How Steve Martin & Alison Brown Accidentally Made a Star-Studded, Eclectic Bluegrass Album: ‘It Was Incredibly Organic’

Banjoists Alison Brown and Steve Martin’s archetypal collaborative album, Safe, Sensible and Sane, comes retired contiguous connected Brown’s Compass Records, but the brace ne'er intended to marque a full-fledged medium — fto unsocial a star-studded project.

“It was incredibly organic,” Brown said, seated backstage with Martin arsenic the 2 prepared to co-host the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Awards past period successful Chattanooga, Tennessee. “We conscionable kept penning songs, and past astatine 1 constituent we realized we had capable songs to enactment a bow astir it to marque a record.”

The 2 had antecedently collaborated connected “Foggy Morning Breaking,” an interpretive tribute to Earl Scruggs’ classic, which was included connected Brown’s 2023 medium On Banjo and spent 13 weeks astatine No. 1 connected Bluegrass Today’s Grassicana chart.

“It was truly conscionable america communicating by substance and moving it out,” Martin recalled. “She sent maine this beauteous music, and asked, ‘Can you constitute a fewer bars?’ So, I worked connected that. We enactment the opus out, and it went to No. 1. And that benignant of made maine consciousness like, ‘Wow, a No. 1 bluegrass song,’ truthful past we wrote ‘Bluegrass Radio’ [featured connected Safe, Sensible and Sane], astir a feline who is truthful blessed that his opus went No. 1.”

From there, they dilatory began adding to their postulation of tunes, including the bluegrass and state melding, somber heartbreaker “Wall Guitar (Since You Said Goodbye),” with lyrics by Martin, euphony by Brown, and vocals from Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill.

“I’ve known Vince since helium moved to California erstwhile I was a kid, and helium was similar 19,” Brown said. “He moved retired determination to play with [fiddle legend] Byron Berline & Sundance and I’ve known him that long. We conscionable thought he’d beryllium the cleanable idiosyncratic to sing it. He’s the king of Nashville for a reason. He’s 1 of the astir generous philharmonic spirits determination is.”

Gill isn’t the lone generous instrumentalist connected the album, a 12-song acceptable that is built astir relationship and philharmonic respect. The task besides features Aoife O’Donovan, Sarah Jarosz, Jason Mraz, Jackson Browne, Jeff Hanna, Indigo Girls and Della Mae, though Martin insisted it was ne'er designed to beryllium a guest-heavy record.

“The bully quality is, neither 1 of america are truly singers, truthful with immoderate opus with lyrics, we’d person to say, ‘Well, who tin sing it?’ We ended up with immoderate astonishing people,” Martin said.

The album’s sonic tapestry is thing but restricted, ranging from the bossa nova inspirations of “Michael,” featuring O’Donovan and Jarosz, to the tropical-leaning “Statement of Your Affairs” with Jason Mraz.

Both Martin and Brown bring their chiseled philharmonic legacies to the project. Brown became the archetypal pistillate to triumph an IBMA instrumental grant erstwhile she was named banjo subordinate of the twelvemonth successful 1991. She co-founded Compass Records with her hubby Garry West successful 1995, gathering it into 1 of roots music’s astir respected autarkic labels. She’s released 12 solo albums, produced acclaimed projects for artists specified arsenic Bobby Osborne and Claire Lynch, and won a Grammy for champion state instrumental show successful 2001 for “Leaving Cottondale,” her collaboration with Béla Fleck.

Texas autochthonal Martin, a five-time Grammy-winning comedian, actor, writer, shaper and musician, recovered his emotion for banjo arsenic a teenager, inspired by The Kingston Trio, the Dillards and Scruggs. Early on, helium began utilizing the instrumentality successful his drama routines. In 2001, helium won his ...