Jim Lauderdale

Lauderdale was born in Troutman, North Carolina, in 1957, to parents who were both singers; his mother taught piano and led church music. He learned drums at eleven, harmonica at thirteen and banjo at fifteen, drawn early to Ralph Stanley and bluegrass, and later studied theater at the North Carolina School of the Arts.

He tried Nashville first, in 1979, cutting a record with mandolinist Roland White that went nowhere, then moved to New York, where he played in Buddy Miller's band and worked in Rolling Stone's mailroom. A touring run with the show Pump Boys and Dinettes carried him to Los Angeles, where he recorded a Bakersfield-influenced album and landed a publishing deal.

Since 1986 he has released 31 studio albums across country, Americana and bluegrass, and his songs have been recorded by dozens of other artists, including George Strait, Elvis Costello, Vince Gill, Blake Shelton and the Dixie Chicks, giving him a reputation as a writer's writer within the Nashville community.

His bluegrass records include collaborations with Ralph Stanley, and he has worked repeatedly with lyricist Robert Hunter. Lauderdale has won Grammy Awards and has been a long-running presence in the Americana world, both as a performer and as a host and emcee at its events.