The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo


The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo is a 2009 album by Steve Martin, featuring Dolly Parton, Vince Gill, Earl Scruggs, Tim O'Brien, Tony Trischka and Mary Black. It contains 15 songs and is the first album focusing on Martin as a musician. Martin's 1977 comedy recording Let's Get Small, however, did feature him briefly playing the banjo during some of the comedy bits, and The Steve Martin Brothers devotes one side to banjo playing, including earlier renditions of some of the music presented here. It was first released on January 27, 2009, as an Amazon.com exclusive and then released to retail stores everywhere on May 19, 2009. On January 31, 2010, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album at the 52nd Grammy Awards.

Track list

All songs written by Steve Martin except where indicated.
  1. "Daddy Played the Banjo"
  2. * Tim O'Brien on vocals and Earl Scruggs on banjo
  3. "Pitkin County Turnaround"
  4. "Hoedown at Alice's"
  5. "Late for School"
  6. * Steve Martin on vocals
  7. "Tin Roof"
  8. "Words Unspoken"
  9. * Pete Wernick on banjo
  10. Pretty Flowers
  11. * Vince Gill and Dolly Parton on vocals; Earl Scruggs and Pete Wernick on banjo
  12. "Wally on the Run"
  13. * Tony Trischka on banjo
  14. "Freddie's Lilt"
  15. "Saga of the Old West"
  16. "Clawhammer Medley"
  17. * composed of "Sally Ann", "Johnson Boys", "Simple Gifts" and "The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond"
  18. "Calico Train"
  19. * Mary Black on vocals
  20. "Banana Banjo"
  21. "Blue River Waltz"
  22. "The Crow"
  23. * Tony Trischka on banjo
  24. "Calico Train"
  25. * not included on all editions
A deluxe limited edition was released June 16, 2009. It is packaged in a die-cut, fold-open, pop-up Digipak and contains tracks 1 to 15 as listed above with the additions of:
  2. "Late for School"
  3. "The Slow Crow"
  4. "Calico Train"

Personnel