The Sweet Voice of Jimmie Dale Gilmore

Man, after my recent spate of posting entire shows, it feels funny to focus on one song again. This has to be posted though. You all know how it is having a song stuck in your head. You fathers and mothers out there know what it’s like to wake up in the middle of the night with “Wags the Dog, He Likes to Tango” from the Wiggles, or the Blues Clues Theme song, or “I’m Hungry, I’m Hungry” from Breakfast with Bear. So it’s always welcome relief when it’s a good song that you actually like that’s stuck in your head. For the last couple days, it’s been this Jimmie Dale Gilmore song rolling around in my head.

I would consider Jimmie Dale Gilmore an acquired taste. His singing voice can best be described as a tremolo-filled Texas warble. He can take some getting used to. But hearing this song drew me in the first time. It’s a bittersweet acoustic masterpiece with a tale of love lost.

I have my old friend Mark to thank for putting this on a mix tape long ago (along with my first taste of Townes Van Zandt and Uncle Tupelo). These days, Mark runs a great cafe near Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he hosts some great jazz musicians and roasts his own coffee. I would recommend checking out Luna Cafe, and buying some of his coffee online. Just try it once, and you’ll come back for more, I guarantee you.

Jimmie Dale Gilmore: Tonight I Thing I’m Gonna Go Downtown (mp3) – from After Awhile