Jim Lauderdale

Singer/songwriter Jim Lauderdale helped write the blueprint for the Americana movement of the 1990s and has since earned high critical marks for eclectic albums that have spanned hard country, slick pop, rootsy rock & roll, blues, folk, R&B, and bluegrass. Stylistically restless, Lauderdale's roots were in hard country and bluegrass, but his first release, 1991's Planet of Love, was a savvy blend of rock, blues, and traditional country influences. With 1999's I Feel Like Singing Today, a collaboration with Dr. Ralph Stanley, he revealed he was also a first-rate bluegrass vocalist. Over the next two decades, Lauderdale would move back and forth between electric and acoustic projects, always steeped in roots music (such as on the eclectic 2021 LP Hope, 2023's bluegrass-themed The Long and Lonesome Letting Go, and 2024's moody and heartfelt My Favorite Place), while building an estimable reputation as a songwriter.