Martin Guitar Launches Martin Stories, a New, Artist-Focused Podcast

The official Martin Guitar podcast, hosted by Jimmy Leslie, explores the music, creativity, instruments, and personal journeys behind some of today's most compelling artists

NAZARETH, Pa., Sept. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- C. F. Martin & Co.® today announced the launch of Martin Stories, the official podcast of Martin Guitar and a new destination for conversations with the artists, players, collectors, and creators who have a Martin guitar at the center of their musical lives.

Hosted by Jimmy Leslie, Frets Acoustic Editor at Guitar Player, Martin Stories goes beyond the music to explore the careers artists have built, the moments that shaped them, the instruments they have connected with along the way, and the hard-won insights that come from a lifetime of playing and creating.

Every Martin owner has a story. For nearly 200 years, Martin guitars have been part of countless musical journeys—from songs written at home to performances heard around the world. Martin Stories brings those journeys to the forefront, creating a place where artists can share their stories about the moments built around that unmistakable Martin tone.

The Stories Behind the Sound

Each episode of Martin Stories takes listeners inside an artist's relationship with music and the instruments that have helped shape it. Conversations span creativity, influences, collecting, songwriting, touring, career-defining moments, and the personal stories that can turn a guitar into far more than a musical instrument.

The first two episodes are available now.

The debut episode, released August 12, features Kenneth Pattengale of The Milk Carton Kids. Pattengale joins Leslie from his North Hollywood studio to trace the story of his main guitar, a 1954 Martin 0-15 he first encountered in a museum case and spent more than two years searching for before eventually using it as the inspiration for his own Martin signature model.

Their conversation explores Pattengale's approach to creating The Milk Carton Kids' distinctive two-guitar sound, his attraction to instruments that feel authentic rather than pristine, the unexpected origins of his accessible signature guitar, and what thousands of performances have taught him about choosing connection over perfection.

The second episode, released August 26, welcomes blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa, whose Martin story began as a child playing his father's mid-1970s D-35 in the vintage guitar shop where he grew up.

From "Nerdville Gotham," his New York City home and vintage gear hub, Bonamassa discusses the path from that first Martin to seeing his own name inside one. The conversation explores the vintage 1937 00-18 that inspired his latest Martin signature models, his fascination with pre-war instruments, memorable guitars and performances from throughout his career, and what decades of recording, touring, and collecting have taught him about finding the right instrument.

More Martin Stories to Come

New episodes of Martin Stories will arrive every two weeks, with upcoming guests including Don Felder, Brooke Ligertwood, Eric Johnson, and many more artists from across the musical landscape.

The podcast is hosted by Jimmy Leslie, Frets Acoustic Editor at Guitar Player and a Bay Area-based writer, guitarist, and vocalist who records and performs original music as Spirit Hustler and under his own name.

Martin Stories is produced by Elizabeth Evans Media.

Martin Stories is available to stream now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and other major podcast platforms.

For more information about Martin Guitar, visit martinguitar.com.

ABOUT C. F. MARTIN & CO.

C. F. Martin & Co. has been making the finest handcrafted acoustic guitars for nearly two hundred years. For some of the biggest names and the most revered musical legends across every genre and every decade. And we've been doing it with pure artistic passion, a deep love for all things music, and an unwavering commitment to our community and the environment.

But most importantly, we're still doing it... for you. For current and future generations of pioneers, rebels, and dreamers. For the beginners, the pros, and everyone in between. We believe music is an unstoppable force. It raises us up. Tells our truths. Gets us on our feet. Expresses our deepest heartaches. And our greatest joys.

So, we'll continue to make the very best acoustic instruments and strings for as long as there are people like you who love music and love making it. We want to be there to help you tell your story. To help you share your music with the world. To help unleash the artist within.

We're ready for the next two hundred years. Want to come with us? Visit martinguitar.com.

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