Grammy-winning country singer and songwriter Jim Lauderdale straddles the worlds of country, bluegrass and Americana with his soulful, neo-traditional sound and compelling original songs. Lauderdale has collaborated with folks ranging from Ralph Stanley (on a pair of albums, Lost in the Lonesome Pines and I Feel Like Singing Today) to Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter (Headed for the Hills), earning him a legion of fans and extensive critical acclaim; Esquire calls Lauderdale a “Renaissance man…whose voice somehow connects Buck Owens, George Jones and Otis Redding.” He’s been quite successful in mainstream country as a songwriter—his songs have been recorded by the Dixie Chicks, George Strait, Patty Loveless, Vince Gill and others—but it is his own genre-crossing music that best captures his expansive artistic vision. Lauderdale has recorded almost 20 albums; his latest is Could We Get Any Closer. In 2002, Lauderdale won “Artist of the Year” and “Song of the Year” honors at the inaugural Americana Music Awards.