"It's Jim we're talking about......"
It’s our good pal Karen Miller I blame and thank. I worked with Karen for one show only on Brand New Country and I heard her talk about Jim Lauderdale. Once you hear a name it’s funny how it comes back again and again.
I remember talking to a music publisher once who looked after Buddy Miller. It’s funny, he said, if people want to work with Buddy and he’s not available then they usually end up with Jim. But the opposite is also true, he smiled, the ones that can’t get Jim, get Buddy.
On Friday we will all get Jim and you’ll get the reason why he’s central to so much that goes on in country music. Let me start with a few facts: Jim has made 20 albums, has worked with legend Ralph Stanley, toured as part of Elvis Costello’s band, presents a weekly radio show on WSM in Nashville, hosts the Annual Americana Awards and has written hit songs for Patty Loveless and George Strait. Is that enough?
However over and above all of that he is one of the nicest people you can hope to meet. He came in to see us a few months back, performed a brilliant session and talked extensively about everything he’s been doing recently and gave us a fair idea of what he might be up to in the future. I can’t demand your Friday night, but if you have the ability to put your feet up near a radio I promise you won’t regret it.
The good Ray...You'll love him!
There are some lovely new things coming out and we’ll want to play some of those. I’ve loved some of the new Ray Wylie Hubbard album, The Deep Dark Woods and new things whistled (amongst other things) by Andrew Bird. Oh yes….and Laura Marling too. It’s going to be one of those good nights, I can tell. It all begins at five past eight on Friday evening…BBC Radio Scotland. Don’t miss a second of it.
On Sunday…
I’ll spend a lot of the first hour with Professor Louise Richardson, terrorism expert and now the first woman Principal and Vice-Chancellor at St Andrews University.
If that’s not enough we’ll talk about Tweeting Clerics, catch up on the Edinburgh Science Festival’s upcoming lecture on Trusting in God or Science.
We’ll also spend some time thinking about how charities use celebrities. As someone who’s just returned from Brazil with Christian Aid I can probably give an insiders view.
There’s music of course….. The Melodeons, Big Star, Doris Day and Anais Mitchell. Oh yes.
It all starts at five past seven Sunday Morning on BBC Radio Scotland. Do join us if you can.
Well, RIcky,. you normally *can* demand my Friday night’s, but I’m afraid I have to ask for an absence pass this week as I’m off to see Rosanne Cash at my most wonderful local venue, Union Chapel! Really looking forward to that, and to be honest if it wasn’t for Another Country I probably wouldn’t have been moved enough by her music to attend. I will vouch to make a date with the iPlayer over the weekend, though, as I certainly won’t miss the show!
P.S. Great opening image! Here’s saluting Dr. McCoy too… “It’s a song, you green-blooded Vulcan. You sing it. The words aren’t important. What’s important is that you have a good time singing it.”