Steve Martin interviews banjo idol

CHILMARK, Mass., July 6 (UPI) -- U.S. actor, writer and musician Steve Martin has interviewed banjo player and composer Tony Ellis for The Banjo Newsletter, the publication said.

Throughout the wide-ranging interview for the magazine's July issue, Martin talks with Ellis, based in Ohio, about his influences and how his style has evolved from the early 1960s.

The star of "Parenthood," "Father of the Bride," "All of Me," "Little Shop of Horrors" and "The Jerk" also told Ellis how his music inspired Martin's own banjo playing, particularly Martin's composition "The Crow," which was featured on his 2009 Grammy-winning album, "The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo."

"I came upon your music by accident, and I thought, 'Wow, this is the kind of music I remember when I first started playing in the 1960s.' When I heard your song 'The Wild Fox,' it just sounded great, and made me fool around in double C tuning. I immediately wrote my tune 'The Crow' -- and my new banjo career was off and running…" Martin told Ellis in the interview.

The editors of The Banjo Newsletter describe it as a 44-page monthly magazine for five-string banjo players. It has been published since 1973.