Mission
Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music is the spiritual home of country music – a cathedral where the spirits of country music legends and the fires of today’s creative souls converge.
Future Home to the Largest Private Collection of Country Music Artifacts in the World
When it opens, Marty Stuart's Congress of Country Music (MSCCM) in Philadelphia, Mississippi, will celebrate the rich cultural heritage of country music through live musical performance and educational programming. This tribute to the culture and rural ethics of America will be presented in a world-class country music museum and performing arts center. Thanks to a lifelong passion for protecting and preserving country music’s legacy, Stuart has assembled a collection that spans over 20,000 pieces to tell a rich, emotional, and personal story of the lives of our common heritage.
The $30 million project will create a 50,000-plus-square-foot campus featuring the historic and recently renovated Ellis Theater, a newly constructed museum, classrooms, a community hall, meeting and event space, and a rooftop performance venue. MSCCM will embrace the roots of country music in its educational curriculum and programming. Changing displays will include internationally traveled artifacts and memorabilia, photography, outsider/folk art, and Native American crafts. These art forms represent country music’s history and foreshadow its future. Musical programming will feature both legendary stars and the emerging artists of tomorrow.
Thank you for your interest in the Marty Stuart Congress of Country Music. We hope to welcome you soon to our center to enjoy one of the finest privately owned collections in country music and to embrace the history of country music.
About Marty Stuart
John Marty Stuart was born September 30, 1958, in Philadelphia, Mississippi. A child prodigy on guitar and mandolin, Marty made his first professional appearance at the age of 12, performing with country legends Carl and Pearl Butler. A few months later, he joined the bluegrass group the Sullivan Family Gospel Singers. A year later, he was touring with Lester Flatt and the Nashville Grass, making his debut on the Grand Ole Opry at just 13. By the age of 21, he was a member of Johnny Cash’s band. Since leaving his mentor’s band, Stuart has become one of the most respected country music artists of our time. The young rebel, who set out to shake Nashville up, is now regarded as a rogue statesman. Ace musician, distinctive vocalist, skilled songwriter, poet, inspired bandleader, photographer, knowledgeable historian, and exciting entertainer, Marty Stuart occupies a space all his own in the world of country music. Though he is a staunch traditionalist, the five-time Grammy winner encourages the expansion of all boundaries in taking country music to a global audience. Special thanks to Alan Cackett.
"If country music had a president, it would be Marty Stuart. He is the embodiment of the culture. His Congress of Country Music is to be his presidential library. It’s a place where all generations will come to study and be inspired. There’s no doubt that Marty Stuart's Congress of Country Music will be a jewel among the nation’s cultural centers."
—Ken Burns
Advisory Board
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Ken Burns
America's Premier Documentarian
Walpole, NH -
Brian Downes
Executive Director, John Wayne Birthplace & Museum
Winterset, IA -
Matt Glaser
American Roots Music Professor
Berklee College of Music
Boston, MA -
Manuel
King of Country Couture
Nashville, TN -
Craig Ray
Director of Tourism, State of Mississippi
Jackson, MS -
Dan Rogers
Executive Producer, Grand Ole Opry
Nashville, TN -
Connie Smith
Country Music Legend
Nashville, TN -
Rob Stone
Moving image Curator, Library of Congress
Culpeper, VA -
Marty Stuart
Country Music Legend
Nashville, TN -
John Troutman
Music Curator, Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC -
Kyle Young
CEO, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Nashville, TN