Steve Martin set to release music album

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- U.S. comedian Steve Martin, best known for Hollywood films like "The Pink Panther," says he is set to release his first musical album.

Martin, whose newest film is "The Pink Panther 2," said after creating a song in 2007 for an album by musician Tony Trischka he was inspired to make an album of his own focused around his banjo-playing skills, the Los Angeles Times said Saturday.

"That got me thinking about other songs and just coming back to the banjo, which I'd always played idly," Martin told the newspaper.

"A record isn't like a movie -- you can get it together pretty fast. I first thought maybe I'd do a banjo presentation record, where I'd play a couple of songs and get a bunch of other players to do the rest," the 63-year-old "Parenthood" star added. "Then I realized I had enough of my own songs to do an album of them."

The Times said Martin's album, "The Crow," features 15 songs that include guest performances from music stars like Dolly Parton, Vince Gill and Earl Scruggs.