Although better known as a comedian, Steve is an accomplished banjist and guitar player. He incorporated some banjo playing in his stand up routine in the 1970s. In the 1984 film "All of Me" Steve played an attorney who is also an aspiring jazz rhythm guitarist.
Steve's official site tells the story of his musical development:
"Born in Waco, Texas, in 1945, Martin moved with his family to Orange County in southern California when he was a child. He got an early start in show business, learning to juggle and do magic tricks and working at Disneyland. Then, as a 17-year-old in 1962, a Flatt and Scruggs record got him hooked on the banjo.
A short autobiographical sketch in the summer of 1999 issue of "The Oxford American," simply titled "Banjo" wryly chronicles this phase of Mr. Martin's life: the initial attempt to wrest the yearned-for sounds from a borrowed 4-string; the hand written tablatures and slowed downed LPs; the obsessive repetition of "Cripple Creek"; the influence of other California players like Doug Dillard ("...watching Doug Dillard was like watching God..."), multi-instrumentalist David Lindley, and Martin's high school buddy John McEuen; the youthful taste for speed and volume; the exhilaration of competing at the Topanga Canyon Banjo and Fiddle Contest; the stumbling journey from enthusiastic cluelessness to musical savvy. "
Here's a video of Steve playing Foggy Mountain Breakdown, with Earl Scruggs.
