Jimmie Dale Gilmore was one of the three Lubbock songwriters (with Joe Ely and Butch Hancock) who formed the Flatlanders (his Dallas and Tonight I Think I'm Gonna Go Downtown are the highlights of their 1972 sessions). While the other two went on to become stars, Gilmore enrolled in a philosophy degree. His recording debut did not occur until Fair And Square (Hightone, 1988) and Jimmie Dale Gilmore (Hightone, 1989), which were unfortunately mostly collections of covers, performed in a rather traditional manner.
Gilmore found his true voice on After Awhile (Elektra, 1991), an album that includes some of his best material (Tonight I Think I'm Gonna Go Downtown, Treat Me Like A Saturday Night, After Awhile, Don't Be A Stranger To Your Heart, Midnight Train) and runs the gamut from blues to rock.
After yet another collection of covers, Spinning Around The Sun (Elektra, 1993), Gilmore gave his bolder album, Braver Newer World (Elektra, 1996), that incorporates psychedelic rock and rhythm'n'blues. One Endless Night (Rounder, 2000) is another collection of covers. His tasty arrangements of other people's tunes are far less valuable than his own compositions, but somehow Gilmore has never believed in his own music.
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