Songwriter’s Songwriter & Performer’s Performer: Jim Lauderdale Still Leads From the Front
June 20 – State College, PA
There are artists whose reputations eventually outgrow their real-life performances. Jim Lauderdale isn’t one of them.
By the time Jim Lauderdale walked onto the tiny Attic stage inside The State Theatre in State College, Pennsylvania on June 20, the sold-out room had already been buzzing in anticipation in the dimmed house lights for several minutes. Suddenly, The Game Changers, Lauderdale’s long-time band, launched into the opening bars without their frontman anywhere in sight, building just enough suspense that when the first lyric came due, Lauderdale appeared out of nowhere and stepped straight into the song. He took the wheel and didn’t let go.
What followed felt almost defiant – something a group of eager young upstart musicians might do to prove they are the real-deal: ten rapid-fire songs in a row, no pause for introductions, full-speed ahead, back-to-back, ‘take that’ energy to ensure they had everyone’s attention. Lauderdale and the band tore through “Bending Time,” “That Kind of Life (That Kind of Day),” and a run of Bakersfield-flavored country that barely gave the room a chance to catch its breath. Lauderdale let the songs do the talking. And they spoke volumes.
According to Executive Director John Rattie, the Attic was designed as an intimate venue-within-a-venue, typically hosting acoustic singer-songwriters, duos, and small ensembles in a listening-room atmosphere situated above the historic 600-seat Friedman Auditorium. However, Lauderdale and The Game Changers filled every inch of this intimate space with the energy of a much bigger theater, while somehow still making it feel like everyone had been let in on a private house show.
Eventually, Lauderdale paused long enough for a drink of water and slid into easy conversation with the crowd. It never felt scripted, just a conversation with new friends about songwriting, life on the road, and how life sometimes becomes a song.
In one story, Lauderdale said he and collaborator Raghad Tmumen got to wondering what a Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn duet might sound like if it were written today. The result was “You’re Hogging My Mind,” a classic country premise delivered with wit and authenticity, combining old-school twang and a modern funk groove.
Not long after came another introduction, this time to what Lauderdale joked might be country music’s first song about artificial intelligence (note: it certainly is). Leave it to one of Nashville’s most respected writers to make AI sound like something Ernest Tubb would’ve worried about. Three chords and the truth, indeed.
For those who might not know: Lauderdale is a songwriting legend. His songs have been cut by George Strait, Patty Loveless, Vince Gill, The Chicks, Mark Chesnutt, and dozens more. He’s a two-time Grammy winner, an Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement honoree for songwriting, and a new member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. That alone would be enough for most careers. It would have been understandable if Lauderdale chose to coast on his songwriting résumé. To be sure, few writers can match it. However, on June 20th, 2026, he certainly seemed determined to prove that the songs were only half the Jim Lauderdale story.
At nearly 70, he’s still a remarkably physical performer, attacking every lyric with conviction. The long gray hair and beard are about the only sign he’s been at this for four decades. His voice has held up better than it has any right to, still warm, still emotionally direct. At times, there’s the effortless authority of George Strait. At others, the tenderness Patty Loveless always brought to a great country ballad. Lauderdale isn’t just the songwriter’s songwriter anymore. He’s become the performer’s performer too.
And behind him stood one of the best touring bands in Americana. Bassist, producer, and bandleader Jay Weaver anchored the night with quiet confidence, often grinning from his post at the read of the stage like he knew this band was about to unleash something special on an unsuspecting crowd. Meanwhile, drummer Dave Racine was unrelenting: tasteful, precise, never showy, never letting the momentum sag.
Then there was guitarist Craig Smith. Describing his playing almost feels unfair, because he won’t stay in one lane long enough to get pinned down. One moment he’s pulling pedal-steel bends out of his B-Bender Telecaster; the next he’s slipping jazz vocabulary into a song built on country’s basic template.
Newcomer keyboardist Zach Williams matched Smith in spirit. A recent Vanderbilt grad with a neuroscience degree, Williams attacked the keys with fearless, almost aggressive enthusiasm, ripping through honky-tonk piano runs before sliding into rich Hammond organ textures. More than once, he and Smith caught each other smiling as their solo exchanges turned into conversations. On more than one song, Lauderdale gave Smith and Williams room and watched, in awe, right along with the rest of us.
After admitting his recording pace often leaves him with more songs than chances to road-test them, Lauderdale asked the crowd’s permission to play some newer material, some of which he had to read from his own hand written lyrics sheet. The yes came fast and loud, one of several moments that showed just how quickly the room had bought in. They were ready to follow Lauderdale wherever he wanted to take them.
Of course, there were old favorites too. “I’ve Still Got You,” “Headed for the Hills,” “Horses Run Free,” and “We Might Be Past It” all found eager ears, but nothing hit harder than “The King of Broken Hearts.” Lauderdale’s George Strait classic is already one of the finest examples of understated songwriting in country music. Hearing this classic from the man who wrote it, with decades more living behind it, made it feel even more emotionally weighted.
There were lighter moments too. Lauderdale plugged his radio show with Buddy Miller (The Buddy & Jim Show on SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country) — forgetting the most recent show was scheduled to air mere minutes from that exact moment. Reminded by an audience member that the show runs Saturday nights at 10:00pm Eastern, Lauderdale joked he had better run, Buddy might be wait for him (note: the show is pre-recorded).
The night built toward a wild version of “Halfway Down,” with Smith and Williams trading increasingly reckless (in the best possible way) solos. It was spontaneous without losing the thread of the song, and as much fun to watch as it was to hear.
At the end of the night, when the last notes faded, it was easy to see why Jim Lauderdale still holds such a singular place in American roots music. He’s still writing songs other artists wish they’d written. He’s still recording at a pace few can keep up with. And he’s still leading from the front, refusing to settle into legacy-act mode. Refusing to rest on his songwriter’s credentials alone. In a room built for quiet acoustic sets, Jim Lauderdale and The Game Changers delivered something much bigger: proof that country and Americana are still moving, still taking chances, still capable of catching a room off guard, and, despite filling the small stage with a five-piece band, still able to connect on a deeply personal level as the venue intended.
On this night in State College, they didn’t just fill the room. They set it on fire.
Find more information here on his website: https://www.jimlauderdalemusic.com
Enjoy some of our previous coverage here: Key to the Highway: Jim Lauderdale