Gilmore was born in Amarillo, Texas and raised in the West Texas town of Lubbock, Texas. His earliest musical influence was the honky tonk brand of country music that his father played as a bar-band guitarist. In the 50s, he was exposed to the emerging rock and roll of other West Texans such as Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison. He was profoundly influenced in the 60s by the likes of Beatles and Bob Dylan and the folk music and blues revival in that decade.
With Joe Ely and Butch Hancock, Gilmore founded the Flatlanders. The group has been performing on and off since 1972. The band's sole recording project in the early 70s was barely distributed. It has since been acknowledged, through Rounder's 1991 reissue, (More a Legend Than a Band) as a milestone of progressive, alternative country. The three friends continue to reunite for occasional Flatlanders performances, with an eye toward a very overdue followup album.
Gilmore spent much of the 70s in a Denver, Colorado Ashram studying metaphysics. In the 1980s he moved to Austin, and finally made his solo debut (Jimmy Dale Gilmore) in 1988, to great critical acclaim. For many listeners the chief pleasure of Gilmore's records is his fine tenor voice, which delivers expressive pure country singing. Others find find it hard to get used to. In an age when country singers are hard to tell apart, the distinctive sound of Jimmy Dale Gilmore stands out like a thoroughbred in a field of old nags.
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Discography
Further Reading
External links