Steve Martin

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About Steve Martin


During the 1970s, Steve Martin was the most successful standup comedian in America, earning the level of commercial success -- sold-out arena performances, platinum records, hit singles, and delirious fan adulation -- usually reserved for rock stars. Although his career went on to encompass stints as an acclaimed dramatic actor and playwright, for many supporters, the "Wild and Crazy Guy" persona defined on his comedy records remains Martin's true artistic legacy.

Although born August 14, 1945, in Waco, Texas, Martin spent the majority of his childhood in California, eventually working a concession booth at Disneyland as a teen. There he learned a variety of performing skills ranging from magic and juggling to playing the banjo and sculpting balloon animals. After graduating from college, Martin began writing, and occasionally performing, comic material for television programs including The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Glen Campbell Hour, and The Sonny & Cher Show. At the tail-end of the '60s he moved to Canada, where, in addition to appearing as a semi-regular on the syndicated series Half the George Kirby Comedy Hour, he also began working as a standup.

Soon, Martin graduated to opening for rock performers, where his long hair, scraggly beard, and hippie wardrobe aligned him firmly with the counterculture movement of the era. However, while in his twenties, his hair began to go white; gradually, Martin began adapting his on-stage persona to fit the change, re-emerging as a clean-cut, immaculately dressed conservative. The contrast with his increasingly high-concept comic identity was sharp: superficially silly and daft, Martin's act contemptuously mocked the inherent stupidity of the standup form, mining catch phrases, props, and schticks to create a unique brand of scathing anti-comedy.

After earning a following on the standup circuit, Martin rose to national prominence thanks to a series of guest appearances on the NBC network's sketch comedy phenomenon Saturday Night Live, as well as a number of performances on The Tonight Show. With the release of his 1977 album debut, Let's Get Small, Martin's career exploded; the record reached the Top Ten, his concerts became immediate sellouts, and one-liners like "I am...one wild and crazy guy!" and "Well excuuuse me!" became hip catch phrases. After a cameo in the musical Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, he made his proper film debut with 1978's The Jerk, which he also scripted; additionally, he wrote a best-selling book, Cruel Shoes.

Also in 1978, A Wild and Crazy Guy, Martin's most successful LP, was released. Another platinum seller, it reached the number two slot on the charts on the strength of the hilarious hit single "King Tut," a pseudo-disco record mocking the then-current national obsession with the legendary Egyptian ruler. Nonetheless, Martin was clearly losing interest in the narrow parameters of the standup form; after his final two albums, 1979's Comedy Is Not Pretty and the following year's Steve Martin Brothers, he made the film musical Pennies from Heaven, a significant move away from his idiotic Jerk persona, and eventually retired from standup performance altogether.

After several underappreciated comedies in tandem with director Carl Reiner (including the clever Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid), Martin won acclaim for his superb slapstick performance in 1984's All of Me. With his sweet performance and stellar screenplay for 1987's Roxanne, a delicate comic spin on Cyrano de Bergerac, he won the critical success that had long eluded him, and soon graduated into dramatic roles in films like Lawrence Kasdan's Grand Canyon and the Silas Marner update A Simple Twist of Fate. Still, by the '90s, Martin seemed largely disenchanted with Hollywood filmmaking, virtually sleepwalking through bland mainstream comedies like Father of the Bride and Sgt. Bilko; instead, he focused his energies on the stage, writing the acclaimed theatrical production Picasso at the Lapin Agile.

Ever eclectic, Martin also took the time to record a banjo album, and when the John McKuen-produced Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo appeared from Rounder Records in 2009, it showed he was no slouch on the instrument, and the album further revealed Martin's immense and versatile talent. Martin supported its release by hitting the road with the Steep Canyon Rangers, who served as his backup band. The collaboration was warmly received and led to the release of 2011's Rare Bird Alert, which featured Martin as a temporary member of the Steep Canyon Rangers and included guest appearances by Paul McCartney and the Dixie Chicks. Love Has Come for You, a collaboration with Edie Brickell which featured her lyrics and singing over Martin's banjo-composed melodies, appeared in the spring of 2013. ~ Jason Ankeny & Steve Leggett, Rovi

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Music

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    Jubilation Day
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    • Dribble
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/5/0/5/7/8/171487505.mp3
    • The Crow
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/0/9/3/4/0/838604390.mp3
    • Warp it
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/5/9/9/7/8/171487995.mp3

Photos

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  • Steve Martin plays the banjo for a Rascal Flatts song at the 47th annual ACM Awards in Las Vegas.
    Steve Martin
    Steve Martin plays the banjo for a Rascal Flatts song at the 47th annual ACM Awards in Las Vegas.
    Ethan Miller/Getty Images
  • Steve Martin plays the banjo in the background of a Rascal Flatts song at the 47th annual ACM Awards in Las Vegas.
    Steve Martin
    Steve Martin plays the banjo in the background of a Rascal Flatts song at the 47th annual ACM Awards in Las Vegas.
    Ethan Miller/Getty Images
  • Steve Martin helps out the band during a Rascal Flatts song at the 47th annual ACM Awards.
    Steve Martin
    Steve Martin helps out the band during a Rascal Flatts song at the 47th annual ACM Awards.
    Ethan Miller/Getty Images
  • Steve Martin smiles for cameras on the red carpet at the 47th annual ACM Awards.
    Steve Martin
    Steve Martin smiles for cameras on the red carpet at the 47th annual ACM Awards.
    Jason Merritt/Getty Images
  • Steve Martin
  • Steve Martin
    Sandee Oliver

Tour Dates

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  • May 22 Wednesday
    Fort Myers, FL, US Barbara B Mann Performing Arts Hall
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  • May 23 Thursday
    Saint Petersburg, FL, US Mahaffey Theatre
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  • May 24 Friday
    West Palm Beach, FL, US Dreyfoos Concert Hall, Kravis Center for the Performing Arts
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  • May 25 Saturday
    Tallahassee, FL, US Ruby Diamond Auditorium, Florida State University
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  • May 26 Sunday
    Saint Augustine, FL, US St. Augustine Amphitheatre
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  • May 27 Monday
    Charleston, SC, US North Charleston Performing Arts Center
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  • May 29 Wednesday
    Nashville, TN, US Schermerhorn Symphony Center
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  • May 30 Thursday
    Greenville, SC, US Peace Center for the Performing Arts
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  • May 31 Friday
    Greensboro, NC, US War Memorial Auditorium, Greensboro Coliseum Complex
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  • Jun 21 Friday
    Stamford, CT, US Palace Theatre
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  • Jun 22 Saturday
    Morristown, NJ, US Mayo Performing Arts Center
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  • Jun 23 Sunday
    Kingston, NY, US Ulster Performing Arts Center
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  • Jun 24 Monday
    Vienna, VA, US Filene Center, Wolf Trap
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  • Jun 25 Tuesday
    Irvington, NY, US Irvington Town Hall Theater
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  • Jun 27 Thursday
    Philadelphia, PA, US Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
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  • Jun 29 Saturday
    Toronto, ON, Canada Toronto Jazz Festival
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  • Jun 30 Sunday
    State College, PA, US Penn State Univ
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  • Jul 1 Monday
    Pittsburgh, PA, US Heinz Hall
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  • Jul 2 Tuesday
    Wilkes-barre, PA, US F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts
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  • Jul 26 Friday
    Midland, MI, US Midland Center for the Arts
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Discography

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  • Love Has Come for You (2013)
    Steve Martin
    Love Has Come for You (2013)
    Rounder
  • The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo (2009)
    Steve Martin
    The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo (2009)
    Rounder
  • The Steve Martin Brothers (1981)
    Steve Martin
    The Steve Martin Brothers (1981)
    Wounded Bird
  • Comedy Is Not Pretty! (1979)
    Steve Martin
    Comedy Is Not Pretty! (1979)
    Warner Archives
  • A Wild and Crazy Guy (1978)
    Steve Martin
    A Wild and Crazy Guy (1978)
    Warner Bros. Records
  • Let's Get Small (1977)
    Steve Martin
    Let's Get Small (1977)
    Warner Archives
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