Jim has often been referred to as one of Nashville's "A" list songwriters. Artists that have recorded his songs range from Patty Loveless to Shelby Lynne...from George Strait to Solomon Burke! And in spite of winning two Grammy awards he is not a "household name" as a recording artist, yet it's extremely hard to scan his vast catalog and not recognize several he has written for others. In concert you often hear folks exclaim, "I didn't know he wrote that!" Writing since he was a teenager, one of his biggest breaks came when George Strait chose 2 of his songs for the "Pure Country" soundtrack. Strait has gone on to record quite a few since then. In fact, he chose 2 for his latest album, "Twang" (which includes the Jim-composed title track!).  
 To prove just how versatile his songs really are, take the song, "Calico" for example. First recorded on his 1999 CD, "Onward Through It All", it has a country-bluesy type of feel to it. So many people requested this tune at his bluegrass shows that he "re-vamped" it and gave it a bluegrass twist, and included it on his most recent CD, "Could We Get Any Closer?"
 
Also in heavy demand as a co-writer, he has written with such legends as Harlan Howard, Robert Hunter, and Melba Montgomery to name a few. He can write bluegrass, country, blues, and gospel and include them all on the same CD.
 
So, by all means, click on the link below and discover for yourself the "prolific Jim Lauderdale"......

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Have you ever listened to a song and thought you recognized a voice in the background? It's highly possible that if you're an avid music buyer you may see Jim's name listed as harmony vocalist on several in your collection. Most people are familiar with his talents as a singer-songwriter, but would be quite surprised at just how many times he's added his unique voice to blend with his fellow artists. This isn't as easy as it sounds when you are accustomed to singing the lead. To quote Elvis Costello: "What's impressive about Jim Lauderdale's performance on this record (Secret, Profane and Sugarcane) is that he never draws any attention away from the story. He doesn't all of a sudden go, 'Here's Jim!' He's got loads of personality when he's singing lead, but it's quite a talent to be able to tuck in and add that tonal thing to my voice." Elvis was so impressed with Jim that he had him sing harmony vocal on every track of the afore mentioned CD , and included him as part of his 2009 tour as one of the "Sugarcanes" In fact, you'll soon hear Jim's voice on the legendary Willie Nelson's new CD, due out in Spring of 2010. Some of the people he has performed duets with include George Jones and Dr. Ralph Stanley. In addition, Jim is often sought after to participate on numerous projects such as tribute albums, collections, etc.
 
So, click on the link below to see just how many times you have correctly identified his distinctive voice on some of your favorite recordings!

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