about us

      Jim and Kim Lansford live on a small farm in the Ozarks of southwest Missouri near Galena, in Stone County.  Since 1980 they have performed together at festivals, concerts, workshops and dances across the country.  Jim and Kim’s performances feature an abundance of primal and powerful early country duet singing along with elegant, often understated instrumental accompaniment. The Lansfords have also long been devoted to the continual pursuit of expanding their unique repertoire of little-known songs and fiddle tunes gathered both from published and unpublished collections and recordings of traditional music from the Ozarks, Midwest and South.

Kim Lansford
guitar, vocals, piano

For over thirty years, Kim Lansford has artfully chosen and compellingly interpreted traditional songs.  A life immersed in the culture and study of old-time music has resulted in an oeuvre strongly rooted in tradition yet devoid of slavish imitation.  Indeed, Kim’s research into American primitive music has uncovered a trove of old songs for which new harmonies and new instrumentation bring about a new appreciation of the message.  Rich and nuanced, Kim’s voice perfectly suits the commanding early bluegrass songs and the old-time country duets for which she and Jim are well-known.

Kim is also an accomplished instrumentalist and is known to be the favorite back-up guitarist of many an old-time fiddler.  Equally adept at piano accompaniment, Kim blends the traditional Missouri piano style with more ornamented Canadian influences.  Her innovative piano playing is heard in many of the mid-western tunes which form a unique part of Jim’s fiddle repertoire.

Jim Lansford
fiddle, guitar, banjo,
mandolin, vocals

Jim Lansford has played across the country for over three decades in various old-time and traditional bluegrass contexts and venues.  Music of all varieties, unceasing development as an instrumentalist, and a devotion to collecting vintage instruments remain his dominant passions.  An accomplished fiddler with southern and mid-western influences, Jim has acquired a large repertoire of tunes from printed, recorded and living sources.  His skills as a musician are evident in his tasteful and thoughtfully rendered accompaniments on finger-style and flat-picked guitar, mandolin, and banjo.  Jim’s high tenor singing intensifies the powerful voice of his wife Kim, on the close harmony duets that highlight their performances.