New Layng Martine Jr. Project, ‘Music Man,’ Due Out In May

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Tucker Martine is celebrating his father, Nashville songwriter Layng Martine Jr., with his new Music Man album, out via Bloodshot Records/Kill Rock Stars on May 19.

Music Man started off as a Christmas gift from Tucker to his father a few years ago. Tucker selected the songs from Layng’s extensive catalog, some dating as far back as 1964, and gathered notable players including Peter Buck (R.E.M.), Bill Frisell, Laura Veirs and K.D. Lang for the sessions, among others.

A member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Layng has had songs covered by Elvis, Reba, Jerry Lee Lewis and others. Now, at the age of 81, he and wife Linda split their time between Nashville and Rhode Island, and their life has had its share of triumphs and tragedies.

Layng’s 2019 memoir, Permission to Fly, details his early wandering days, his time as a songwriter in Nashville and the car accident that left his wife a paraplegic. He was inspired to write a memoir after publishing his “Modern Love” essay for the New York Times about the incident, which shared details of their life post-accident with candor and humor and became one of its most shared columns.

“The songs on Music Man literally sparkle with excitement and vitality and give new credence to the term ‘good time music,'” notes Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers.

Lorie Hollabaugh
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