Jun 2, 2023
Episode 247: Layng Martine Jr. earned a slot in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame with numerous hits for a range of artists that included Reba McEntire, The Pointer Sisters and Elvis himself. He thought he was retired, but when his son Tucker, one of the most respected producers and recording engineers in indie music, gave his father the studio time and resources to make his first real album as an artist as he approached 80 years old, a series of sessions in Portland, OR became Music Man. It's a joyful, sunny collection that sounds like nothing else in roots music, and Layng turns out to be a sunny and charming fellow himself. We talk about arriving in Nashville in the 70s, writing Elvis's last hit, and the renewing thrill of cutting songs he'd written between 1964 and the 2000s. Also in the hour, banjo star and record company owner Alison Brown.