“Kimmie has the voice of a beautiful child coming from an old
soul. She touches us where the better angels of our nature dwell,
and I believe we need that now more than ever.” Emmylou Harris

“The soul of a poet and the voice of an angel.” Rodney Crowell

Singer-songwriter Kimmie Rhodes is a native Texan who calls Austin home. Kimmie’s multi-platinum selling songs have been recorded by such stellar acts as Willie Nelson, Wynonna Judd, Trisha Yearwood, Amy Grant, CeCe Winans, Joe Ely, John Farnham, Waylon Jennings, Peter Frampton, Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris. A creative and prolific artist, she has recorded and released a total of fourteen solo CDs, written and produced three musical plays and a catalogue of hundreds of songs, and published a book.

In support of her 2008 CD release, Walls Fall Down, Kimmie toured ten European countries, including dates at the Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow as well as appearances at Canada’s Edmonton Folk Festival, the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco and a number of
shows with her friend and writing partner Emmylou Harris. Kimmie spent time during 2010 at her studio in Austin writing and recording songs for her latest CD, Dreams Of Flying, which is due out on March 21, 2011. Dreams Of Flying follows her recent first collection of original Christmas songs, Miracles On Christmas Day, which was released to much acclaim in November 2010. A European tour, including shows in the UK and Ireland, is scheduled for May 2011.

Kimmie grew up in Lubbock, Texas and began her singing career at the age of six with her family gospel trio. She moved to Austin in 1979, where she met DJ and producer Joe Gracey, an instrumental figure in the Austin progressive country scene, who she eventually married. In 1981 she recorded her first album, Kimmie Rhodes and the Jackalope Brothers when Willie Nelson invited her to use his studio. In 1985 she recorded her second album, Man In the Moon. Her third album Angels Get The Blues, recorded at the original Sun Studio in Memphis, was released in 1989. These records led to a series of British and European tours which received rave reviews. Kimmie’s 1998 CD release was a compilation of original songs from these three albums entitled Jackalopes, Moons& Angels.

Her promotional tours created a solid fan base in the U.K., Ireland and Europe. She has headlined with her band at festivals all over the world and has appeared on many European and American TV and radio broadcasts. She has also appeared at many of Willie’s Farm Aid concerts and July 4th Picnics. Willie dubbed Kimmie “an undiscovered superstar” and together they recorded two of her originals for his album Just One Love and a duet CD, Picture in a Frame.

Kimmie appeared on Austin City Limits with Emmylou Harris, Dave Matthews, Patty Griffin, and Buddy & Julie Miller, where she and Emmylou performed their song ‘Ordinary Heart’. She guested on Late Night With David Letterman, performing ‘West Texas Heaven’ at his request. Kimmie’s TV appearances also include a songwriter “guitar pull” Austin City Limits show with Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Billy Joe Shaver. New West Records recently released a DVD of that show titled “Outlaw Country”. She performed in two segments of The Nashville Network’s “Legend Series” hosted by Willie Nelson and another hosted by Waylon Jennings. Waylon said, “When I hear Kimmie sing it makes me know what the phrase ‘pulling on your heart strings’ means.” Kimmie co-wrote a song, ‘Lines’, with Waylon for his Justice release Right For The Time.

Kimmie’s movie soundtrack credits include ‘A Heart That’s True’ for the Babe: A Pig in the City CD, ‘I’m Not An Angel’ featured in the soundtrack of Mrs. Winterbourne and a song in the Daddy’s Dyin’
Who’s Got the Will soundtrack. Her song, ‘Shine All Your Light’, co-written with Beth Nielsen Chapman, was recorded by Amy Grant for the Touched By An Angel TV series soundtrack and CD, which reached the Top Ten in Billboard’s CD charts. Beth recently chose the song as her first single off her new CD Prism. She co-wrote ‘Ordinary Heart’ with Emmylou Harris and the song was featured in the soundtrack to the movie Happy Texas. Emmylou’s performance of the song was nominated for a Grammy.

Kimmie’s 1996 CD West Texas Heaven features 12 of her original songs and includes duets with Waylon Jennings, Townes Van Zandt and Willie Nelson. USA Today said, “listening to West Texas Heaven is like a sweet unhurried ramble through bluebonnets”, picking the album for their “Best Bets” section. USA Today later picked the CD as one of the Top Ten Country Records of 1996. Kimmie 2000 release was Rich From the Journey (Sunbird), produced by her son Gabe Rhodes. Featuring a guest appearance by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings and erformances by such great musicians as Kevin Savigar, the late Jimmy Day and John Gardner.

A playwright and actress as well, her debut theatrical project was her musical, Small Town Girl, directed by and starring Joe Sears of Greater Tuna. She also released a CD by that title of the music featured in the play. She and Joe Sears then wrote and produced a musical review called Hillbilly Heaven. She worked with Sears as Musical Director for his outdoor drama production of Trail of Tears for the Cherokee Heritage Center during 2001 through 2003.

She and Joe Gracey co-authored a novella/cookbook, The Amazing Afterlife of Zimmerman Fees (Sunbird Press).

In 2002, Kimmie released Love Me Like A Song (Sunbird). The CD features duets with Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Beth Nielsen Chapman, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers keyboardist
Benmont Tench. The CD artwork comes from a series of Kimmie’s original oil paintings, prints of which are available on her website. For purchasing information on the originals, contact Austin Galleries.

In 2003 she released a compilation of duets with Willie Nelson titled Picture In A Frame. It’s their first duet CD, featuring the Tom Waits-penned title track, a new Willie song (‘It Always Will Be’), five original Kimmie tunes, and classics from Rodney Crowell and Willie. Recorded at Willie’s World Headquarters in Luck, Texas with a small acoustic group, this CD captures Willie and Kimmie at their most intimate and relaxed.

Her 2004 CD release titled Lost & Found, a set of never-released songs recorded between 1996 and 2003, features a song co-written with Waylon Jennings and other tracks with a host of talented writing partners, as well as some of Kimmie’s best self--penned tunes.

In 2005 Kimmie released Windblown, which also served as the soundtrack for a performance art piece featuring live music, interpretive dance, and character portrayals by Joe Sears, with its debut performance in January 2005. More information about the play can be obtained here: http://www.windblown.biz.

In 2005 Sunbird released Ten Summers, a compilation CD reprising ten years of Kimmie’s favourite recordings from 1995 to 2005.