“The letter read, ‘This was our mom’s guitar. It’s worth a lot of money. We want you to have it’”: How actor turned musician Morgan Nagler got her 1977 Martin acoustic, wrote with neighbor Phoebe Bridgers, and finally made a solo album

Singer-songwriter and semi-retired actress Morgan Nagler has been playing music for 20 years, and written with Gillian Welch, Phoebe Bridgers, and Kim Deal. But it’s only now that she has felt ready to release her solo debut.

While you may not recognize Nagler by name alone, chances are, you’ve seen or heard her at some point. First rising to fame at a mere five years old with roles in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, American Pie 2, and Maggie, she first connected with music between takes on the Paramount block – where she wrote her first song at 16 years old on a $100 acoustic guitar.

A decade later, with much encouragement from good friend Jenny Lewis of indie rock band Rilo Kiley, Nagler called it quits with acting and focused on songwriting, the art form she most valued.

“I’d been an actor my whole life, using other people’s words,” she reflects. “I really was just craving my own voice.”

The decision wasn’t easy. It had provided a steady income for years. But Nagler soon cut her teeth in music, putting in the hours with her band Whispertown. “On my very first tour in 2006, I opened for Jenny Lewis on her Rabbit Fur Coat tour,” she says.

“My band was covering Miss Ohio by Gillian Welch. When we played Nashville, Gill and David Rawlings came to the show, and we met them after – she bought my CD! A couple of years later I got a call from David at midnight. He asked if I’d be interested in coming to Nashville to write some songs with him and Gill. He booked me a plane ticket for the morning.”

Getting on that flight proved to be a transformative experience. “I ended up living with them for six months!” Nagler says. “It was a songwriting bootcamp. They were attracted to my writing style because I was so un-schooled. They ended up being my college.”

Riding high off the back of the Rabbit Fur Coat tour, Whispertown launched a 30-day house party tour, booked via Myspace with no days off. Despite the tiring run, it was worth the hustle when a mysterious box arrived at Nagler’s family home.

Inside was a 1977 Martin acoustic guitar in its original light blue case, with some John Fante books, a bottle of tequila, and some rainbow cigarettes – gifted from the hosts of Whispertown’s first house party.

Nagler says: “There was a letter that read, ‘This is our mom’s guitar from the ’70s. It’s been in the garage for 20 to 30 years. It’s worth a lot of money; you can sell it if you need the money. But we want you to have it.’”

She’s still playing that 1977 Martin to this day, and it’s accompanied her through many spontaneous songwriting sessions, not least with Phoebe Bridgers – who called one day asking for assistance with future hit Kyoto. “We happened to be neighbors; it was just totally random. She was stuck and needed help finishing Kyoto, so I went down to her house.”

Another spontaneous co-writing deal came when Pixies bassist Kim Deal appeared and hollered for Nagler from her driveway. “All of a sudden, I heard this, ‘Morgan! Morgan!’ I went outside and I was like: ‘Oh my god! It’s Kim Deal!’ Whispertown had opened for The Breeders on a US tour, but we’d never really made friends.

“Kim asked what I was up to. I had some demos on a CD. I got a text a couple of days later that said, ‘Hi. This is Kim Deal. I’m wondering if you want to get together and write some songs for no reason at all.’ Being in her world has shaped me so much. She’s a true artist, 100 percent herself, and so dedicated to her vision. It’s so inspiring.”

After 20 years in bands and in writing sessions, Nagler has finally found the headspace to piece together her solo debut, I’ve Got Nothing to Lose, and I’m Losing It – and her experience shows.

Themes of self-medication through song, heartbreak, and the resilience to keep moving forward despite setbacks are tied together with raw, opened-hearted lyrics and a stunning patchwork of steel string ballads, distorted bluesy slides, and chunky fuzz tones.

She notes that, despite the wait, the timing does make a certain sense on the personal front, following the conclusion of a relationship. “When I write on my own, I usually don’t have a concept in mind,” she says. “I pick up the guitar and see what comes out.

“After the breakup, it’s wild to see a lot of these songs are about that. It ended up being a very personal moment where I was on my own for the first time in a really long time – and that coincided putting out my first record under my own name.”

• Check out I’ve got Nothing to Lose, and I’m Losing it, plus Nagler’s upcoming tour dates.

Naomi Baker is a contributing freelance music journalist for GuitarWorld.com. After interviewing the legendary Mick Wall for her dissertation on rock journalism’s evolution, she now pursues her passions for writing and rock music. Naomi plays guitar and bass and loves nothing more than scrutinizing artists who heavily shaped and paved the ways of rock. She revisits music played extensively throughout her childhood daily, with acts like Thin Lizzy, The Darkness and Queens of the Stone Age top of the list.