Highways Sit Down with Jim Lauderdale
Highways Festival returns this week, and Sunday evening is set to be a memorable one for the sold-out crowd at The Royal Albert Hall as the festival hosts Emmylou Harris’ Farewell Tour. Opening the night will be Mr. Americana himself, Jim Lauderdale, who returns once again to our shores—and once again with new music, having recently released albums 38 and 39 from his ever-expanding catalogue. We caught up with Jim recently to look ahead to his debut appearance at London’s most iconic venue.
Hey there, Jim. How are you?
I'm good, how are you doing?
Good, thanks. It's been a few years since we spoke.
Yes, it has.
And now you’re in the final countdown to coming back this way.
Yes. On the 11th I'll be over. It seemed like it was going to be forever away, and now it's here.
I've got a different spot to start for you today because at the Country-to-Country Festival last year, your face appeared on the big screen as part of the encore, driving a bus. How on earth did that come about?
He just asked me if I would be in that video, and I thought, sure! I always enjoy seeing him, and we cut up together and everything. I've never actually seen it!
Oh, it is brilliant.
I'm glad.
Was it an easy one to say yes to?
Oh yeah, absolutely. I just said, "Sure." The director is a fella named Travis Nicholson, the son of Gary Nicholson, the great singer-songwriter. He'd done a few videos for me several years ago, so he was easy to work with.
Hey there, Jim. How are you?
I'm good, how are you doing?
Good, thanks. It's been a few years since we spoke.
Yes, it has.
And now you’re in the final countdown to coming back this way.
Yes. On the 11th I'll be over. It seemed like it was going to be forever away, and now it's here.
I've got a different spot to start for you today because at the Country-to-Country Festival last year, your face appeared on the big screen as part of the encore, driving a bus. How on earth did that come about?
He just asked me if I would be in that video, and I thought, sure! I always enjoy seeing him, and we cut up together and everything. I've never actually seen it!
Oh, it is brilliant.
I'm glad.
Was it an easy one to say yes to?
Oh yeah, absolutely. I just said, "Sure." The director is a fella named Travis Nicholson, the son of Gary Nicholson, the great singer-songwriter. He'd done a few videos for me several years ago, so he was easy to work with.
Looking ahead to this run, you will be supporting Emmylou Harris. How exciting is it to get to come over here and be invited as part of her farewell tour?
It's really huge for me. Emmylou had me out for the first time in 1991, I believe it was. I had her sing harmony on my album called Planet of Love, which had just come out, and she sang on my tribute to Gram Parsons and George Jones called "The King of Broken Hearts." Then she very graciously invited me to open up some shows over in Holland and Belgium, and I brought along Buddy Miller as my guitar player. It was just the two of us, and then she discovered Buddy and hired him as her guitar player!
That was so great for Buddy. I mean, that's gotta be one of the best gigs in the world. He played with her, I think, for about 17 years! It was a good while, and they were so good together. This really means a lot, getting to come over and do this, and it will be the biggest crowds I've ever been in front of over there. We had two shows a few months ago in Glasgow and Dublin, so I kind of got to see what it was going to be like, and her show is just fantastic.
You’re getting to do both legs of it too, because you're here now and then later in the year as well.
Yes. Her music has just always meant so much to me; she's been one of those touchstone artists for me ever since I first heard her. I've just been so moved by everything she's done, and I'm so proud of her as an artist and the many different layers she has. It's really inspiring. She's just an otherworldly presence.
A highlight has surely got to be getting to play the Albert Hall this time around as part of the annual Highways Festival.
Yes, yes. It has sunk in, and I'm trying not to let it overwhelm me too much until I hit my last note. I don't want to get too nervous about it, just because of the gravity of that place.
Is that going to be one of those venues you try to explore as much as you can when it's empty in the day?
Definitely. I do that at the Ryman Auditorium here in Nashville! I've gotten to spend a fair amount of time there, which has been really great, but I'm definitely going to walk around the whole place and soak it in. I believe all of Emmylou’s dates are sold out too.
It's really huge for me. Emmylou had me out for the first time in 1991, I believe it was. I had her sing harmony on my album called Planet of Love, which had just come out, and she sang on my tribute to Gram Parsons and George Jones called "The King of Broken Hearts." Then she very graciously invited me to open up some shows over in Holland and Belgium, and I brought along Buddy Miller as my guitar player. It was just the two of us, and then she discovered Buddy and hired him as her guitar player!
That was so great for Buddy. I mean, that's gotta be one of the best gigs in the world. He played with her, I think, for about 17 years! It was a good while, and they were so good together. This really means a lot, getting to come over and do this, and it will be the biggest crowds I've ever been in front of over there. We had two shows a few months ago in Glasgow and Dublin, so I kind of got to see what it was going to be like, and her show is just fantastic.
You’re getting to do both legs of it too, because you're here now and then later in the year as well.
Yes. Her music has just always meant so much to me; she's been one of those touchstone artists for me ever since I first heard her. I've just been so moved by everything she's done, and I'm so proud of her as an artist and the many different layers she has. It's really inspiring. She's just an otherworldly presence.
A highlight has surely got to be getting to play the Albert Hall this time around as part of the annual Highways Festival.
Yes, yes. It has sunk in, and I'm trying not to let it overwhelm me too much until I hit my last note. I don't want to get too nervous about it, just because of the gravity of that place.
Is that going to be one of those venues you try to explore as much as you can when it's empty in the day?
Definitely. I do that at the Ryman Auditorium here in Nashville! I've gotten to spend a fair amount of time there, which has been really great, but I'm definitely going to walk around the whole place and soak it in. I believe all of Emmylou’s dates are sold out too.
For this trip, you've got plenty of new music to bring in.
Yes.
How on earth are you going to pick a setlist for this?
I'll do a few songs off these two new albums. I've got a record called Country Super Hits, Vol. 2, and I'll do a song or two off that, and then a song or two off the bluegrass record I've done with a group called the Po' Ramblin' Boys. They're a traditional bluegrass group, so I'll throw those in, and then do a few favorites from through the years. I believe I've only got 40 minutes, so I'll do a song or two that I've written with Robert Hunter, too. I'll do "King of Broken Hearts," the tribute to George Jones and Gram Parsons; it’ll be great to mention their names in that building. I get emotional thinking about that, but I’ll make sure the audience hears their names spoken in there. They mean so much to me, those guys.
You talk about Country Super Hits, Vol. 2. Now, most people, when they release a Volume 2 of something, it might be maybe five or ten years maximum after Volume 1.
Right. It's been 20 years, though!
2006!!
Well, the thing is, Volume 1 and Volume 2 are kind of tongue-in-cheek. They’re "super hits" because they've never been released! It's kind of wishful thinking on my part, like if I was putting out a Greatest Hits record and those were all hits for me. I think only twice have I re-recorded something and put it out again. I like to keep thinking of the next thing. This coming Monday, I'm going into the studio and I don't know what I'm going to record yet. Later this afternoon, I'm going to start putting that together through the weekend and see what I come up with!
You're coming up now to album 39. These are kind of insane release numbers.
I'm thinking about the 40th one already and discussing what it should be—a solo acoustic album or a double album. I have a lot of tracks already recorded and some songs that I've been waiting to put out. Sometimes I'll record all the music and then write the lyrics later, so I've got several of those, and then I like to write something at the last minute.
I've got another bluegrass album that is about three-quarters of the way done. All the music's done, and I actually have two records I've never finished! One is a soul record I did in Memphis. I've done one there already called Soul Searching, and this one I did at Royal Studios, where Al Green used to record, using a lot of great players. It has a lot of horns on it and everything for that classic soul sound.
I did a record called Honey Songs using James Burton, Al Perkins, and Ron Tutt. James Burton and Ronnie Tutt used to play with Elvis, along with Glen D. Hardin on piano and Bruce Springsteen's bass player, Garry Tallent. I did an album, and then I had these songs I had never finished—I've got 13 of them, and I need to finish those. So I'm into 41 through 43, but I've gotta finish 40 first!
Why do I feel like we're going to be talking about album 50 very soon?
We'll see, we'll see! When I was younger, I always wanted to make records and get a record deal, and it took what seemed like forever for me. I think I was 35 when my first record finally came out, so I think I'm either trying to catch up and make up for lost time or something. But I like the process of making albums, and I hope artists keep making them. For the last several years, people have said they're not going to have albums anymore and people are just going to do singles, but so far I haven't seen that happening. I hope, at least for a few more years, people will keep putting out albums.
Do you still get that buzz going into the studio?
Oh, definitely. I really love it. At the same time, it's kind of nerve-wracking for me. I worry that I don't have everything together, and it's always this question in my mind: "What if these guys are coming in tomorrow? What do I have? What am I going to do?" And then I come up with something, and it still surprises me sometimes!
Finally, it was a long time coming, but last year you got the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame induction. Is that the kind of thing you just felt you'd almost forgotten about, and just didn't think was ever going to come?
I had never thought that would happen! That was a really great thing. I never would have imagined that, so I'm so glad and grateful for it.
We’re so glad you did, as it is certainly deserved. For now, I'm counting down to the Highways Festival at The Royal Albert Hall and can’t wait to see you open for Emmylou. It's always great to talk, and we will see you very soon.
Thank you, too. See you soon.
Yes.
How on earth are you going to pick a setlist for this?
I'll do a few songs off these two new albums. I've got a record called Country Super Hits, Vol. 2, and I'll do a song or two off that, and then a song or two off the bluegrass record I've done with a group called the Po' Ramblin' Boys. They're a traditional bluegrass group, so I'll throw those in, and then do a few favorites from through the years. I believe I've only got 40 minutes, so I'll do a song or two that I've written with Robert Hunter, too. I'll do "King of Broken Hearts," the tribute to George Jones and Gram Parsons; it’ll be great to mention their names in that building. I get emotional thinking about that, but I’ll make sure the audience hears their names spoken in there. They mean so much to me, those guys.
You talk about Country Super Hits, Vol. 2. Now, most people, when they release a Volume 2 of something, it might be maybe five or ten years maximum after Volume 1.
Right. It's been 20 years, though!
2006!!
Well, the thing is, Volume 1 and Volume 2 are kind of tongue-in-cheek. They’re "super hits" because they've never been released! It's kind of wishful thinking on my part, like if I was putting out a Greatest Hits record and those were all hits for me. I think only twice have I re-recorded something and put it out again. I like to keep thinking of the next thing. This coming Monday, I'm going into the studio and I don't know what I'm going to record yet. Later this afternoon, I'm going to start putting that together through the weekend and see what I come up with!
You're coming up now to album 39. These are kind of insane release numbers.
I'm thinking about the 40th one already and discussing what it should be—a solo acoustic album or a double album. I have a lot of tracks already recorded and some songs that I've been waiting to put out. Sometimes I'll record all the music and then write the lyrics later, so I've got several of those, and then I like to write something at the last minute.
I've got another bluegrass album that is about three-quarters of the way done. All the music's done, and I actually have two records I've never finished! One is a soul record I did in Memphis. I've done one there already called Soul Searching, and this one I did at Royal Studios, where Al Green used to record, using a lot of great players. It has a lot of horns on it and everything for that classic soul sound.
I did a record called Honey Songs using James Burton, Al Perkins, and Ron Tutt. James Burton and Ronnie Tutt used to play with Elvis, along with Glen D. Hardin on piano and Bruce Springsteen's bass player, Garry Tallent. I did an album, and then I had these songs I had never finished—I've got 13 of them, and I need to finish those. So I'm into 41 through 43, but I've gotta finish 40 first!
Why do I feel like we're going to be talking about album 50 very soon?
We'll see, we'll see! When I was younger, I always wanted to make records and get a record deal, and it took what seemed like forever for me. I think I was 35 when my first record finally came out, so I think I'm either trying to catch up and make up for lost time or something. But I like the process of making albums, and I hope artists keep making them. For the last several years, people have said they're not going to have albums anymore and people are just going to do singles, but so far I haven't seen that happening. I hope, at least for a few more years, people will keep putting out albums.
Do you still get that buzz going into the studio?
Oh, definitely. I really love it. At the same time, it's kind of nerve-wracking for me. I worry that I don't have everything together, and it's always this question in my mind: "What if these guys are coming in tomorrow? What do I have? What am I going to do?" And then I come up with something, and it still surprises me sometimes!
Finally, it was a long time coming, but last year you got the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame induction. Is that the kind of thing you just felt you'd almost forgotten about, and just didn't think was ever going to come?
I had never thought that would happen! That was a really great thing. I never would have imagined that, so I'm so glad and grateful for it.
We’re so glad you did, as it is certainly deserved. For now, I'm counting down to the Highways Festival at The Royal Albert Hall and can’t wait to see you open for Emmylou. It's always great to talk, and we will see you very soon.
Thank you, too. See you soon.
