One of my favorite people in the world, Steve Martin, is putting out an album of his idiosyncratic banjo picking on January 27, 2009 as a three-month Amazon exclusive. Martin’s been playing banjo since he was 17, and he’s been on Letterman a few times strutting his stuff with Earl Scruggs and other bluegrass luminaries. The new record is called The Crow: New Songs For the Five-String Banjo and features:

15 original Martin compositions recorded with guests such as Dolly Parton, Vince Gill, Mary Black, Earl Scruggs, Tony Trischka, Tim O’Brien and Pete Wrenick. It was produced by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s John McEuen, a high school friend of Martin’s.

Here’s a clip of Martin back in his 70’s stand-up heyday, showing off his unique style on the banjo: