Originally published in DoSavannah
With 26 studio albums to his credit, Jim Lauderdale can choose from a huge selection of music when he performs.
The multiple Grammy and Americana Music Association award-winning singer/songwriter will appear June 27 at Mars Theatre in Springfield. Opening for Lauderdale will be The Accomplices, a Lowcountry string band from Savannah.“I’m going to do a mixture of songs that have been on my albums,” Lauderdale says. “That includes some songs I’ve written for other people but haven’t recorded myself. That encompasses Americana music, which includes country, bluegrass, rock and blues.”
The son of a minister and a choir director/piano teacher, he grew up with music.
“When the Beatles came out, my older sister started buying singles,” he says. “She started collecting records and I started listening.”
When Lauderdale was 13, his family left Charlotte, N.C., to move to Due West, S.C.
“I volunteered at a college radio station and also got a lot of duplicate albums for my collection,” he says. “I started playing blues harmonica and banjo.
“I really got into bluegrass and wanted to be a banjo and bluegrass singer while I was in high school,” Lauderdale says. “I wasn’t able to make that a reality, but I did start writing songs and playing guitar.”
Still in high school when he realized he wanted to be a professional musician, Lauderdale kept striving to make it happen.
“The music world and business is a constant growth process for anyone in it,” he says. “I’m still writing and working on another two albums right now.
“I’m really excited because I feel in the last two years, my writing is as good or better as it has ever been,” Lauderdale says. “I’m going to keep pouring everything into it while I’m able to.”
His latest album, “I’m A Song,” is country. A double album, it has 20 tracks and includes such guests as Lee Ann Womack, Patty Loveless and Buddy Miller.
Lauderdale’s first bluegrass album was recorded in 1998 with one of his heroes, Dr. Ralph Stanley.
“It was worth the wait,” he says. “We did two records and both were nominated for the Grammy and one won.
“Recently, I co-produced an album by Ralph Stanley and Buddy Miller, who is a friend,” Lauderdale says. “It’s another big thing to work with Robert Hunter.
“He and Jerry Garcia wrote the Grateful Dead catalogue. We’ve written about 100 songs together and released about six albums in collaboration.”
Another highlight for Lauderdale was writing, recording and touring with Elvis Costello.
“George Jones was a big hero and I got to sing a duet with him,” Lauderdale says. “I also sang a duet with Patty Loveless.”
Songs come to Lauderdale at odd moments.
“The melody will come to me or I’ll hear a phrase or sentence or word that will set something off in me that makes a melody come out,” he says. “I’ve got some things that sit around for a while, ideas that I’ll jot down that don’t come to fruition until years later.
“I used to carry a cassette recorder. Now I just record my ideas on my phone, which is a little less bulky.
“I do keep note pads with me in case I write,” Lauderdale says. “I tend to forget things.”
Writing, recording, performing — Lauderdale likes them all.
“They all have their different rewards,” he says. “When you’re writing a song, when it starts to come out of you, it’s so magical.
“It’s a real magical feeling when something is working out and working into shape. I have a sense whether something is good or not.
“When I do write something I’m really proud of, it’s a great feeling,” Lauderdale says. “To get to record it is a little bit nerve-wracking in that you hope all the elements go into place. Performing it and having a connection with the audience is also magical to me.”
Some attendees of the annual Georgia Municipal Association convention in Savannah will be transported to the concert.
“It’s an opportunity for Springfield to show other cities in Georgia how the Mars Theatre is creating the revival and economic development of downtown as a result of the renovated theater,” says Tommy Deadwyler, director of Cultural Affairs for the city of Springfield. “We are excited to have such a great artist like Jim to be here for this special event.”
Originally published on June 23, 2015.
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