As part of the Museum’s weekly Musician Spotlight series, Jon Corneal and Jim Lauderdale tell stories from Corneal’s career and perform both songs they’ve written and those they’ve been part of recording. This program was recorded on August 4, 2025; offered in support of the Museum’s exhibition “Westen Edge: The Roots and Reverberations of Los Angeles Country-Rock”; and presented in partnership with City National Bank and the Academy of Country Music.

During the program, Lauderdale conducts a pseudo-interview about Corneal’s career. Corneal shares stories from the early days of his career, including his time with Gram Parsons in the International Submarine Band, the Wilburn Brothers, and the Flying Burrito Brothers. Corneal and Lauderdale also perform “Sick and Tired,” “Fired Up for Jesus,” and “Used to Do,” all songs written by Corneal. Bassist Garry Tallant and guitarist Tim “Buster Cousins” Kelliher accompany them.

Lauderdale has made his mark in Nashville in country, bluegrass, and Americana music, releasing more than thirty studio albums and writing songs recorded by the Chicks, George Jones, and Blake Shelton, among many others. In June 2024, he released a solo album, “My Favorite Place,” on his own Sky Crunch Records label.

Corneal began playing the drums in his teens. Years after he first met Parsons, a fellow Florida native, Parsons recruited him to play drums in Parsons’s then-band, the Legends. In the mid-1960s, Corneal moved to Nashville and played drums for country stars such as Connie Smith and Kitty Wells. He later relocated to southern California and reunited with Parsons, joining him in the International Submarine Band, which later became the Flying Burrito Brothers.

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