Jim Lauderdale keeps melody in motion

Jim Lauderdale will play in minimalist acoustic trappings tonightat 9 at Schuba's, in a concert that is part of Jam Production's NewCountry Series. The beauty of such intimacy is that listeners willbe able to grasp Lauderdale's gift for melody.

"It's funny, sometimes before I go to bed, I will get a melody,"Lauderdale said in a phoner through a snowstorm in Buffalo, N.Y. "Ikeep a tape recorder nearby so I can hum the melody into it. That'swhat usually happens first."

Lauderdale and guitarist Buddy Miller are zig-zagging across thecountry in a car, although Lauderdale flew into Chicago to appearwith friend Brigid Murphy in last weekend's "Milly's Orchid Show."

Last fall Lauderdale released "Planet of Love" (Reprise), one ofthe most engaging country-rock debuts of recent years. Co-producedby Rodney Crowell and John Leventhal (of Shawn Colvin fame), therecord is full of fertile pop hooks like "Maybe," which was the firstsingle off the record, and the upcoming ballad "King of BrokenHearts," which is delivered in Lauderdale's royal tenor.

Lauderdale wrote "King of Broken Hearts" as a tribute to hismusical gurus George Jones and Gram Parsons.

"I read that Gram used to play George's records for people andthen he would start crying," Lauderdale said. "He'd say, `That's theking of broken hearts.' When I read that I immediately got themelody. I wrote about half of it and then I drove out to Joshua Treein the (California) desert.. . . It's a great place to write. Ifinished it out there one night."

Lauderdale, 34, grew up in North and South Carolina. Hisparents still live in a small town called Due West, S.C. Those withkeen ears will remember Lauderdale from his appearance in the Chicagoproduction of "Pump Boys and Dinettes" during 1985 and 1986.

"I loved Chicago," he said. "I enjoy blues and I used to go outand hear (pianist) Sunnyland Slim as much as possible. And JohnnyLittlejohn."

After "Pump Boys," Lauderdale portrayed Jesse James in a musicalcalled "Diamond Studs," which was written by "Pump Boys" author JimWarrant.

Lauderdale began to tilt more toward music in Los Angeles.

"One night I went to a gig and heard Rosie Flores," he said.(Flores appears in a songwriter workshop with Chip Taylor, DardenSmith, Midge Ure and Don Henry at 9:30 p.m. Saturday at the ChinaClub.) "I was so knocked out by her and one of my guitar heroes,Billy Bremner (of Rockpile) was in her band. I struck up afriendship with Billy and he did some gigs with me."

The melody was in motion.