Jim Lauderdale. Photo by Giulia McGauran.
Kicking off a new phase for the Walnut House, Americana music pioneer Jim Lauderdale is coming to perform a show on July 12. The Walnut House is reestablishing itself as a professional local entertainment venue and event space, with versatile equipment and amenities that promise to reposition the venue in the center of Murfreesboro’s local music scene. Lauderdale’s upcoming performance signals the intention of venue owner Ricky Martini to bring quality entertainment to The Walnut House and to impact the community in a positive way.
“This community is lacking in nightlife in general for tourism. We must all be on board to support this,” he says. Of Lauderdale, Martini notes that “he is consistently an incredible performer, and truly a unique songwriter. There is nothing cookie-cutter about Jim Lauderdale,” says Martini.
Lauderdale’s creative contributions include 32 albums, two Grammys and several songs that found a home on the country music charts over the last couple of decades. He’s collaborated with the biggest names in country music including George Strait, the Dixie Chicks, Patty Loveless, Lee Ann Womack, Blake Shelton, Solomon Burke, Gary Allan and Vince Gill. By Nashville standards, he’s a well-respected A-list songwriter.
The most recent entry into his discography, From Another World, is a thoughtful commentary on the underlying anger and general social controversies seen today. Instead of stirring the pot and complicating matters, Lauderdale shifts his focus towards a world that thrives through love, unity and forgiveness. You might say it’s a remedy for the times.
Photo by Lachlan Douglas
Lauderdale got started in music shortly after college in North Carolina, trying his luck as a bluegrass contender in Nashville. Mandolin player Roland White, who would eventually become a member of the Bluegrass Hall of Fame, took Lauderdale under his wing. In 1979, the duo recorded the album Jim Lauderdale and Roland White in the basement of revered banjo player and acoustic-music innovator Earl Scruggs (an experience Lauderdale later recalled as “surreal”) However, Lauderdale had a difficult time gaining the acceptance of bluegrass labels due to his lack of experience and reputation. The album languished for decades, finally seeing release just last year.
But from that point, Lauderdale continued to adapt his own unique sound, relocating first to New York, then to Los Angeles (where he first met future fellow Americana mainstay Buddy Miller) and finally back to Nashville, where he met with limited success as a recording artist but found currency as a songwriter. Artists such as Elvis Costello and The Dixie Chicks recognized his songwriting talent and recorded Lauderdale originals, as did superstar George Strait and other country notables. Now recognized as one of the Americana genre’s trailblazers, Lauderdale has become a kind of ambassador through his weekly role as host of the locally produced Music City Roots. With a rich hybrid of musical influences, lyrics that frequently plumb philosophical depths not commonly explored in standard-issue country, and a dry sense of humor onstage, Lauderdale is a true original among Nashville-based entertainers.
Come see the revitalized Walnut House and experience Jim Lauderdale on Friday, July 12. The show begins at 8 pm. Tickets are on sale now for $39 via walnuthousemurfreesboro.com.
