Jimmie Dale Gilmore
Lubbock Mafia; Singer/Songwriter; "Zen Country"
Tulia, Texas; May 6, 1945 -
Of all the greats to come out of the Texas Panhandle in the last 30 years - including Terry Allen, Joe Ely, and Butch Hancock - Jimmie Dale Gilmore is probably the most difficult to pin down. Growing up in Lubbock, Gilmore was exposed to country (father was in a honky-tonk band) and rock 'n' roll (this is Buddy Holly's home town, after all), but there was something else that had a profound impact on him and came more and more to define his musical path (the West Texas landscape, perhaps?). His earliest bands, the Rhythm Orchids, T. Nickel Hose Band, and Hub City Movers, were pretty traditional affairs, but with the Flatlanders in the early '70s, he, Ely, and Hancock created something new and way too ahead of its time to succeed. Their Texas-style country-rock showcased the trio's nascent writing skills and Gilmore's elegiac twang. One of Jimmie Dale's songs, the mystical "Bhagavan Decreed," hinted at things to come.
After the Flatlanders came and seemingly went, Gilmore found himself on a spiritual quest, landing in Colorado in the late '70s to become a member of the Guru Maharaji's community. In the meantime, his songs ("Tonight I Think I'm Gonna Go Downtown"; "Treat Me Like a Saturday Night"; "Dallas") were getting exposure through the success of Joe Ely, so in 1980 Gilmore decided to try music again by moving to Austin. There, he read widely (The Vedanta, William Blake, Buckminster Fuller, Philip Dick), and honed his singing/songwriting in the clubs - all the while seeking a way to combine his philosophy and music. Gilmore's persistence led to three albums in the late '80s and early '90s - Fair & Square, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and After Awhile - that feature Gilmore and Hancock originals done in a traditional, yet decidedly modern style of country. Underlying it all was Gilmore's preoccupation with metaphysics, in general, and the four basic elements - earth, wind, fire, water - in particular.
These concerns came more into focus on Spinning Around the Sun, which paid tribute to Hank and Elvis, and openly bared his spiritual side ("Thinking About You"; "Another Colorado"). Critics were at a loss to label Gilmore's music ("Zen Country?," "Country & Eastern?," "New Age Country?") but warmly embraced him anyway. He won the respect of musicians from a variety of genres, opening for the Cowboy Junkies and recording with Mudhoney. During this period, Gilmore had some very fruitful collaborations with Butch Hancock, especially a great live recording, Two Roads. He was also in the cast of the musical play, Chippy, with fellow Lubbock Mafiosos and Mafiosas Terry Allen, Joe Ely, Jo Carol Pierce, and Butch Hancock. 1996's Braver Newer World (produced by T-Bone Burnett) took even more risks than Gilmore's previous efforts with mixed results and reviews. Shortly thereafter, Jimmie and Elektra Records parted company.
Sensing the potential of the Internet for bringing the world into closer communion, Jimmie Dale launched a web page partly designed for greater understanding - through links called "Inter Change" and "Mindstream." He became more involved in films, playing "a weird guy who hangs around the bowling alley" in The Big Lebowski, contributed "Just a Wave" to the Deep in the Heart of Texas compilation, and had two Lefty Frizzell covers included on the soundtrack of 1998's Traveller. That year also brought another collaboration with Ely and Hancock - this time to write and record "The South Wind of Summer" for The Horse Whisperer soundtrack. This, of course, sent rumors of a Flatlanders reunion flying. Butch and Jimmie Dale were inducted into the "Walk of Fame" that leads to Buddy Holly's memorial statue in Lubbock, Texas, and Gilmore returned to his roots when he and Dale Watson did a classic country music tour called "Two For the Road" in October 1998. By year's end, Gilmore found a new home with Rykodisc.
see: Joe Ely; Flatlanders; Butch Hancock; Jo Carol Pierce
--David Goodman, author of Modern Twang: An Alternative Country Music Guide and Directory
Date |
Venue |
City |
State |
Note |
No Tour Dates Available |
03/17/2011 - The Wronglers, with Jimmie Dale Gilmore, get it right at SXSW -
Read More
09/01/2010 - Jimmie Dale Gilmore: A Honky-Tonk Sound From Texas -
Read More
10/01/2008 - KTVU.com Talks To Country Artist Jimmie Dale Gilmore -
Read More
07/26/2008 - Jimmie Dale Gilmore makes a stop -
Read More