Pretty Flowers

Steve Martin- all frailing, and most of the Scruggs style Banjo
Michael Daves - Guitar
Jerry Douglas - Dobro
Vince Gill- Vocal
Stuart Duncan - Fiddle, Mandolin
Matt Flinner - Mandolin
Kenny Malone - Percussion
Bruce Martin - Bodhrán, Tabla, Percussion
John McEuen - Guitar, Banjo, Bowed Guitars, Electric Bass, Efx, Mandolin
Hans Olson - Harmonica
Dolly Parton - Vocal
Earl Scruggs - Banjo
Skip Ward - Acoustic Bass
Pete Wernick - 2nd chair Banjo

I was shooting Pink Panther in Boston, and for exercise I would ride my bicycle on the excellent bike path that loops over and across the Charles River. A tune Popped into my head with the lyrics fermenting along with it, and I furiously typed them into my new iPhone while crashing headlong into other bikers. After several days of this I had all the lyrics and copied them into my computer. Then, as months passed without playing it, I forgot the melody for almost two years. All I could remember were two notes tied to a finger placement at the fifth fret. I sat and noodled on the banjo for days, with nothing coming back. Then I ignored it, and at last the tune popped back into my head. I am lucky to have such great artists, Vince Gill and Dolly Parton, singing it.

The banjo is infernally locked in the key of G, so when John and Pete suggested I tune it down to E to make this song more singable, it was like saying, “tune it down to wet spaghetti.” I did, but any extra pressure put on the string as I pressed down on a fret would throw that note subtly out of tune. After listening to the first mix, I went back in and recorded it again with lighter touch. I’m playing the lead banjo, and Earl and Pete are supplying a lot of tasty background work.