How Steve Martin's Banjo Became More than a Hobby

Steve Martin is best known for his comedy, but some of his most meaningful work happened far from the spotlight. Over decades, his relationship with the banjo grew into a serious musical pursuit that earned industry respect and helped elevate an entire genre.

For decades, audiences laughed when Steve Martin pulled out a banjo during his stand-up routines. What many didn’t realize was that the instrument wasn’t a prop — it was a lifelong passion that eventually became a second career.

It Started Long Before the Punchlines

Martin first picked up the banjo as a teenager growing up in Orange County, California, during the folk and bluegrass boom of the 1950s and ’60s.

He was captivated by the sound after hearing artists like Earl Scruggs, Pete Seeger, and the Dillards, whose music even appeared on "The Andy Griffith Show."

“I was about 15 years old,” Martin recalled, explaining that his ear was “just transfixed by the sound of the banjo.”

He largely taught himself by slowing down records and picking out songs note by note, while also getting help from his high school friend John McEuen — who would later join the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band — and learning from a banjo instruction book by Pete Seeger.

Why He Played It on Stage

When Martin later brought the banjo into his stand-up act in the 1970s, it wasn’t just for laughs.

“The reason I played it on stage is because my act was so crazy I thought it’s probably good to show the audience I can do something that looks hard,” he told ABC News. “I really wasn’t. I worked very hard on it.”

Even as "Saturday Night Live" and films like "The Jerk" made him a comedy icon, music remained quietly central to his life.

Earning Respect in Bluegrass

Martin’s banjo playing began reaching a wider audience in the early 2000s. A major turning point came in 2001 when he performed alongside Earl Scruggs on "The Late Show with David Letterman," followed by a Grammy-winning recording of “Foggy Mountain Breakdown.”

In 2009, he released his first full album, "The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo." What some expected to be a novelty album instead won the Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album in 2010.

He went on to record and tour with the Steep Canyon Rangers, eventually earning Entertainer of the Year from the International Bluegrass Music Association — a top honor in the genre.

Giving Back to the Music

As Martin toured more seriously, he became aware of how difficult life could be for even elite banjo players.

“I thought, ‘This is equal to classical musicianship,’” he told Rolling Stone, recalling conversations with master players who were still struggling financially. “I thought, ‘Somehow, we’ve got to help these people’.”

That realization led Martin and his wife, Anne Stringfield, to create the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, an award designed to recognize and financially support exceptional banjo players who often go unnoticed.

More Than a Hobby

Today, Martin has been playing banjo for nearly 60 years. He has won multiple Grammys, released several albums, toured internationally, and helped elevate an entire musical community.

What began as a teenage fascination — and later a clever stage choice — grew into something far more lasting.

In the end, the banjo wasn’t an escape from comedy. It was proof that Steve Martin’s curiosity, discipline, and love for craft extended well beyond the punchline.