Steve Martin rolling in the bluegrass now

Thirty-odd years ago, it was not unusual to see Steve Martin in a white suit, wearing an arrow-through-the-head novelty prop, bursting into a frantic dance when he got "happy feet," and looking shocked because he'd heard about a vocal coach who wanted a chanteuse to "sing from her diaphragm."

Well, OK, it was unusual. But Martin's brand of surreal irony clicked with the American public in the late 1970s, an era in which the Woodstock generation was just beginning to overtake television comedy ("Saturday Night Live," "SCTV").

In a live performance at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Martin echoed his then-familiar faux boast that he was "getting out of the comedy thing, and more into the music thing." He followed this, of course, by plucking the wrong melody for the lyrics to Stephen Foster's "Old Folks at Home."

Today, at age 64, Martin has long been done with his stage act, having channeled his creative life into acting ("Roxanne"), books (his well-received "Shopgirl"), playwriting (the inspired "Picasso at the Lapin Agile") and even (humorous) op-ed contributions to The New York Times.

But now he is indeed into the music thing, and quite seriously. Currently touring with Asheville, N.C., band the Steep Canyon Rangers, Martin is promoting his first bluegrass album, "The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo." The award-winning CD features music written (with one exception) entirely by Martin, who makes a stop Tuesday for a concert at Benaroya Hall.

Among the musicians with whom Martin has been spending time the past few years were some famous names, as well as others better known within bluegrass circles — Earl Scruggs, for one. Martin played on one of his albums.

When all is said and done, does Martin enforce a strict boundary between music and comedy?

Reportedly, Martin tells a few jokes in concert. But perhaps the clearest answer can be found on his Web site (www.stevemartin.com), where Martin can be seen in a clip pitching viewers on sending videos set to a cut from "The Crow" called "Wally On the Run."

"I got inspired to write that song when I was watching my dog Wally run around the yard at top speed," Martin says. "I thought it would be nice to make a little video and pair it with the song. But I didn't really have time and I didn't have the editing facilities. But I know you do. So maybe you'd like to make a video with your dog."

Tom Keogh: tomwkeogh@yahoo.com.