Jim Lauderdale at Blue Jay Listening Room

Jim Lauderdale embodies the sound of American roots music for listeners around the world. A 2025 inductee into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Lauderdale will release his 38th and 39th albums in 2026: Country Super Hits Volume 2 and a bluegrass collection, The Birds Know. His major label debut, 1991’s Planet of Love, opened the door to international touring and established him as an A-list songwriter on Music Row. His songs have been recorded by George Strait, Patty Loveless, George Jones, the Chicks, Old Crow Medicine Show, Lucinda Williams, Charley Crockett, Dave Edmunds, Solomon Burke, and many others. Between 2004 and 2013, Lauderdale wrote and recorded six albums with Grateful Dead songwriter Robert Hunter. His many other collaborators include Buddy Miller, Elvis Costello, Donna the Buffalo, North Mississippi Allstars, Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, and Ralph Stanley. In 2016, Lauderdale received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Americana Music Association; he’s also won two Grammys in the Best Bluegrass Album category.