Steve Martin Lines Up Opry Debut

Steve Martin makes his Grand Ole Opry debut on May 30, 2009. Photo courtesy of the Grand Ole Opry.

April 2, 2009 — In some of Steve Martin’s earliest Nashville appearances, he made a habit of pulling the audience from the Exit/In out into the street on Elliston Place and making a scene at weird hours of the night. He returns to Music City May 30 for a more conventional, albeit significant, performance when he makes his Grand Ole Opry debut.

The appearance comes as the comedian has his first music album in release. The Crow: New Songs For The Five-String Banjo shows his skill on the instrument, which he played during a recent hosting gig on "Saturday Night Live." The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s John McEuen produced The Crow, and he’ll be on hand to back Steve that night when the lineup also features Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Tim O’Brien and Stuart Duncan.

"This will be a lifelong memory highpoint — one of just how far a dream can go," John says. "Two kids from Orange County at the Opry! Well, when Steve picks, fans will see how much it means to him to bring his music to the heart of country music. The audience will find out he’s a musician disguised as an actor."

John and Steve became friends during their teen years in California, and John and the Dirt Band — wearing Egyptian outfits and performing as the Toots Uncommons — actually backed Steve on a 1978 "SNL" appearance when he performed "King Tut."

Vince, meanwhile, won’t be waiting until Steve’s appearance to visit the Opry. He’ll close Thursday’s Opry Classics show, which also features Gene Watson, T.G. Sheppard and Rebecca Lynn Howard, among others. On Friday and Saturday, the Opry boasts Diamond Rio, Aaron Tippin, Ricky Skaggs, Joe Diffie, Bill Anderson and Michael Martin Murphey.