Jim Lauderdale
James Russell Lauderdale[1] (born April 11, 1957) is an American country, bluegrass, and Americana singer-songwriter.[2] Since 1986, he has released 31 studio albums, including collaborations with artists such as Dr. Ralph Stanley, Buddy Miller, and Donna the Buffalo. A "songwriter's songwriter,"[3] his songs have been recorded by dozens of artists, notably George Strait, Gary Allan, Elvis Costello, Blake Shelton, the Dixie Chicks, Vince Gill, and Patty Loveless.
Jim Lauderdale
James Russell Lauderdale
April 11, 1957
Troutman, North Carolina, United States
Musician, singer-songwriter
Vocals
guitar
1986–present
Yep Roc, Sky Crunch, New West, Sugar Hill, Thirty Tigers, Dualtone, Proper
Early life[edit]
Lauderdale was born in Troutman, North Carolina, the son of Barbara Ann Lauderdale (née Hobson)[4][5] and Dr. Wilbur "Chap" Chapman Lauderdale.[1][6] Lauderdale's mother was originally from Kansas.[5] In addition to her work as a public school and piano teacher, she was active in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Churches in Troutman, Charlotte, and Due West, South Carolina, where she served as music director, church organist, and choir director.[4] His father was born in Lexington, VA, the son of Reverend David Thomas and Sallie Ann Lauderdale (née Chapman).[6] Lauderdale's father was a noted minister in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church.[6] Lauderdale has one sister.
He grew up in Due West, South Carolina.[2] 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.[7] He has cited the influence of Ralph Stanley 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.[8]
During his childhood in Due West, many music acts came to Erskine College. Lauderdale remembers enjoying the album Will the Circle be Unbroken by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Neil Young's Harvest.[9] He attended the Carolina Friends School in Durham NC and then went on to the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, NC, studying theater. He played in country and bluegrass bands during college.[8]
Lauderdale is a long-time resident of Nashville, Tennessee.[10]