Jon Radford has been adding soul and rhythmic vibe to the Nashville music scene since 2005, when he first began visiting the city to pick up drum gigs. He would soon move to Nashville from his hometown of Clarksville, TN with his wife, acclaimed painter Kim Radford.

After transitioning to Nashville full-time, Radford began touring across the US and Europe with Charles Walker & The Dynamites and Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors. When not touring, Radford could be found fulfilling a vital tradition for Nashville’s most talented, playing the lower Broadway honky-tonk bars on Sunday nights with The Don Kelly Band.

In 2012, Radford helped found the critically acclaimed Luella and the Sun, a blues and gospel-tinged rock quartet. The band released a 10” single, Fly So Free, and toured for two years, performing at festivals such as Austin City Limits and Hangout Fest before disbanding. Also in 2012, Radford joined Justin Townes Earle’s touring band, performing on The Late Show with David Letterman.

Radford’s uniquely soulful, powerful drumming style is influenced by the iconic session players of 1960s and 1970s, including Kenny Buttrey, Hal Blaine, Jim Gordon, Steve Gadd, and Al Jackson Jr. Radford’s extensive and ever-growing record collection is also a constant and evolving influence.

In recent years, Radford has been an active session musician around Nashville, recording with producers such as Jacquire King, Brendan Benson, Paul Ebersold, and Jim Abbiss. Radford is also a regular member of the Nashville-based instrumental group Steelism.

In this episode, Jon talks about

How his vinyl obsession and his drum obsession feed each other
Being willing to be a novice at something in middle age
Being married to a fellow creative, painter and visual artist Kim Crawford, whose work can be seen around Nashville
Recent renewed global interest in Sixpence None The Richer
His early days in Nashville and gigging on the “old” lower Broadway
Changes in the Nashville scene

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