im Lauderdale Holds Benefit Concert for Flat Rock Playhouse, 12/6

Grammy-winning artist, Jim Lauderdale will appear in a special fundraising concert for Flat Rock Playhouse on Thursday, December 6, 2012 at Bonclarken Conference Center in the Youth Activity Building at 7:00 pm. An Evening with Jim Lauderdale, sponsored by Howard George and Noah George of Keller Williams Realty, is part of the "Save The Playhouse" campaign.

Having opened for such diverse artists as Johnny Cash and George Clinton, An Evening with Jim Lauderdale is sure to appeal to music lovers of many varieties. Jim Lauderdale is predictably unpredictable, surprising and satisfying. Neela Munoz, Flat Rock Playhouse director and actor will serve as host for the evening.

Jim Lauderdale is a multi-talented performer and songwriter, with successes in both country and bluegrass music. His roots stem from the Carolinas, yet his career has taken him all over the United States and abroad, making him an international recording artist with an ever-growing fan base. Jim won both Artist of the Year and Song of the Year at the first "Honors and Awards Show" held by the Americana Music Association in 2002. Subsequently, he has hosted this same show for the last seven years.

Lauderdale is no stranger to Flat Rock or to The Playhouse, having spent summers at his parents' Bonclarken home. During these summers, he worked at Flat Rock Playhouse with Leona Farquhar, wife of founder, Robroy Farquhar. The creative atmosphere of The Playhouse helped to fuel his interest in the performing arts. Lauderdale performed the role of George Jones in in the 2001 World Premiere of Stand By Your Man: The Tammy Wynette, co-produced by Flat Rock Playhouse and the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.

Lauderdale is among Nashville's "A" list of songwriters, with songs recorded by artists such as: Patty Loveless, George Jones, The Dixie Chicks, Solomon Burke, Mark Chesnutt, Dave Edmunds, John Mayall, Kathy Mattea, Lee Ann Womack, Gary Allan, Blake Shelton, Vince Gill and George Strait. He also contributed several songs to the successful soundtrack of the George Strait film, "Pure Country." Not content to just write hits for the stars, he's toured with the likes of Lucinda Williams, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Rhonda Vincent and Elvis Costello, among others.

Jim Lauderdale has always had that ability of writing music that reflects his originality as well as a sense of total authenticity. His musical influences include the legendary Dr. Ralph Stanley and George Jones. These influences and his unique sense of melody and lyric have helped to forge a sound that is truly his own. Lauderdale is a two-time Grammy winner, having won his first in 2002 with Dr. Ralph Stanley for "Lost in the 

Lonesome Pines." His second Grammy was awarded at the 50th Grammy Awards for his second solo bluegrass album, "The Bluegrass Diaries." Lauderdale received Grammy nominations for his first CD with Dr. Stanley, "I Feel Like Singing Today" as well as for his first solo bluegrass CD "Bluegrass." His current release, "Patchwork River" (his second collaboration with Grateful Dead lyricist, Robert Hunter) is currently on the Americana radio charts.

Howard George and Noah George of Keller Williams Realty present An Evening with Jim Lauderdale, onstage Thursday, December 6 at 7:30 pm. The gates open at 6:00 pm the doors open at 7:00 pm. General admission tickets are $25. Tickets can be purchased; by calling The Playhouse box office at 828-693-0731 or toll-free at 866-732-8008. All proceeds from the concert will benefit the "Save The Playhouse" fundraising campaign.