MOLLY TUTTLE AND MARTY STUART BRING THEIR COSMIC TWANG TO DALLAS / LONGHORN BALLROOM / 12.12.26
Two generations of extraordinary guitar playing come together as Molly Tuttle and Marty Stuart bring their Guitars on Fire tour to Dallas, with both artists arriving after a particularly adventurous period in their careers.
– JAMBALOO EDITORIAL TEAM
There are few musicians better equipped to explore the possibilities of American roots music than Molly Tuttle and Marty Stuart. Both are exceptional guitarists with deep connections to bluegrass and traditional country, yet neither has allowed those traditions to limit where their music might go. Their co-headlining Guitars on Fire: The Cosmic Twang Tour arrives at Dallas’s Longhorn Ballroom on December 12, bringing together two artists at very different stages of their careers who share a remarkable appetite for musical exploration.
Tuttle has spent the past several years establishing herself as one of the most compelling artists in contemporary Americana. Her Grammy-winning albums with Golden Highway, Crooked Tree and City of Gold, demonstrated her extraordinary flatpicking ability alongside a growing confidence as a songwriter. Her 2025 solo album, So Long Little Miss Sunshine, took that development considerably further.
Produced by Jay Joyce, the record moves between bluegrass, country, rock and pop, placing Tuttle’s guitar playing within arrangements that frequently venture beyond the acoustic traditions associated with her earlier work. Songs including “That’s Gonna Leave a Mark,” “Everything Burns” and “Old Me (New Wig)” reveal an artist increasingly comfortable bringing different parts of her musical identity together.
For Marty Stuart, the relationship between country music’s history and its future has been a lifelong pursuit.
The album’s success continued into 2026, earning Grammy nominations and helping Tuttle secure Artist of the Year at the Americana Honors & Awards. A September acoustic EP revisited five of its songs in more intimate arrangements, while October brought a live recording of Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5,” released following Tuttle’s appearance in a televised celebration of the country legend.
A Country Music Hall of Famer whose career stretches back more than five decades, Stuart has played an important role in preserving the music’s traditions while continually finding new ways to interpret them. Alongside his Fabulous Superlatives, he has explored everything from honky-tonk and gospel to psychedelic country and instrumental surf music.
Their 2025 album Space Junk offered a particularly enjoyable example of that curiosity. The band’s first entirely instrumental double album, its twenty original compositions draw inspiration from groups including The Ventures and Herb Alpert’s Tijuana Brass, giving guitarists Stuart and Kenny Vaughan considerable room to explore the melodic possibilities of their instruments.
The Fabulous Superlatives, featuring Vaughan, Harry Stinson and Chris Scruggs alongside Stuart, have developed into one of country music’s most accomplished live ensembles, capable of moving between styles with an ease that comes from years of playing together.
The pairing with Tuttle feels particularly well suited to this moment. Her recent recordings have expanded the possibilities of her songwriting, while Stuart continues finding fresh inspiration in musical traditions he has spent a lifetime studying. Their Dallas appearance brings those approaches together in a venue with its own considerable place in Texas country music history.
