person who was killed by a drunk driver. My kids got hit on the highway by one that rolled the car and both had to go to ER but by the grace of God only got minor scratches. We learned that the POS behind the wheel had MULTIPLE drunk driving convictions but there he was, on the roads drunk driving again. Even after this he was released on a bond, a free man. When we showed up for his hearing, the mofo had the nerve to walk up and talk with us to try to get some sympathy before going into court. He did get some prison time out of it but not nearly enough.

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      2. That is terrible…I’m so glad they were ok.
        I would come close to killing him…After going and playing in so many clubs…I would be talking to a totally rational human being and then after a few shots…they are totally an ass. I was a happy drunk the few times I was…but call a friend, a taxi, or sleep it off…don’t risk other people’s lives.

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    2. Jeez Lisa. Scarey. As a parent you count your blessings. And, in the ‘equality for all’ column, my Dad was jailed for being marginally drunk in charge… of a scooter that couldn’t hit 30 mph, on a good day! Stoopid as hell, and he regretted it, never did it again. Anyhoo, poor working schmuck that was, he went to court, lost his licence for a couple of years, paid his fine. The lawyer before him- who’d drunkenly ploughed his Jaguar through a hedge and into someones front yard- received a lesser fine than my sorry Pop, and that was it. I guess the judge must’ve decided Lawyer Lee had to be able to drive to court to do his job. ‘Thank you, yer Honour. See ya on the fairway at the Country Club on Saturday, and all the best to your dear wife.’

      Anyway, my Pop took the pledge, never drank again. For which we were all grateful.

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      1. Ob, my kids — neither one who drinks — paid my karma for when I was young and surely drove drunk multiple times and thankfully never hurt or hit anyone. A person on a scooter, more a motorized bike than anything, is not a lethal weapon like a heavy metal motorized vehicle. Can you imagine getting mowed down by a Jaguar? Of course justice for the moneyed and justice for the poor are two different systems, I don’t care what anyone says. I think the POS that hit my kids was a blue collar worker. What gets me is he’d had multiple drunk driving convictions and yet continued to keep doing it until the legal system stopped him. I wonder if he is still drinking and on the roads? Good for your Pop and that being his wake-up call.

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    1. You are right it was the Gram Parsons song. Reading about him in that led me to this song. other than that yeah, I am a fan.

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  11. Great post, Max. First time I heard of the B-bender – fascinating. And, man, it sounds mighty sweet! I need to check out Marty Stuart. Not only does he look like a talented guitarist, but he also comes across as a nice down-to-earth person.

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  12. Great post Max, even a non musician like me can appreciate this sort of thing. Innovations like the B-bender are getting something for nothing, except a hole in your guitar.

    ‘Hummingbird’ rollicks along, great licks flying out everywhere. In my driving list already.

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    1. Thanks Jeff…he is an interesting guy that you don’t have to like country to admire…but he is “good” country…not as you have said…”bro country” I don’t like that kind either.

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