One of the constants at MerleFest is that it will rain. Sometimes it’s just a few drops and sometimes it’s a downpour, but as someone who has attended this premiere outdoor (mostly) festival that celebrates all types of music faithfully for more than two decades, I can promise you that something will fall from the sky and this year was no different.

Photo by Pixels on Paper Photography

Another constant at MerleFest is Jim Lauderdale, who made his 29th appearance this year. You can always find Lauderdale, a native North Carolinian, performing on one stage or another as well as jumping in to jam with The Waybacks during the popular Album Hour or just walking around the Wilkes Community College campus on his way to or from another set chatting with other musicians or fans.

This year Lauderdale released his 39th album — yes, you read that right 39th — called “The Birds Know” with The Po’Ramblin’ Boys at MerleFest on April 24. Lauderdale kicked off Friday’s festivities on the Creekside Stage with tunes from his new bluegrass album as well as his 38th album, Country Super Hits Volume 2, which he released in March. 

It’s not the first time the Americana legend has teamed up with IBMA Award-winning torchbearers The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys. “The Birds Know” is a follow-up to 2023’s “The Long and Lonesome Letting Go” which also featured The Po’Ramblin’ Boys.

“Since I first saw them at MerleFest several years ago, and after we did our first album together, I really wanted us to do a follow-up,” says Lauderdale of working with the Po’ Ramblin’ Boys in a release. “These songs were all written just for this album. The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys keep the sound of traditional bluegrass alive, but they really bring it into the present day. I’m so happy with the way this record turned out, and I’m looking forward to performing with them in the coming years. I love working with them so much.”

From the fiddle kick off to getting knocked over the head with a rich, tight harmony from the very first line of the song, “We Look At Things In Different Ways,” sets the tone that this is bluegrass music, exactly as Lauderdale described his album bandmates: keeping the tradition alive while bringing it right into the present day. The tune is the second single release from the album.

“This song came through me to speak to these times of divisiveness in our world,” says Lauderdale. “It was an important message I wanted to get out—that you can still love somebody even though your views might differ.” 

Fans can stream or purchase “We Look At Things In Different Ways” at this link or listen to the previously released single “Little Bitty Diamonds” here. For those who haven’t heard Lauderdale’s latest single from “Country Super Hits Volume 2,” “Everybody’s Got A Problem,” check it out here.

Lauderdale embodies the sound of American roots music for listeners around the world. A 2025 inductee into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Lauderdale’s major label debut, 1991’s “Planet of Love,” opened the door to international touring and established him as an A-list songwriter on Music Row. His songs have been recorded by George Strait, Patty Loveless, George Jones, the Chicks, Old Crow Medicine Show, Lucinda Williams, Charley Crockett, Dave Edmunds, Solomon Burke and many others. Between 2004 and 2013, Lauderdale wrote and recorded six albums with Grateful Dead songwriter Robert Hunter. His many other collaborators include Buddy Miller, Elvis Costello, Donna the Buffalo, North Mississippi Allstars and Ralph Stanley. In 2016, Lauderdale received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Americana Music Association; he’s also won two Grammys in the Best Bluegrass Album category.

Following these two album releases, Lauderdale will open and close the summer with multiple dates in Europe with Emmylou Harris. He also resumed his year-long residency at Nashville’s Skinny Dennis on April 6. For tickets, more information and to stay up to date with all things Jim Lauderdale, please visit jimlauderdalemusic.com.

Catch Jim Lauderdale On Tour:

May 2 – Pinewood, SC – Wildlife Education Center

May 4 – Nashville, TN – Skinny Dennis

May 11 – Liverpool, ENG – Royal Liverpool Philharmonic*

May 13 – Birmingham, ENG – Symphony Hall*

May 15 – Bristol, ENG – Bristol Beacon*

May 17 – London, ENG – Royal Albert Hall*

May 18 – Sunderland, ENG – Sunderland Empire*

May 20 – Rotterdam, NL – De Doelen*

May 21 – Eindhoven, NL – Muziekgebouw*

May 23 – Groningen, NL – De Oosterpoort*

May 24 – Amsterdam, NL – Het Concertgebouw*

June 1 – Nashville, TN – Skinny Dennis

June 13 – Broken Bow, OK – Beavers Bend State Park

July 6 – Nashville, TN – Skinny Dennis

August 3 – Nashville, TN – Skinny Dennis

August 21 – Oslo, NO – Oslo Konserthus*

August 22 – Oslo, NO – Oslo Konserthus*

August 24 – Helsinki, FI – Allas Live*

August 26 – Stockholm, SE – Avicii Arena*

September 3 – Bruxelles, BE – BOZAR*

September 4 – Antwerpen, BE – Stadsschouwburg Antwerp*

September 6 – Monheim Am Rhein, DE – Kulturraffinerie K714*

September 7 – Nashville, TN – Skinny Dennis

September 11 – Bristol, TN – Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion

October 5 – Nashville, TN – Skinny Dennis

November 2 – Nashville, TN – Skinny Dennis

December 7 – Nashville, TN – Skinny Dennis

* with Emmylou Harris

More tour dates to be announced soon. For tickets, more information, and to stay up to date, please visit jimlauderdalemusic.com.