{"id":910250,"date":"2026-06-03T15:22:53","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T20:22:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/03\/the-letter-read-this-was-our-moms-guitar-its-worth-a-lot-of-money-we-want-you-to-have-it-how-actor-turned-musician-morgan-nagler-got-her-1977\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T15:22:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T20:22:53","slug":"the-letter-read-this-was-our-moms-guitar-its-worth-a-lot-of-money-we-want-you-to-have-it-how-actor-turned-musician-morgan-nagler-got-her-1977","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/03\/the-letter-read-this-was-our-moms-guitar-its-worth-a-lot-of-money-we-want-you-to-have-it-how-actor-turned-musician-morgan-nagler-got-her-1977\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThe letter read, \u2018This was our mom\u2019s guitar. It\u2019s worth a lot of money. We want you to have it\u2019\u201d: How actor turned musician Morgan Nagler got her 1977 Martin acoustic, wrote with neighbor Phoebe Bridgers, and finally made a solo album"},"content":{"rendered":"

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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\u2019s only now that she has felt ready to release her solo debut.<\/p>\n

While you may not recognize Nagler by name alone, chances are, you\u2019ve 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<\/em>, American Pie 2<\/em>, and Maggie<\/em>, she first connected with music between takes on the Paramount block \u2013 where she wrote her first song at 16 years old on a $100 acoustic guitar<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d been an actor my whole life, using other people\u2019s words,\u201d she reflects. \u201cI really was just craving my own voice.\u201d<\/p>\n

The decision wasn\u2019t 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. \u201cOn my very first tour in 2006, I opened for Jenny Lewis on her Rabbit Fur Coat<\/em> tour,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy band was covering Miss Ohio<\/em> by Gillian Welch. When we played Nashville, Gill and David Rawlings came to the show, and we met them after \u2013 she bought my CD! A couple of years later I got a call from David at midnight. He asked if I\u2019d be interested in coming to Nashville to write some songs with him and Gill. He booked me a plane ticket for the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Morgan Nagler – Grassoline (Official Music Video) – YouTube<\/span>
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Getting on that flight proved to be a transformative experience. \u201cI ended up living with them for six months!\u201d Nagler says. \u201cIt was a songwriting bootcamp. They were attracted to my writing style because I was so un-schooled. They ended up being my college.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Riding high off the back of the Rabbit Fur Coat<\/em> 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\u2019s family home.<\/p>\n

Inside was a 1977 Martin acoustic guitar<\/a> in its original light blue case, with some John Fante books, a bottle of tequila, and some rainbow cigarettes \u2013 gifted from the hosts of Whispertown\u2019s first house party.<\/p>\n

Nagler says: \u201cThere was a letter that read, \u2018This is our mom\u2019s guitar from the ’70s. It\u2019s been in the garage for 20 to 30 years. It\u2019s worth a lot of money; you can sell it if you need the money. But we want you to have it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

She\u2019s still playing that 1977 Martin to this day, and it\u2019s accompanied her through many spontaneous songwriting sessions, not least with Phoebe Bridgers \u2013 who called one day asking for assistance with future hit Kyoto<\/em>. \u201cWe happened to be neighbors; it was just totally random. She was stuck and needed help finishing Kyoto<\/em>, so I went down to her house.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Another spontaneous co-writing deal came when Pixies bassist Kim Deal appeared and hollered for Nagler from her driveway. \u201cAll of a sudden, I heard this, \u2018Morgan! Morgan!\u2019 I went outside and I was like: \u2018Oh my god! It\u2019s Kim Deal!\u2019 Whispertown had opened for The Breeders on a US tour, but we\u2019d never really made friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cKim asked what I was up to. I had some demos on a CD. I got a text a couple of days later that said, \u2018Hi. This is Kim Deal. I\u2019m wondering if you want to get together and write some songs for no reason at all.\u2019 Being in her world has shaped me so much. She\u2019s a true artist, 100 percent herself, and so dedicated to her vision. It\u2019s so inspiring.\u201d<\/p>\n

After 20 years in bands and in writing sessions, Nagler has finally found the headspace to piece together her solo debut, I\u2019ve Got Nothing to Lose, and I\u2019m Losing It<\/em> \u2013 and her experience shows.<\/p>\n

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Morgan Nagler – Cradle The Pain (Official Music Video) – YouTube<\/span>
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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<\/a> tones.<\/p>\n

She notes that, despite the wait, the timing does make a certain sense on the personal front, following the conclusion of a relationship. \u201cWhen I write on my own, I usually don\u2019t have a concept in mind,\u201d she says. \u201cI pick up the guitar and see what comes out.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the breakup, it\u2019s 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 \u2013 and that coincided putting out my first record under my own name.\u201d<\/p>\n