Kerry Alan Marx is an American guitarist and

studio musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a t ...

who has served as Music Director of the Grand Ole Opry since 2018. He is best known for his work with that organization, where he has been staff guitarist since 2000. He has been described as being among "Nashville's most in-demand musicians", and has played with many notable musicians including Johnny Cash,

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Eve ...

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...

, and Steven Tyler. He was guitarist for the CD "Songs From The Neighborhood," which received a Grammy award, the album '' Many Moods of Moses'' which received a Grammy nomination, and for the 2 time multi-platinum self-titled album by musical group

Blackhawk Black Hawk and Blackhawk may refer to: Animals * Black Hawk (horse), a Morgan horse that lived from 1833 to 1856 * Common black hawk, ''Buteogallus anthracinus'' * Cuban black hawk, ''Buteogallus gundlachii'' * Great black hawk, ''Buteogallus uru ...

. Marx was also a member of

The Johnny Cash Show ''The Johnny Cash Show'' is an American television music variety show hosted by Johnny Cash. The Screen Gems 58-episode series ran from June 7, 1969, to March 31, 1971, on ABC; it was taped at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. ...

band, and toured extensively with

Don McLean Donald McLean III (born October 2, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his 1971 hit song " American Pie", an eight-and-a-half-minute folk rock "cultural touchstone" about the loss of innocence of the early ...

. In March 2023, Marx was inducted into the South Carolina Entertainment & Music Hall of Fame.

Biography

Born in

Aiken, South Carolina Aiken is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Aiken County, in western South Carolina. It is one of the two largest cities of the Central Savannah River Area. Founded in 1835, Aiken was named after William Aiken, the president of the S ...

, Marx studied music at the University of South Carolina; a 1971 article noted that he was a "stand-in bass guitarist" for a band called Wax Bean, the winning band in an Aiken Battle of the Bands. He then went on to concentrate in jazz guitar while attending North Texas State University in Denton, TX. He moved to Nashville in 1981 and has played a variety of jazz, pop, rock, and country music in the Nashville recording scene. Marx "broke into the demo scene gradually, in between road trips".Dan Daley, ''Nashville's Unwritten Rules-Inside The Business of Country Music'' (The Overlook Press, 1998)
p. 268-70
. Marx related the frustrations of working as a session musician during that time, noting that session producers often did not convey their thoughts about whether the session had gone well. On one song recorded by both

Mark Chesnutt Mark Nelson Chesnutt (born September 6, 1963) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Between 1990 and 1999, he had his greatest chart success recording for Universal Music Group Nashville's MCA and Decca branches, with a total of ei ...

and Chad Mullins, Marx "came up with a guitar line that the publisher said he wasn't crazy about", but that Marx then heard on the records, "played by a steel instead of a guitar"—an experience that Marx said "reassures me about my song sense and session sense". Marx toured with artists such as Ray Price (1979–1981),

Jerry Reed Jerry Reed Hubbard (March 20, 1937 – September 1, 2008) was an American singer, guitarist, composer, and songwriter as well as an actor who appeared in more than a dozen films. His signature songs included " Guitar Man", " U.S. Male", "A Thi ...

(1981–1983),

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(1983–1984), Ronnie Milsap (1984–1987), Johnny Cash (1989–1992),

Toby Keith Toby Keith Covel (born July 8, 1961), known professionally as Toby Keith, is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer. He released his first four studio albums—1993's '' Toby Keith'', 1994's '' Boomtown'', 19 ...

and

Shania Twain Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( , ; née Edwards; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her the best-selling female artist in country music history and one of the best-s ...

(1993),

(2001–2023),

Lee Ann Womack Lee Ann Womack Liddell (; born August 19, 1966) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Her 2000 single, " I Hope You Dance" was a major crossover music hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Country Chart and the Top 15 ...

(2004),

Porter Wagoner Porter Wayne Wagoner (August 12, 1927 – October 28, 2007) was an American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. In 1967, he introduced singer Dolly Parton on his television show, ''The Po ...

(2006),

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(2006–2007),

Lynda Carter Lynda Jean Cordova Carter (born July 24, 1951) is an American actress, singer, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss World USA 1972 and finished in the top 15 at the Miss World 1972 pageant. Carter is best known as the star of th ...

(2008–2022),

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...

(2012–2018), Johnny Mathis (2016-2022). A 1986 review of a Ronnie Milsap

benefit concert A benefit concert or charity concert is a type of musical benefit performance (e.g., concert, show, or gala) featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate hu ...

in Durham, North Carolina noted that despite the country tones of the show, "other aspects of the performance more closely resembled a rock concert, such as Kerry Marx's soaring lead guitar solo". He was noted for his contribution to Cash's song, "I'm an Easy Rider" from the 1991 album, '' The Mystery of Life'', described as "a road song featuring Kerry Marx's hard-edged and doubled-up baritone guitar". In 2000, he was lead guitarist in TNN's ''Prime Time Country'' band. A 2001 review of the ''Grand Ole Opry'' house band noted that "pianist Tim Atwood and guitarist Kerry Marx play with rare taste, feel, and soul". Marx has performed and composed for major networks, most notably for the Lionel Richie Special (2012), Hannah Montana,

American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Pro ...

(2005–2017), Billboard Music Awards (20012–2022),

Academy of Country Music Awards The Academy of Country Music Awards, also known as the ACM Awards, were first held in 1966, honoring the industry's accomplishments during the previous year. It was the first country music awards program held by a major organization. The academ ...

(2003–2022), CMA Christmas (2012–2019), Country Music Association (CMA) Awards (2011-2021, 1992 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, and the 1985 Grammy Awards. Working with Lynda Carter, Marx also performed original music for the 2015 video game, ''

Fallout 4 ''Fallout 4'' is a 2015 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the fourth main game in the ''Fallout'' series and was released worldwide on November 10, 2015, for PlayStation 4, ...

''. In 2020, he performed on a Christmas project for sisters Kandy Isley and Kim Johnson. In February 2021, Marx was one of four members of the Opry house band brought into Daywind Studios in

Hendersonville, Tennessee Hendersonville is the largest city in Sumner County, Tennessee, on Old Hickory Lake. The population was 61,753 at the 2020 census. Hendersonville is the fourth-largest city in the Nashville metropolitan area after Nashville, Murfreesboro, ...

, as an electric guitarist on the Darin & Brooke Aldridge song, "Grand Ole Circle". In March 2023, Marx was inducted into the South Carolina Entertainment & Music Hall of Fame for his music career, and in May 2023, Marx toured with

in Australia.

Discography

* 1990, '' The Mystery of Life'', Johnny Cash, acoustic guitar, electric guitar * 1993, '' Bob Dylan – The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration'', guitar * 1995, '' Standing On The Edge'', Johnny Berry, electric guitar * 1997, ''Christmas Time'', Eddy Arnold, electric guitar * 1997, '' Many Moods of Moses'', Beenie Man, guitar * 1997, '' Butterfly Kisses'', Jeff Carson, guitar * 2000, ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

'', Blackhawk, electric guitar * 2002, '' American IV: The Man Comes Around'', Johnny Cash, acoustic guitar * 2003, ''O Mickey, Where Art Thou'', Disney, acoustic guitar * 2003, ''Comfort of Her Wings'', Charley Pride, main personnel, electric guitar * 2007, ''The Great Lost Performance'', Johnny Cash, main personnel, guitar * 2008, ''How Great Thou Art: Gospel Favorites from the Grand Ole Opry'', acoustic guitar, main personnel * 2008, ''Best of BJ Thomas'', BJ Thomas, acoustic guitar, electric guitar * 2009, '' Then Sings My Soul'', Ronnie Milsap, acoustic guitar * 2011, ''Choices'', Charley Pride, electric guitar * 2013, '' Sending You A Little Christmas'', Johnny Mathis (with Natalie Cole, Susan Boyle, Jim Brickman), electric guitar, acoustic guitar

Television

Guitarist and composer

Live TV credits

Film soundtracks

* ''

We Were Soldiers ''We Were Soldiers'' is a 2002 war film written and directed by Randall Wallace and starring Mel Gibson. Based on the book '' We Were Soldiers Once… and Young'' (1992) by Lieutenant General (Ret.) Hal Moore and reporter Joseph L. Galloway, i ...

'' –

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apoca ...

(w/ Dave Matthews & Johnny Cash) * ''

The Apostle ''The Apostle'' is a 1997 American drama film written and directed by Robert Duvall, who stars in the title role. John Beasley, Farrah Fawcett, Walton Goggins, Billy Bob Thornton, June Carter Cash, Miranda Richardson, and Billy Joe Shaver also a ...

'' –

Robert Duvall Robert Selden Duvall (; born January 5, 1931) is an American actor and filmmaker. His career spans more than seven decades and he is considered one of the greatest American actors of all time. He is the recipient of an Academy Award, four Gold ...

(w/ Wynonna & Gary Chapman) * '' Red Rocks West'' –

Nicolas Cage Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. Born into the Coppola family, he is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Gui ...

(w/ Johnny Cash)

Jingles and commercial products

References

External links

Grand Ole Opry page for Kerry Marx

Kerry Marx Interview – Music Director, Grand Ole Opry
''Everyone Loves Guitar'' #292 (August 7, 2018) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Marx, Kerry Musicians from Nashville, Tennessee Living people Grand Ole Opry members Year of birth missing (living people) American country guitarists The Great Eighties Eight members