Martin’s Nashville stop is significant because it was on the Ryman stage back in 1945 that a young man named Earl Scruggs joined Bill Monroe and his band, including Lester Flatt, played his 5-string banjo with his innovative three-finger roll, and bluegrass music as we know it today was born. A Tennessee state historical marker is posted outside the Ryman recognizing this moment in music history officially deeming the Ryman “the birthplace of bluegrass.”

It was after playing on the Grammy® Award-winning "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" with Earl Scruggs that Martin began writing a string of new banjo songs, some with lyrics and some as instrumentals. An album forty-five years in the making, The Crow features special appearances by Dolly Parton, Vince Gill, Mary Black, Tim O'Brien, Earl Scruggs, Pete Wernick and Tony Trischka. Recorded in Dublin, Hollywood, and New Jersey and produced by John McEuen of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, the album consists of fifteen original tracks written by Martin. In the week following the album’s release, Martin appeared on the Grand Ole Opry with an all-star band including Vince Gill and Amy Grant. Leading up to the show, McEuen, who has been friends with Martin since childhood, said “The audience will find out he's a musician disguised as an actor.” The show was sold out and Martin received a standing ovation. The Crow has now been number one on Billboard’s Bluegrass chart for 19 consecutive weeks.

Vince Gill told The New York Times “The first image I have of him is the arrow through his head, playing the banjo. Everybody does. But when you hear him play, you know he’s not goofing around.”

"I have loved the banjo my whole life," says Martin. "The songs on this record represent the influence of a dozen players and a thousand tunes, and I thank them all. But it's the banjo itself I thank most for generating nostalgia for experiences I never had, joy I was yet to experience, and melancholy that was yet to come."

Tickets to the October 11 concert at the Ryman Auditorium are on sale now at all Ticketmaster locations, the Ryman Box Office, by calling (800) 745-3000 and online at ryman.com.

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