Jimmy LaFave: “Buckets of Rain”
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After trading in a drawer-full of green stamps, a teenaged Jimmy LaFave bought a guitar out of a mail-order catalog, a decision that would change his life. He grew up in the Dallas area, playing drums for a number of garage bands, but it was the guitar (and the family’s move to Stillwater, Oklahoma) that really caught his ear.
At the time, the Red Dirt country scene was just started to make a sound in Stillwater. LaFave worked day jobs while honing his craft at night in a number of local bars, including Up Your Alley, which LaFave managed for a number of years.
But restlessness prompted the songwriter to strike out for new scenes. He wandered from Los Angeles to Nashville before ultimately deciding that Austin was the place to be. His environment has served as a potent source for inspiration, resulting in his 1992 album Austin Skyline, named after Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline. The record served as both an homage to his newfound hometown as well as his musical idol.
LaFave recently stopped by KUT’s Studio 1A with a full band in tow. They played a number of originals, but LaFave really lit up when he sang today’s song of the day: a country-tinged version of Dylan’s “Buckets of Rain.”
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While Mr. LaFave has amassed a great body of work with his own songwriting, he remains arguably on of the the best interpreters of Dylan’s’ music. This is no exception. His passion from Kerrville to Austin flows from the stage and vinyl. Oklahoma has given us many a musician, this one stayed in Austin and we are all the better for his decision. Just another example of his stellar vocals and the band work demonstrates an aural glimpse of his showmanship.