James Russell Lauderdale (born April 11, 1957) is an American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

, bluegrass, and

Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana (music), a genre or style of American music *Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...

singer-songwriter. Since 1986, he has released 31 studio albums, including collaborations with artists such as Dr. Ralph Stanley,

Buddy Miller Steven Paul "Buddy" Miller (born September 6, 1952) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist and producer, currently living in Nashville, Tennessee. Miller is married to and has recorded with singer-songwriter Julie Miller ...

, and

Donna the Buffalo Donna the Buffalo is a band from Trumansburg, New York. It plays both original songs and cover versions. A musician friend suggested "Dawn of the Buffalo" as a name for the band, which was misheard as "Donna the Buffalo" and, over thirty years ...

. A "songwriter's songwriter," his songs have been recorded by dozens of artists, notably George Strait,

Gary Allan Gary Allan Herzberg (born December 5, 1967) is an American country music singer. Signed to Decca Records in 1996, Allan made his country music debut with the release of his single " Her Man", the lead-off to his gold-certified debut album '' U ...

, Elvis Costello,

Blake Shelton Blake Tollison Shelton (born June 18, 1976) is an American country music singer and television personality. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin". The lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" spent five weeks at ...

, the

Dixie Chicks The Chicks (previously known as Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. Since 1995, the band has consisted of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and ...

Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist ...

, and

Patty Loveless Patty Loveless (born Patricia Lee Ramey, January 4, 1957) is an American country music singer. She began performing in her teenaged years before signing her first recording contract with MCA Records' Nashville division in 1985. While her first ...

Early life

Lauderdale was born in Troutman, North Carolina, the son of Barbara Ann Lauderdale (née Hobson) and Dr. Wilbur "Chap" Chapman Lauderdale. Lauderdale's mother was originally from

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

. In addition to her work as a public school and piano teacher, she was active in the

Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church The Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARPC), as it exists today, is the historical descendant of the Synod of the South, a Synod of the Associate Reformed Church. The original Associate Reformed Church resulted from a merger of the Associate ...

es in Troutman,

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, and

Due West, South Carolina Due West is a town in Abbeville County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,247 at the 2010 census. It is the home of Erskine College and Dixie High School. History Some say the name is a mispronunciation of "DeWitt's Corner", ...

, where she served as music director, church organist, and choir director. His father was born in

Lexington, VA Lexington is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,320. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines t ...

, the son of Reverend David Thomas and Sallie Ann Lauderdale (née Chapman). Lauderdale's father was a noted minister in the

. Lauderdale has one sister, Rebecca "Becky" Tatum, and a nephew, Mark. He grew up in Due West, South Carolina. Both of his parents were singers. He too sang in his early years, and learned the drums at 11, the harmonica at 13, and the banjo at 15. He has cited the influence of

Ralph Stanley Ralph Edmund Stanley (February 25, 1927 – June 23, 2016) was an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing. Stanley began playing music in 1946, originally with his older brother Carter Stanley as part of ...

and bluegrass music from an early age. He played a variety of music, including bluegrass, Grateful Dead, and folk in a duo with best friend Nathan Lajoie as a teenager. During his childhood in Due West, many music acts would come to

Erskine College Erskine College is a private Christian college in Due West, South Carolina. It is an undergraduate liberal arts college and a graduate theological seminary. The college was founded in 1839 by the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. Its sp ...

. Lauderdale remembers enjoying the album ''

Will the Circle be Unbroken "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" is a popular Christian hymn written in 1907 by Ada R. Habershon with music by Charles H. Gabriel. The song is often recorded unattributed and, because of its age, has lapsed into the public domain. Most of the ch ...

'' by the

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country rock band formed in 1966. The group has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California. Between 1976 and 1981, the band performed and recorded as the Dirt Band. Constant ...

and

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fur ...

's '' Harvest.'' He attended the Carolina Friends School in Durham NC and then went on to the

North Carolina School of the Arts The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) is an arts school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It grants high school, undergraduate, and graduate degrees. Founded in 1963 as the North Carolina School of the Arts by then-Governo ...

Winston-Salem, NC Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...

, studying theater. He played in country and bluegrass bands during college. Lauderdale is a long-time resident of

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

Career

After graduating from college, Lauderdale lived in Nashville for five months in the summer of 1979 while he tried to get a recording or publishing deal. He hung out a lot with

Roland White Roland Joseph White (né LeBlanc; April 23, 1938 – April 1, 2022) was an American bluegrass music artist, performing principally on the mandolin. Biography White was born in Madawaska, Maine, on April 23, 1938, as Roland Joseph LeBlanc, and ...

, an accomplished mandolin player, with whom he cut a record. But things never took off, so he decided to move to New York, where he played in Floyd Domino's band and performed as a solo artist. In 1980 he met singer-songwriter

. He played in Miller's band in the active twang music scene that was evolving at the time. During his time in New York City, he also worked in the mailroom and as a messenger at ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' magazine. He often was assigned to pick up and drop off photographer

Annie Leibovitz Anna-Lou Leibovitz ( ; born October 2, 1949) is an American portrait photographer best known for her engaging portraits, particularly of celebrities, which often feature subjects in intimate settings and poses. Leibovitz's Polaroid photo of Jo ...

's equipment. Lauderdale joined the national touring production of ''

Pump Boys & Dinettes ''Pump Boys and Dinettes'' is a musical written by a performance group of the same name. The group, Pump Boys and Dinettes, consists of John Foley, Mark Hardwick, Debra Monk, Cass Morgan, John Schimmel and Jim Wann. The members directed and sta ...

'', which eventually reached Los Angeles where he met musicians Rosie Flores, Billy Bremmer,

Pete Anderson Pete Anderson is an American guitarist, music producer, arranger and songwriter. Anderson is most known for his guitar work with, and critically acclaimed production of, country music star Dwight Yoakam from 1984 through 2002, a partnership th ...

Lucinda Williams Lucinda Gayle Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and a solo guitarist. She recorded her first two albums: '' Ramblin' on My Mind'' (1979) and '' Happy Woman Blues'' (1980), in a traditional country and blues style ...

Dale Watson Dale Watson may refer to: * Dale Watson (FBI), former Assistant Director for the Counterterrorism Division of the FBI * Dale Watson (singer) (born 1962), American country singer, guitarist, songwriter and author * Dale Watson (Jamaican footballer) ...

, and others. John Ciambotti became Lauderdale's manager and Lauderdale relocated to Los Angeles in the late 1980s, recording an album for CBS (which was later released as ''The Point of No Return''). The record was influenced by the Bakersfield sound of

Buck Owens Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. (August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006), known professionally as Buck Owens, was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and band leader. He was the lead singer for Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, which had 21 No. 1 hits on ...

. Armed with a catalog of a few hundred songs he had written, Lauderdale was able to get a publishing deal with a small company called Blue Water Music (based in Houston, with a small office in Nashville). Living in Los Angeles he made a record with Anderson producing, but it was never released. Lauderdale then got a publishing deal with Reprise and moved into the second floor of Buddy and Julie Miller's house until he got his own place in Nashville. In 2013, Lauderdale started his own record label, Sky Crunch, so that he could release his many albums on a schedule that suited him.from an interview o
Americana Music Show #275
published December 1, 2015 In April 2018, Lauderdale signed to Yep Roc Records.

Solo career

Lauderdale's solo debut, ''Planet of Love'', was produced by Rodney Crowell and

John Leventhal John Leventhal (born December 18, 1952) is a musician, producer, songwriter, and recording engineer who has produced albums for William Bell, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Michelle Branch, Rosanne Cash, Marc Cohn, Shawn Colvin, Sarah Jarosz, Rod ...

and released in 1991. ''Lost in the Lonesome Pines'', a 2002 collaboration with

, won the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album. ''The Bluegrass Diaries'' won the same award in 2008. In 2003, Lauderdale was joined by roots/jam band

on the album ''Wait 'Til Spring''. ''Could We Get Any Closer?'' was nominated for a Grammy in 2009. In 2013, Lauderdale released ''Old Time Angels'' (a bluegrass album) and his first solo acoustic album, ''Blue Moon Junction'', followed by ''Black Roses,'' with the North Mississippi All-Stars. Lauderdale appears on Laura Cantrell's 2013 release ''No Way There From Here''. 2014 saw the release of his album ''I'm A Song''. Lauderdale will release his new album ''Time Flies'' on August 3, 2018, along with ''Jim Lauderdale and Roland White.''

Collaborations

In 2007, he began a collaboration with

Larry Campbell Larry W. Campbell (born 28 February 1948) is a Canadian politician that served as the 37th mayor of Vancouver, Canada from 2002 until 2005 and since 2005 has been a member of the Senate of Canada. Before he was mayor, Campbell worked for th ...

, the band Olabelle, and others in the ''American Beauty Project,'' a loose collection of musicians dedicated to reimagining in performance the Grateful Dead's two classic 1970 albums, '' Workingman's Dead'' and '' American Beauty''. In 2011, Lauderdale toured with Hot Tuna, an ensemble act that included

Jorma Kaukonen Jorma Ludwik Kaukonen, Jr. (; ; born December 23, 1940) is an American blues, folk, and rock guitarist. Kaukonen performed with Jefferson Airplane and still performs regularly on tour with Hot Tuna, which started as a side project with bass ...

Jack Casady John William "Jack" Casady (born April 13, 1944) is an American bass guitarist, best known as a member of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna. Jefferson Airplane became the first successful exponent of the San Francisco Sound. Singles including " S ...

, Barry Mitterhof, G.E. Smith, and, for a time,

Charlie Musselwhite Charles Douglas Musselwhite (born January 31, 1944) is an American electric blues harmonica player and bandleader, one of the white bluesmen who came to prominence, along with Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield, and Elvin Bishop, as a pivotal f ...

. He has also toured with Elvis Costello,

Rhonda Vincent Rhonda Lea Vincent (born July 13, 1962) is an American bluegrass singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Vincent's music career began when she was a child in her family's band The Sally Mountain Show, and it has spanned more than four de ...

Mary Chapin Carpenter Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also call ...

, and others.

Dr. Ralph Stanley

Lauderdale wrote and produced two bluegrass records with

. Their first collaboration, ''I Feel Like Singing Today'', was nominated for a Grammy.

Buddy Miller

Lauderdale released a record called ''Buddy and Jim'' with long-time friend and collaborator

in 2013. Lauderdale said they recorded it in three days in Miller's home studio. Miller did the mixing and producing.

Robert Hunter

Lauderdale has often collaborated with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter. Lauderdale's first collaboration with Hunter was ''Headed for the Hills'' and the second was ''Patchwork River'' in May 2010. The June 2011 release ''Reason and Rhyme'' was their third collaboration. Additionally, they wrote songs for a

North Mississippi Allstars North Mississippi Allstars is an American blues and southern rock band from Hernando, Mississippi, founded in 1996. The band is currently composed of brothers Luther Dickinson (guitar, lowebow, vocals) and Cody Dickinson (drums, keyboards, ele ...

record that was released in the fall of 2013. Two 2013 releases, ''Black Roses'' and ''Blue Moon Junction,'' were co-written with Hunter. ''Black Roses'' features North Mississippi Allstars' Cody and

Luther Dickinson Luther Andrews Dickinson (born January 18, 1973) is the lead guitarist and vocalist for the North Mississippi Allstars and the son of record producer Jim Dickinson. He is also known for being the lead guitarist for The Black Crowes. He hosts ''G ...

, whom Lauderdale met in Nashville at the Americana Music Festival, as well as

Muscle Shoals Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is located along the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 census, the population of Muscle Shoals was 13,146. The estimated popu ...

musicians

Spooner Oldham Dewey Lindon "Spooner" Oldham (born June 14, 1943) is an American songwriter and session musician. An organist, he recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, at FAME Studios as part of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section on such hit R&B songs as Percy S ...

and David Hood. The album was recorded at their father

Jim Dickinson James Luther Dickinson (November 15, 1941 – August 15, 2009) was an American record producer, pianist, and singer who fronted, among others, the band Mud Boy and the Neutrons, based in Memphis, Tennessee. Biography Dickinson was born in Li ...

's studio, Zebra Ranch in Mississippi. 2013's ''Blue Moon Junction'' features Lauderdale's work as a singer and songwriter, some of them co-written with Hunter in a solo, acoustic format. Lauderdale produced the record. Lauderdale says that they have more material that might make a good follow-up album, and hopes they will have time to collaborate again soon.

Nick Lowe

Lauderdale said he worked on a yet-to-be-released record with

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and New wave music, new wave,Roland White Roland Joseph White (né LeBlanc; April 23, 1938 – April 1, 2022) was an American bluegrass music artist, performing principally on the mandolin. Biography White was born in Madawaska, Maine, on April 23, 1938, as Roland Joseph LeBlanc, and ...

. The disc was recorded in Earl Scruggs' basement in 1979, and the songs were only found recently by White's wife.

The Jim Lauderdale Phenomenon

The term "the Jim Lauderdale Phenomenon", coined by singer-songwriter

Kim Richey Kimberly Richey (born December 1, 1956) is an American singer and songwriter. Career Kim Richey came onto the music scene in the 1990s and entered her first recording contract at the age of 37. Kim signed with Mercury Nashville. She spent the n ...

and cited in an April 2000 article in ''

The Tennessean ''The Tennessean'' (known until 1972 as ''The Nashville Tennessean'') is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, ...

'' by writer Peter Cooper, is an ironic reference to the fact that Lauderdale was nominated for a Grammy for his work with Stanley but was released from a record deal with

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

not long after. He was also released from contracts with Warner Bros., Columbia, and Atlantic Records. The article notes that many country artists that were signed to major labels in the 1990s failed to get radio airtime and had their contracts dropped after making one or two albums. The problem became endemic in Nashville during this period, when a lot of good music was being created and recorded, but the megastars dominated the airwaves.

Discography

Lauderdale has had a long-time, successful

Music Row Music Row is a historic district located southwest of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Widely considered the heart of Nashville's entertainment industry, Music Row has also become a metonymous nickname for the music industry as a w ...

career writing songs for many mainstream

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singers under four separate major-label record contracts: CBS, Warner/Reprise, Atlantic, and RCA/BMG.

Songwriting

: "Wake Up Screaming", "What's On My Mind", "We Touched the Sun" * Mark Chesnutt: "Gonna Get a Life" (co-written with Frank Dycus) – hit No. 1 in 1995 * Elvis Costello: "I Lost You", "Poor Borrowed Dress" *

The Dixie Chicks The Chicks (previously known as Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. Since 1995, the band has consisted of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and E ...

: "Hole in My Head" (co-written with Buddy Miller) * Sara Douga: "I'll Forgive You if You Don't" from ''Joe & Gin'' (2020) (co-written with Sara Douga) *

: "Sparkle" *

: "Halfway Down", "To Feel That Way at All", "You Don't Seem To Miss Me" * George Strait: ** "The King of Broken Hearts", "Where the Sidewalk Ends" from ''Pure Country'' Soundtrack (1992) ** "I Wasn't Fooling Around", "Stay Out of My Arms" from '' Easy Come, Easy Go'' (1993) ** "Nobody Has to Get Hurt", "What Am I Waiting For" from '' Lead On'' (1994) ** "Do the Right Thing" from ''

Blue Clear Sky ''Blue Clear Sky'' is the sixteenth studio album released on April 23, 1996 by American country music artist George Strait. Certified 3× Multi-Platinum in the U.S. for sales of three million copies, the album produced four singles. The title tr ...

'' (1996) ** " We Really Shouldn't Be Doing This" from '' One Step at a Time'' (1998) ** "One of You", " What Do You Say to That" from '' Always Never the Same'' (1999) ** "Don't Make Me Come Over There (and Love You)" from '' George Strait'' (2000) ** "Twang", "I Gotta Get to You" from '' Twang'' (2009) ** "Two More Wishes" from '' Honky Tonk Time Machine'' (2019) *

Lee Ann Womack Lee Ann Womack Liddell (; born August 19, 1966) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Her 2000 single, " I Hope You Dance" was a major crossover music hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Country Chart and the Top 15 ...

: "The King of Broken Hearts" *

: "What's On My Mind"

Albums

Singles

Guest singles

Music videos

Contributions

*''A Town South of Bakersfield Vol. II'' (1988) – "What Am I Waiting For" *''Happy Birthday, Buck! A Texas Salute to Buck Owens'' (2002) – "Sweet Rosie Jones" *''Touch My Heart: A Tribute to Johnny Paycheck'' (2005) – "I Want You To Know" *'' Born to the Breed: A Tribute to Judy Collins'' (2008) – "Easy Times"

Other activities

Lauderdale has hosted the Americana Music Awards since winning their first Artist of the Year and Song of the Year awards in 2002. He was a judge for the second,Independent Music Awards – Past Judges
10th and 11th"11th Annual IMA Judges
Independent Music Awards. Retrieved on September 4, 2013. annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers. He is Honorary Chairperson for the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest each April at MerleFest in Wilkesboro, NC. He hosted "The Jim Lauderdale Show" on

WSM Radio WSM (650 kHz) is a 50,000-watt clear channel AM radio station located in Nashville, Tennessee. It broadcasts a full-time country music format (with classic country and Americana leanings, the latter of which is branded as "Route 650") at 650& ...

. He hosts, along with Buddy Miller, "The Buddy & Jim Show" on

SiriusXM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sa ...

Outlaw Country. Lauderdale is also a frequent host and performer on "Music City Roots", a weekly Americana music show web-streamed live from The Factory at Franklin just outside Nashville.

Jim Lauderdale: The King of Broken Hearts

A documentary film called ''Jim Lauderdale: The King of Broken Hearts'', directed by Jeremy Dylan, was released in 2013. Using interviews with Elvis Costello,

, John Oates,

, Tony Brown, and

Jerry Douglas Gerald Calvin "Jerry" Douglas (born May 28, 1956) is an American Dobro and lap steel guitar player and record producer. Career In addition to his fourteen solo recordings, Douglas has played on more than 1,600 albums. As a sideman, he h ...

, the film describes Lauderdale's successes and failures as a recording artist.

References

External links

*
''Jim Lauderdale: The King of Broken Hearts'' (documentary)

at Reviewgraveyard.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Lauderdale, Jim 1957 births Living people Bluegrass musicians from North Carolina American country singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters Grammy Award winners Singer-songwriters from North Carolina People from Troutman, North Carolina Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church Country musicians from North Carolina Yep Roc Records artists Sugar Hill Records artists Proper Records artists Dualtone Records artists New West Records artists