Our Mission
Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music reclaims, redefines, and reintroduces the true heart and soul of country music. As country music’s most notable ambassador and culture’s main archetypal crusader, Marty Stuart’s mission is to preserve and propel the authenticity of the culture of country music to future generations. Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music is the home to the largest private collection of country music artifacts in the world.
How we got here
2003
The Mississippi initiative is announced during the Electric Barnyard Tour, featuring Merle Haggard, Connie Smith, Old Crow Medicine Show and Rhonda Vincent, at William Faulkner’s Rowan Oak property in Oxford, MS.
2007
The Marty Stuart Collection is formally established in partnership with the Tennessee State Museum. The Collection is curated and opened to the public in an exhibit entitled, “Sparkle & Twang: Marty Stuart’s American Musical Odyssey.”
After a record-breaking stay at the Tennessee State Museum, the exhibit travels to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles, the Arkansas State Museum, and the Riley Center in Meridian, MS.
2008
The first of 156 Marty Stuart television shows airs. The shows are sponsored by Mississippi Tourism and Neshoba County Tourism.
2009
The concept of the Country Music Trail is spearheaded; with the assistance of Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, the Mississippi State Legislature is lobbied to pass legislation to create the landmark-based attraction.
The Marty Stuart Drive permanent marker is dedicated in Arlington, MS.
2013
Neshoba County donates the old Coca-Cola building in downtown Philadelphia, MS, to house the collection and archives while funds are raised for permanent display space. $1 Million dollars in state bond money is awarded for the renovation of the building. The Marty Stuart Archives/Collection is appraised.
2015
$500,000 in state bond money is awarded for the renovation of the building.
2016
February – the warehouse renovation is completed.
April – Brenda Colladay (former Grand Ole Opry Museum curator) is hired to collaborate with Maria-Elena Orbea in organizing and
cataloguing the collection to prepare for its transfer from a warehouse in Hendersonville, TN, to Philadelphia, MS.
April 11th – the Collection is transferred.
April to July – the Archives/Collection are organized and
displayed in the warehouse. The Marty Stuart Collection video archives is donated to the Library of Congress; a partnership is formed between the Library of Congress and the Congress of Country Music for future collaborative productions.
2017
The Advisory Board, Working Board, and the Steering Committee governing Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music are established. A partnership is established with The Cirlot Agency. The Philadelphia-Neshoba County Arts Council donates the historic Ellis Theatre to Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music. Properties surrounding the Ellis Theatre in downtown Philadelphia are purchased for the future home of the Congress of Country Music. Architectural renderings of Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music are created by Nick Dryden of Dryden Architecture and Design. Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music collaborates with Graceland and the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles on exhibits emanating from the Marty Stuart Archive/Collection.
2018
January – a press conference, hosted by Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant at the Capitol in Jackson, MS, is scheduled to announce Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music. Fundraising efforts begin. The Congress of Country Music co-partners with the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles on an exhbition at the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, OK.
2022
December 8-11, 2022 marks the grand opening of the Ellis Theatre and phase one of Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music inPhiladelphia, MS. Thursday, December 8, Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives kick off the four-day event. Friday, December 9, features Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Saturday, December 10, is Vince Gill, and Sunday concludes with the Gaither Vocal Band.
2023
On August 26, 2023, Dolly Parton brought two extraordinary fundraiser performances to the Ellis Theater, with proceeds benefiting Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music. Earlier in the day, Dolly joined Marty Stuart in unveiling a vibrant “Wildflowers” mural across from the theater and performed the song for the assembled crowd. The event not only showcased Dolly’s legendary artistry and generosity but also advanced the vision of the Congress of Country Music to preserve and celebrate the heart and soul of country music in Philadelphia, Mississippi.
2024
Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum celebrated the addition of the Marty Stuart Collection to the museum’s permanent holdings. Stuart’s collection of more than 22,000 items is the largest private assemblage of country music artifacts in the world, joining the world’s largest public collection held by the museum.
The museum has entered a longstanding collaboration with Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music in Philadelphia, Mississippi, where it will exhibit items from the Marty Stuart Collection at its forthcoming museum. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will loan additional artifacts from its own permanent collection for display, as well as provide preservation, education and administrative consultation and support to the Congress.
2025
On April 12, 2025, Grammy-winning artist Chris Stapleton performed two exclusive fundraiser concerts at the Ellis Theater in support of Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music. That same day, Stapleton joined the community in unveiling a new downtown mural dedicated to fallen first responders, featuring the lyrics of his song “Broken Halos.” The tribute and intimate performances together highlighted the Ellis Theater’s growing prominence and its pivotal role in advancing the Congress’s mission to preserve, celebrate, and carry forward the enduring legacy of country music.
