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“There is something about music in me: I don’t know where it comes from. Because I don’t know where it comes from, I try not to touch it or figure it out ... thinking I might mess it up. Yet, I do have this feeling inside of me. Where does it come from? A past life? A lonely place on the road? But I do try to find a place in music that’s isolated — a place that feels like home.”

– Jimmy LaFave

Austin American–Statesman

Jimmy LaFave was an American singer-songwriter and folk musician. Born in Wills Point, Texas he moved to Stillwater, Oklahoma while still young and there began playing drums in the school band. At age 15 LaFave switched to guitar and began writing and singing his own songs in a band called The Night Tribe. LaFave and a loose collection of songwriters at the local venue, The Farm, developed a unique sound that became known as "Red Dirt Music." LaFave's "red dirt music" sound has been described as a mix of rock, folk, rockabilly, and country grounded in the landscape of Texas and Oklahoma.

 

LaFave moved to Austin in the mid-eighties, continuing to write songs and develop his musical ideas. Soon the grass roots demand and critical acclaim for his music led to extensive touring in the United States and Europe. LaFave was twice awarded Austin Music Awards “Best Singer–Songwriter.” In 1986, he received the Kerrville Folk Festival “Songwriter of the Year Award” and appeared on the prestigious Austin City Limits TV show.

 

LaFave recorded 15 albums with Cimarron Manifesto reaching No. 1 on the Americana Album Chart. LaFave was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2017.

 

Jimmy LaFave passed away May 21, 2017 of Myxofibrosarcoma.

What The World Thought Of Jimmy’s Music

highway trance
Vintage Guitar
No Depression
 Austin Chronicle
Billboard Magazine Slide
The Dallas Morning News
Jimmy at Statesman Slide
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