Jimmy LaFave
Austin-based singer/songwriter and guitarist Jimmy LaFave brings a passionate rock & roll energy to his original folk songs, whether he’s playing solo or with a band. LaFave grew up in Wills Point, east of Dallas, but at 17, his family moved to Stillwater, OK. Raised by the Cimarron River that runs from northeastern New Mexico to Tulsa, LaFave drew great inspiration from the independent thinkers and musicians who came from this region. When he was in his teens, his mother purchased his first guitar for him with green stamps. While Stillwater was not exactly bustling with musical activity, it wasn’t a ghost town either, and it was close enough to Tulsa that LaFave found all the opportunities he was seeking as a young singer/songwriter. The musical heritage of the area certainly was rich enough: folksinger Woody Guthrie, jazz trumpeter Chet Baker, and jazz fiddler Claude “Fiddler” Williams, plus songwriter J.J. Cale and Leon Russell’s Shelter Studios. But to find a wider audience and, more importantly, a record deal, LaFave thought it would be worthwhile to move to Austin. He found both after moving to Austin in 1985, and he’s been based there ever since.
LaFave’s grassroots approach has given him a foundation on which to build a successful career. He blends country, blues, folk, and early rock & roll into his writing and music. His work ethic, and low-key rapport with fans are all factors that work in his favor. LaFave sings of his Oklahoma homeland, he writes and sings of long roads, heavy loads and wide-open spaces.
“LaFave is nothing if not a red–dirt romantic. Viewing the world from an open road and an open heart, with one eye on the girl and the other on the mythological lure of the highway. First it was Woody Guthrie and then Jack Kerouac, now it’s LaFave and his brand of dirty–boots folk–rock… Jimmy has the most expressive voice this side of Belfast… it’s the music of Jimmy LaFave that really defines this part of the land.” –– Oklahoma City Gazette
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