Tag: Jim Lauderdale

Exploring the Heartland: Jim Lauderdale’s Latest Album My Favorite Place

Jim Lauderdale’s new album My Favorite Place will be released June 21, 2024. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Jim Lauderdale is the Grammy Award winning singer, songwriter, and performer known as one of Americana’s most steadfast champions. Put him in a room with a killer band and a near-as-can-be-perfect country tune, and one would be hard-pressed to find a better combination in all of current-day music. Luckily, that’s exactly what happened when Mr. Americana took to the studio to record “I’m A Lucky Loser.” Flanked by Chris Scruggs and Kenny Vaughn on electric guitars, Wes L’angolis on acoustic, Will Van Horn on pedal steel, Micah Hulshcer on piano, Pat Bubert on drums, and equally stellar touring band members Jay Weaver, Frank Rische, and Lillie Mae Rische, Lauderdale took to Nashville’s famed Blackbird Studios to track the lilting, cheeky ode to luck, both good and bad. (IV-PR, 2024)

“I’m A Lucky Loser” is the latest single from Lauderdale’s upcoming LP, My Favorite Place—out June 21. Continuing a string of stellar releases with his touring band, The Game Changers—Craig Smith (Guitar), Frank Rische (Guitar), Jay Weaver (Bass), Dave Racine (Drums), and the extraordinary Lillie Mae Rische (Vocals)—along with some of Music City’s favorite ringers like the cast of “I’m A Lucky Loser,” My Favorite Place is pure Jim Lauderdale country; his legendary voice carrying a new batch of stories, all framed by pure pedal steel, fiddle, and the tightest rhythm section this side of the Grand Ole Opry. 

To hear the new single live, fans can check out Lauderdale’s recent performance and interview on RFD-TV here. Fans can stream or purchase “I’m A Lucky Loser” at this link, hear Lauderdale’s previously released singles, “You’ve Got A Shine,” and “Mrs. Green” at their respective links, and pre-order or pre-save My Favorite Place, ahead of its June 21 release right here. 

My Favorite Place tracklist:
My Favorite Pace
Mrs. Green
The Lightning Tree
You’ll Be Gone By Then
Sweethearts Remember
Don’t You Treat ‘Em That Way
Baby Steps
I’m A Lucky Loser
We Ought To Celebrate
You’ve Got A Shine
What’s Important After All

Catch Jim Lauderdale on tour. A full list of Lauderdale’s tour dates can be found below or online.

June 13 – The Colonial Theatre – Phoenixville, PA ^
June 14 – Ardmore Music Hall – Ardmore, PA ^
June 15 – Godfrey Daniels – Bethlehem, PA
June 22 – Grand Ole Opry House – Nashville, TN
June 27 – ROMP – Owensboro, KY *
July 30 – Pickin’ in Parsons Bluegrass Festival – Parson, WV
August 31st – Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival – Brunswick, ME *
September 13 – Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion – Bristol, TN
September 27 – IBMA Bluegrass Live – Raleigh NC
September 28 – IBMA Bluegrass Live – Raleigh NC
October 10 – Eddie’s Attic – Decatur, GA !
October 13 – CaveFest – Pelham, TN

^ With Los Lobos
* With The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys
! With Lillie Mae

https://youtu.be/upxUpZkKaAE?si=eq_CvgEkyL9mKx5u
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New bluegrass album: The Long And Lonesome Letting Go

Jim Lauderdale taps the ever talented Po’ Ramblin’ Boys for a new bluegrass album. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

On September 15, Jim Lauderdale and The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys released The Long And Lonesome Letting Go, a twelve-song LP of all-new Lauderdale co-writes—half of which was written with Po’ Ramblin’ Boys guitarist Josh Rinkel. Other co-writers include 10-time IBMA Award winner Becky Buller, North Carolina old soul Joe Newberry, well-traveled producer/songwriter Jimmy Ritchey, and rising young guns Logan Ledger and Alex Leach. Whether as co-writer, bandleader, master of ceremonies, or musical ambassador for musical styles or states, Lauderdale has been one of Americana music’s all-time great collaborators and The Long and Lonesome Letting Go stands as one of the best collaborative works in his 36-album discography. (IV-PR, 2023)

“When he came to ask about making an album, we were seriously blown away,” says C.J. Lewandowski, mandolinist of Grammy-nominated bluegrass outfit The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys. “It was really validating—Jim Lauderdale calling us to do a bluegrass album,” says Lewandowski. “We must be doing something right,” says one of the genre’s most promising young torchbearers who saw Lauderdale perform many times throughout his upbringing in Missouri.

Lauderdale and The Po Ramblin’ Boys shared the album’s lead-off track, “Long And Lonesome Letting Go,” another co-write, this time with prolific writer and seasoned multi-instrumentalist, Bob Minner. Joining the already-stacked lineup is one more unmistakable voice; that high tenor of Bluegrass Hall of Famer Del McCoury. Fans can hear the up tempo heartache of “Long And Lonesome Letting Go” here or at No Depression where “Long And Lonesome Letting Go” is in their Bonus Tracks column.

Jim Lauderdale and The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys will both be headed to this year’s IBMA World Of Bluegrass conference in Raleigh, North Carolina, performing The Long And Lonesome Letting Go tunes together as well as separate sets of their own original songs. 

The Long And Lonesome Letting Go track list:
Long And Lonesome Letting Go (2:43)
She’s On A Different Train (2:31)
I’m Only So Good At Being Good (4:13)
You Fell Off The Face Of The Earth (2:51)
Last Resort (2:50)
Ghost Of A Rose (3:51)
Darkness Is The Other Side of Light (2:41)
If I Could Only Get My Heart To See (2:20)
That Was When We Were Together (2:40)
A Better Place (2:36)
She’s The Light (3:31)
Drop The Hammer Down (2:35)

Jim Lauderdale Tour Dates:
September 29 FRI IBMA Bluegrass Live Raleigh, NC
October 5 Suwannee Roots Revival Live Oak, FL
October 5 Boot Barn Hall at Bourbon Brothers Gainesville, GA
October 12Gram Parsons Guitar Pull and Tribute Festival Waycross, GA
October 17 Jim Lauderdale live at People’s Brewing Lafayette, IN
November 10 Center Austin, TX, United States
November 11 Jim Lauderdale with special guest Tony Ramey Richardson, TX
November 16 The Franklin Theatre Songwriter Series: Sierra Hull, Jim Lauderdale, Bobby Tomberlin, & Lillie Mae Franklin, TN, United States
November 17 Jim Lauderdale LIVE Paducah, KY, United States
February 4 Outlaw Country Cruise 2024 Andover, FL, United States
February 15 Tractor Tavern Sunny Sweeney Seattle, WA, United States

Po’ Ramblin’ Boys Tour Dates:
September 30 IBMA World of Bluegrass at Red Hat Amphitheater Raleigh, NC
October 16 Gatlinburg Craftsman’s Fair Gatlinburg, TN
October 17 Gatlinburg Craftsman’s Fair Gatlinburg, TN
October 18 Gatlinburg Craftsman’s Fair Gatlinburg, TN
October 19 Bluegrass Island Music Festival Manteo, NC
November 3 The Rex Galax, VA

Americana trailblazer Jim Lauderdale announces new album Game Changer

Jim Lauderdale’s new album Game Changer will be out August 26, 2022. That Kind of Life (That Kind of Day) is the new single from the album. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

In a flurry of steel guitar and raucous drum beats, Americana renaissance man Jim Lauderdale kicks off Game Changer—his 35th full-length album—with “That Kind Of Life (That Kind Of Day),” a rollicking ode to what Jim calls “the sentiment and wishes for others to have a good life.” Lauderdale had the instrumental twin guitar/steel hook in his head when he sat down to write “That Kind Of Life.” American Songwriter premiered the track and called it “a message of the times, delivered like only Lauderdale can in a blended Americana fuse.” Fans can listen to “That Kind Of Life (That Kind Of Day)” now and pre-order or pre-save Game Changer ahead of its August 26 release. (Jim Lauderdale, 2022)

In addition to the exciting news of Lauderdale’s new album, he has also just been named a 2022 nominee for the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Lauderdale, along with eleven other of his contemporaries, will be celebrated at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala in October where the Class of 2022 Hall of Fame inductees will be announced.

Operating under his own label, Sky Crunch Records, for the first time since 2016, Lauderdale recorded Game Changer at the renowned Blackbird Studios in Nashville, co-producing the release with Jay Weaver and pulling from songs he had written over the last several years. “There’s a mixture on this record of uplifting songs and, at the same time, songs of heartbreak and despair—because that’s part of life as well,” he says. “In the country song world especially, that’s always been part of it. That’s real life.”

At any given time, you are likely to find Jim Lauderdale making music, whether he is laying down a new track in the studio or working through a spontaneous melody at his home in Nashville. If he is not actively crafting new music, he is certainly thinking about it. “It’s a constant challenge to try to keep making better and better records, write better and better songs. I still always feel like I’m a developing artist,” he says. This may be a surprising sentiment from a man who’s won two Grammys, released 34 full-length albums, and taken home the Americana Music Association’s coveted Wagonmaster Award. His forthcoming album Game Changer is convincing evidence that the North Carolina native is only continuing to hone his craft.

Catch Jim Lauderdale on tour:
August 13 – Maggie Valley, NC – Songwriting Camp
August 26 – Nashville, TN – Grand Ole Opry
August 31 – Nashville, TN – 3rd & Lindsley album release show
September 11 – Bristol, VA – Bristol Rhythm and Roots
September 13-17 – Nashville, TN – AmericanaFest
September 24 – Nashville, TN – Tommy Emmanuel’s CMA Theatre
September 25 – Nashville, TN – Tommy Emmanuel’s Guitar Camp
October 7 – Augusta, GA – Summer Series
October 8 – Pelham, TN – Cave Fest @ The Caverns
October 12 – Jacksonville Beach, FL – Blue Jay Listening Room
October 13 – Live Oak, FL – Suwanee Roots Revival 2022
October 21 – Pomeroy, OH – Songwriter Weekend Fur Peace Ranch
November 3 – Los Angeles, CA – Outlaw Country West 2022

 

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