Jim Rooney | |
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![]() Jim Rooney on stage at the 1985 Cambridge Folk Festival | |
Background information | |
Born | January 28, 1938 |
Origin | Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
Genres | Country, folk, bluegrass |
Occupation(s) | Record producer |
Jim Rooney (born January 28, 1938) is an American music producer whose credits include Nanci Griffith's Other Voices, Other Rooms (which earned Rooney a Grammy Award for production), Hal Ketchum's Past the Point of Rescue , Iris DeMent's Infamous Angel , John Prine's Aimless Love and many other widely hailed albums. [1] In recognition for his contribution to Americana music, Rooney received a lifetime achievement award from the Americana Music Association in 2009. [1]
Rooney was a pioneer in the genre that would come to be labeled as Americana. [2] He began his career in the Boston area during the early 1960s and served as director and talent coordinator for the Newport Folk Festival. [1] He moved to Woodstock, N.Y., in the early 1970s to manage Albert Grossman's Bearsville Sound Studio. After moving to Nashville, Rooney released a series of solo albums and produced projects by Townes Van Zandt, Hal Ketchum, Bonnie Raitt and others. [1]
Says Griffith, "Jim Rooney is the number one reason I have a career. He gave me confidence in my writing, inspiration to write, and handed me the want ads to look for an apartment in Nashville." [3]
Rooney graduated from Amherst College in 1960 and later obtained a master's degree in classical literature from Harvard University. [2] He and his wife, Carol Langstaff, divide their time between Nashville, Vermont, and County Galway, Ireland. [2]
Rooney is the author of Bossmen: Bill Monroe and Muddy Waters (1971; reissued 2012), and an autobiography, In It for the Long Run: A Musical Odyssey (2014). He is also the coauthor, with Eric von Schmidt, of Baby Let Me Follow You Down: The Illustrated History of the Cambridge Folk Years (1979; reissued 1994).
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Borderline was an early-1970s band from Woodstock, New York, that fused elements of folk, rock, country and jazz. Consisting of brothers David Gershen and Jon Gershen as well as Jim Rooney, the trio recorded two albums, the second of which was not officially released until 2001, and then only in Japan, due to record company problems. Though the group did not enjoy a great deal of commercial success, it was part of the "Woodstock scene" of the early 1970s that included Van Morrison and the Band. Borderline was a forerunner of musical artists who would eventually be grouped under the "Americana" genre. Also notable is that their two albums featured some well-known backing musicians including members of the Band. After Borderline broke up in 1974, the Gershen brothers pursued various projects while Rooney became a successful producer in Nashville, working with artists including Iris DeMent, Nanci Griffith and John Prine.