Jimmy LaFave

While living in Wills Point, Texas, LaFave began playing the drums and later moved to Stillwater, OklahomaWood, Arthur. Jimmy LaFave. Kerrville Kronikle, Issue No. 18, 1994. and played 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.

After graduating from high school LaFave played music at night while working during the day. He had a job as the manager of a music club called Up Your Alley and during this period recorded the albums Down Under in 1979 and Broken Line in 1981. Later, in 1988, LaFave self-released a cassette only album "Highway Angels... Full Moon Rain", which featured his photography as the cover artwork.

While living in Stillwater, LaFave and a loose collection of songwriters at a local venue known as "the farm" began developing a sound that would later become known as "red dirt music".from and interview on [http://americanamusicshow.com/episode253 Americana Music Show #253], published June 30, 2015. During that time, LaFave met Bob Childers and produced his first record. Mixing blues, jazz, and country influences he began writing songs inspired by J. J. Cale, Chet Baker, Bob Dylan and Leon Russell.Wooley, John. [http://www.reddirtrangers.com/band.htm The Red Dirt Rangers: The Band] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724174612/http://www.reddirtrangers.com/band.htm |date=July 24, 2008}}. Red Dirt Rangers website. Retrieved August 8, 2008.News 9 website. [http://www.news9.com/Global/story.asp?S=8336493 Red Dirt breeds music.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215211645/http://www.news9.com/Global/story.asp?S=8336493 |date=February 15, 2012 }} May 16, 2008. Retrieved August 8, 2008. Sometime after Childers' death in 2008, a one-day singer-songwriter festival called Bob Childers' Gypsy Café became an annual event in Stillwater. The festival is a fundraiser for the non-profit Red Dirt Relief Fund. On April 26, 2017, during the festival, LaFave was the inaugural recipient of the Restless Spirit Award – an award whose name comes from a Childers' song.McDonnell, Brandy.[http://newsok.com/article/5546569 Crowdfunding campaign launched on behalf of Jimmy LaFave, who has rare terminal cancer.] The Oklahoman, April 23, 2017.

After traveling to several other cities, LaFave relocated to Austin, Texas.Wood, Arthur. [http://www.visnat.com/entertainment/music/folkwax/mp3/bio.cfm?artistnumber=1284 Jimmy LaFave. Texas Folkster.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927223806/http://www.visnat.com/entertainment/music/folkwax/mp3/bio.cfm?artistnumber=1284 |date=September 27, 2007}} FolkWax E-Zine. Retrieved September 1, 2010. (Free with registration.)

In 1992 La Fave signed with Colorado-based Bohemia Beat Records and recorded his debut album, Austin Skyline, which included four Bob Dylan songs and consisted of live performances and recordings from four Austin, Texas live music venues including La Zona Rosa and Chicago House. That 4th album was followed by Highway Trance in 1994 and Buffalo Return to the Plains in 1995. Between 1997 and 2001, LaFave released three more albums on the label including the 1999 double CD Trail, which was a 15-year retrospective of live performances and studio outtakes. In December 1995, LaFave won the Songwriter of the Year Award at the Kerrville Folk Festival and in March 1996 received the same honor at the Austin Music Awards sponsored by The Austin Chronicle.Stambler, Irwin and Stambler, Lyndon. Folk and Blues: The Encyclopedia. St. Martin's Press, 2001. {{ISBN|0-312-20057-9}}. LaFave gained nationwide exposure in 1996 through his appearance on the PBS music show Austin City Limits when he was paired with Lisa Loeb for an evening of "acoustic ballads and electrified folk-rock numbers".Public Broadcasting Service. [https://www.pbs.org/klru/austin/artists/program93.html Lisa Loeb and Jimmy LaFave on Austin City Limits] Retrieved June 21, 2007. In 1996, LaFave made an appearance at a tribute to Woody Guthrie held at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the invitation of Guthrie's daughter.PopMatters. [http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/42146/jimmy-lafave-cimarron-manifesto Jimmy LaFave: Cimarron Manifesto] Retrieved June 21, 2007.Robicheau, Paul. Ellis Paul's got Woody Guthrie under his skin. Boston Globe, September 20, 1996.

In 1998, LaFave began attending the annual Woody Guthrie Folk Festivals held in Guthrie's hometown of Okemah, Oklahoma and in 2007 became a member of the Woody Guthrie Coalition that organizes the festival.WoodyGuthrie.com. [http://www.woodyguthrie.com Woody Guthrie Coalition Board of Directors.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090722210244/http://www.woodyguthrie.com/ |date=July 22, 2009}} Retrieved December 19, 2007.Skaff, Hillary R. [http://www.austinmusicmagazine.net/mag-pdf/_AMM-06-07-issue-Web/AMM-06-07-issue-Web.pdf Jimmy LaFave: Pure Americana.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723021407/http://www.austinmusicmagazine.net/mag-pdf/_AMM-06-07-issue-Web/AMM-06-07-issue-Web.pdf |date=July 23, 2011}} Austin Music and Entertainment, Issue 12, p. 14-16. November/December 2007. Retrieved December 18, 2007. LaFave says Woody Guthrie is his musical heroGranberry, Michael. [http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/stories/101407glsmalltownmusic.37ea315.html Cozy concert halls draw big names to small-town Texas.] Dallas Morning News, October 14, 2007. Retrieved September 1, 2010. and pays homage to him in the song "Woody Guthrie" on the Texoma album.Wood, Arthur. [http://www.visnat.com/entertainment/music/folkwax/mp3/bio.cfm?artistnumber=1284 Jimmy LaFave. Texas Folk at {{sic|i|t's|nolink=y}} Finest.] FolkWax E-Zine. November 7, 2001. Retrieved September 1, 2010. (Free with registration.) {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927223806/http://www.visnat.com/entertainment/music/folkwax/mp3/bio.cfm?artistnumber=1284 |date=September 27, 2007 }} Album reviewers described it as "reminiscent of the Dust Bowl heritage of Woody Guthrie, the early rock of Chuck Berry, the quiet folk reflections of Bob Dylan, and the rock anthems of Bruce Springsteen"Schultz, David. [http://www.acousticmusic.com/fame/p01771.htm Review of Texoma]. Folk and Music Exchange, 2001. Retrieved March 13, 2007. and "honest, thoughtful and sincere" 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 and can be heard on this album.Dexter, Kerry. Jimmy LaFave: Roots Along the Red Dirt Road. Dirty Linen, April/May 2002, p. 32-6.

Image:LaFave-WoodyFest05.jpg in Okemah, Oklahoma, July 2005]]

In 2003, LaFave produced a Woody Guthrie tribute show called Ribbon of Highway, Endless Skyway. The ensemble show toured around the country and included a rotating cast of singer-songwriters individually performing Guthrie's songs. Interspersed between songs were Guthrie's philosophical writings read by a narrator. In addition to LaFave, members of the rotating cast included Ellis Paul, Slaid Cleaves, Eliza Gilkyson, Joel Rafael, husband-wife duo Sarah Lee Guthrie (Woody Guthrie's granddaughter) and Johnny Irion, Michael Fracasso, and The Burns Sisters. The Godfather of Red Dirt Music Bob Childers, also known as "the Dylan of the Dust,"Propaganda Media Group, Inc. [http://www.propagandamediagroup.com/artists/ribbon_of_highway_endless_skyway/bio.htm Ribbon of Highway – Endless Skyway: Concert in the Spirit of Woody Guthrie] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060112091818/http://www.propagandamediagroup.com/artists/ribbon_of_highway_endless_skyway/bio.htm |date=January 12, 2006}}. Retrieved February 6, 2007. served as narrator.[http://www.ribbonofhighway.com Ribbon of Highway website] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029204518/http://www.ribbonofhighway.com/ |date=October 29, 2013}} Retrieved January 25, 2007. When word spread about the tour, performers began contacting LaFave, whose only prerequisite was to have an inspirational connection to Guthrie. Each artist chose the Guthrie songs that he or she would perform as part of the tribute. One of the songs Gilkyson chose was "Pastures of Plenty", while Cleaves chose "This Morning I Am Born Again" – a song he wrote using Guthrie's lyrics. One of the songs Paul chose was a song he wrote using Guthrie's lyrics – "God's Promise".Sun-Times Staff. [https://web.archive.org/web/20071006000638/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20030129/ai_n9613368 Woody's pastures of plenty.] Chicago Sun-Times, January 29, 2003. Retrieved January 25, 2007. LaFave said, "It works because all the performers are Guthrie enthusiasts in some form".Martinez, Rebekah.[http://www.hcnonline.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=6963646&BRD=1574&PAG=461&dept_id=532207&rfi=8 Tribute to Woody Guthrie Tour makes a stop in Conroe Feb. 16] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927011658/http://www.hcnonline.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=6963646&BRD=1574&PAG=461&dept_id=532207&rfi=8 |date=September 27, 2007}}, The Courier, (Conroe, TX.), February 7, 2003. Retrieved February 7, 2007. The Ribbon of Highway tour kicked off on February 5, 2003, at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. The abbreviated show was a featured segment of "Nashville Sings Woody," yet another tribute concert to commemorate the music of Woody Guthrie held during the Folk Alliance Conference. The cast of "Nashville Sings Woody," a benefit for the Woody Guthrie Foundation and Archives, also included Arlo Guthrie, Marty Stuart, Nanci Griffith, Guy Clark, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Janis Ian, and others.Fairleigh Dickinson University. [http://alpha.fdu.edu/wfdu/Folk%20Alliance.htm 15th Annual Folk Alliance Conference: Nashville Sings Woody] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202225507/http://alpha.fdu.edu/wfdu/Folk%20Alliance.htm |date=February 2, 2007 }}. Retrieved February 6, 2007. Also in 2007 at Nora Guthrie's invitation, LaFave spoke and performed at Woody Guthrie's induction into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

LaFave left Bohemia Beat for Red House Records and released his 2005 album Blue Nightfall which one reviewer called his "best work yet" and "a great introduction to an important artist".Frater, Bill. [http://www.freighttrainboogie.com/Archives/Archive-L.htm#BlueNightfall Freight Train Boogie Review of Blue Nightfall.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609013336/http://www.freighttrainboogie.com/Archives/Archive-L.htm |date=June 9, 2007 }} Retrieved May 9, 2007. LaFave's second release for Red House Records was the 2007 album Cimarron ManifestoRed House Records. [http://www.redhouserecords.com/LaFave.html Jimmy LaFave: Cimarron Manifesto.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070804104455/http://www.redhouserecords.com/LaFave.html |date=August 4, 2007 }}. Retrieved April 4, 2007. which went to No. 1 on the Americana Music Association chart.Americana Radio. [http://www.americanaradio.org/ama/displaychart_beforetracks.asp?mode=lw&dtkey= Americana Music Association chart] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140731182008/http://americanaradio.org/AMA/displaychart_beforetracks.asp?mode=lw&dtkey= |date=July 31, 2014}} for the week of June 11, 2007. Retrieved June 12, 2007. In his review of LaFave's Cimarron Manifesto (2007) for the FolkWax E-Zine, Arthur Wood calls LaFave "one of the finest Dylan interpreters ever.Wood, Arthur. [http://www.visnat.com/entertainment/music/folkwax/mp3/album.cfm?reviewnumber=2235 Red Dirt Tribute and More] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927223825/http://www.visnat.com/entertainment/music/folkwax/mp3/album.cfm?reviewnumber=2235 |date=September 27, 2007}}. FolkWax E-Zine, May 16, 2007. Retrieved May 18, 2007. (Free with registration.) In the same period he collaborated with Zucchero Fornaciari, who covered LaFave's "Never Is A Moment" on his album La Sesión Cubana. Two years later LaFave was one of the guests of the Americana Tour with the Italian bluesman.

LaFave's 14th release, Depending on the Distance, was released on September 18, 2012. Backing musicians include Austin's Eliza Gilkyson and John Inmon.Taradell, Mario. [http://www.dallasnews.com/entertainment/columnists/mario-tarradell/20120917-musically-speaking-jimmy-lafave-turns-in-a-thoughtful-studio-album-on-dallas-music-road-records.ece Musically Speaking: Jimmy LaFave turns in a thoughtful studio album on Dallas’ Music Road Records.] Dallas Morning News, September 17, 2012. The 13-track release includes three Dylan covers, including a version of "Red River Shore" that runs more than nine minutes. In her review for The Oklahoman, Brandy McDonnell said: "Jimmy LaFave’s first studio album in five years, lives up to the intriguing promise of its title, finding the Oklahoma-Texas troubadour in a contemplative mood whether he is crooning his new original songs, covering an ’80s pop smash or reinterpreting anthems penned by Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen."McDonnell, Brandy. [http://blog.newsok.com/bamsblog/2012/09/21/cd-review-jimmy-lafave-depending-on-the-distance/ CD review: Jimmy LaFave “Depending on the Distance”.] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20121203195326/http://blog.newsok.com/bamsblog/2012/09/21/cd-review-jimmy-lafave-depending-on-the-distance/ |date=December 3, 2012 }} The Oklahoman, September 21, 2012.

In 2015, LaFave released The Night Tribe. A review of the release in No Depression stated that LaFave "delivers 11 exquisitely crafted self-penned songs and re-interprets two Americana masterpieces; barely making them recognizable as they become Jimmy LaFave songs."Harrisonaphotos. [http://nodepression.com/album-review/jimmy-lafave-night-tribe Jimmy Lafave – The Night Tribe] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630150928/http://nodepression.com/album-review/jimmy-lafave-night-tribe |date=June 30, 2015}}. No Depression. April 9, 2015.

In 2007, LaFave joined forces with recording engineer Fred Remmert and Dallas businessman Kelcy Warren to create Music Road Records, located in Austin, Texas.Granberry, Michael. [http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/performingarts/stories/DN-musicroad_0719gd.ART0.State.Edition1.4bb3733.html Mismatched partners hope to steer listeners to overlooked artists with Music Road record label.] Dallas Morning News, July 19, 2009. Retrieved August 23, 2010. Music Road Records owns and operates two Texas-based recording facilities: Cedar Creek Recording in Austin and Cherokee Creek Recording in the Texas Hill Country. Favorites 1992–2001, a retrospective from LaFave's years on the Bohemia Beat label, was released by Music Road Records in 2010.Music Road Records. [http://www.musicroadrecords.com/artists/lafave Jimmy LaFave.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101030235549/http://www.musicroadrecords.com/artists/lafave |date=October 30, 2010}} Music Road Records website. Retrieved August 23, 2010.

In April 2014, Music Road records released Looking into You: A Tribute to Jackson Browne. The 2-disc tribute album was produced by LaFave and was two years in the making, after LaFave garnered Browne's approval during the 2012 Woody Guthrie Centennial Celebration. The album features Bruce Springsteen, Lyle Lovett, Bonnie Raitt, Ben Harper, Keb Mo', Shawn Colvin, Lucinda Williams, and others.Boydston, Joshua. [http://www.okgazette.com/oklahoma/article-21727-sheriff-woody.html Red Dirt icon Jimmy LaFave has become synonymous with the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728013803/http://www.okgazette.com/oklahoma/article-21727-sheriff-woody.html |date=July 28, 2014}}. The Oklahoma Gazette, July 9, 2014.

In an article published in The Austin Chronicle in April 2017, LaFave announced publicly that he was battling myxofibrosarcoma,{{cite web|last1=Granberry|first1=Michael|title=Beloved balladeer Jimmy LaFave keeps making beautiful music, even as he battles terminal cancer|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/arts/performing-arts/2017/04/27/beloved-balladeer-jimmy-lafave-keeps-making-beautiful-music-despite-battle-terminal-cancer|website=dallasnews.com|publisher=The Dallas Morning News, Inc.|access-date=May 22, 2017}} a rare form of cancer that had been diagnosed one year earlier. After various treatments failed, doctors advised LaFave that there was nothing else the medical profession could provide. During the course of his illness leading up to this announcement, LaFave continued to perform – not cancelling even one show. In addition, he continued to record new songs that he hoped would add to his legacy.Curtin, Kevin. [http://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2017-04-21/playback-dead-man-walking-jimmy-lafave Playback – Dead Man Walking: Jimmy LaFave]. Austin Chronicle, April 21, 2017.

At the time of the public announcement, The Austin Statesman announced that a concert to honor LaFave would be held at the Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas on May 18, 2017. LaFave helped in the selection of friends and musicians who would perform that night. LaFave also selected charities that would benefit from a crowdfunding effort set up in his honor.Blackstock, Peter. [http://www.mystatesman.com/news/local/jimmy-lafave-beloved-austin-singer-songwriter-facing-terminal-cancer/mdMqRvHsMs82LdnK94fF6N Jimmy LaFave, beloved Austin singer-songwriter, facing terminal cancer.] The Austin Statesman, April 20, 2017. A crowdfunding effort "Celebrating Jimmy LaFave" was set up via GoFundMe and received about $55,000 in donations.

LaFave died of cancer at his home in Austin, Texas, at the age of 61.[https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/05/22/arts/ap-us-obit-jimmy-lafave.html?_r=0 Texas Singer-Songwriter Jimmy LaFave, 61, Dies of Cancer.] The New York Times, May 22, 2017 His death came just three days after making an appearance at the Paramount Theater tribute show in Austin. According to The Austin Statesman: "A sold-out audience heard artists ranging from Austin artists including Eliza Gilkyson, Slaid Cleaves and Ruthie Foster, plus some from out-of-state including Nashville’s Gretchen Peters, Boston’s Ellis Paul and Woody Guthrie’s granddaughter Sarah Lee Guthrie, primarily playing songs that LaFave wrote or were part of his repertoire."Blackstock, Peter. [http://www.mystatesman.com/entertainment/music/jimmy-lafave-renowned-singer-songwriter-dies-cancer/00UNw9JbknPho8rSCARrrL Jimmy LaFave, renowned singer-songwriter, dies of cancer at 61.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170527021607/http://www.mystatesman.com/entertainment/music/jimmy-lafave-renowned-singer-songwriter-dies-cancer/00UNw9JbknPho8rSCARrrL/ |date=May 27, 2017 }} The Austin Statesman, May 22, 2017.

Within 24 hours, LaFave's death was reported in numerous newspapers throughout Texas and Oklahoma, in The New York Times and as far away as England and The Netherlands, where he often performed.Saunders, Emmeline. [https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/jimmy-lafave-dead-61-cancer-10477395Jimmy LaFave dead at 61 after performing last concert for devastated fans.] The Mirror [U.K], May 22, 2017. LaFave is survived by his son Jackson LaFave of Austin, siblings Garry LaFave of Cashion, OK, Robert LaFave of Edmond, OK, Connie LaFave Casner of Sulphur, OK, and longtime friend and companion Ashley Warren of Austin, TX.

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{{Commons category}}

• {{Official website|www.jimmylafave.com}}
• {{AllMusic |class=artist |id=jimmy-lafave-mn0000118954}}
• {{Discogs artist|733310-Jimmy-LaFave}}
• {{IMDb name|2299101}}

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Category:1955 births

Category:2017 deaths

Category:People from Wills Point, Texas

Category:American country singer-songwriters

Category:American folk singers

Category:Singer-songwriters from Texas

Category:Country musicians from Texas

Category:Red House Records artists