Jeff Talmadge

Born in Uvalde, Texas, about 70 miles from the Mexican border, Jeff grew up in small Texas towns like Crystal City, Wharton, Boling and Big Spring. He spent most of his childhood years on the coastal plain and his teenage years in west Texas, 300 miles west of Dallas.

Jeff was a successful Board Certified Civil Trial attorney in Austin when he closed down his law office in 2003 and moved to Atlanta. By that time, he had released 4 studio recordings. "Secret Anniversaries (1999), "The Spinning Of The World" (2000), "Bad Tattoo" (2001) and "Gravity, Grace And The Moon" (2003)] and had signed with CoraZong Records in Europe. "Gravity, Grace And The Moon" was released on that label in Europe, and 2 more CoraZong releases, "Blissville" (2004) and "At Least That Much Was True" (2007)] followed, as did tours in The Netherlands and Germany.

From the beginning, Jeff’s CDs received extraordinary reviews and extensive airplay in the United States and Europe. The Hill Country Sun called "Secret Anniversaries" 'a nearly perfect recording'. Of "The Spinning Of The World", one writer described the music as ‘true and deep and surpasses the test of time'. Dirty Linen found "Bad Tattoo" to be 'clever like Lyle Lovett and introspective like Mickey Newberry', while Marq’s Texas Music Kitchen drew comparisons to Townes van Zandt and Lucinda Williams. Sing Out! declared "Gravity, Grace And The Moon" 'a masterpiece'.

Each CD was named to numerous Best Of-lists by radio presenters and music writers in the US and Europe. With "Blissville", "At Least That Much Was True", and "Kind Of Everything", on Berkalin Records in 2011, Jeff’s music kept its place in the folk world, while reaching a larger americana audience, 3 of his recordings reached the top 40 on the Americana Chart, including one in the top 20. Of "Kind Of Everything", Geoff Himes said, 'all that musical talent is subordinated to the stories that Talmadge has to tell, he sings about the people he encounters, homeless men, street musicians, barflies, ex-loves, new lovers, new parents, divorcing couples and returning soldiers'.

Jeff has received numerous awards and acknowledgements for his songwriting, including his selection as a finalist or showcase artist in places such as Kerrville New Folk and Falcon Ridge, nominations from The Academy Of Texas Music and Song Of The Year honors from the West Coast Songwriters Group. His tours have included stops at some of the country’s great listening rooms, such as The Bluebird Café in Nashville, Club Passim in Boston, Eddie’s Attic in Atlanta and The Cactus Café in Austin. At Duke University, he won the Academy Of American Poets Award, and his poems have appeared in numerous literary journals and magazines.

Jeff’s new record, "Sparrow", is his 1st in over 10 years, although there have been a couple of unreleased or unfinished albums during that time. When a detached retina made it impossible to fly back in the 2010’s, for example, the record that was intended for a European tour was shelved. In the interim, songs written or co-written by him have appeared on the recordings of a number of other artists, a Townes Van Zandt cover appeared on a Townes tribute record in Italy, and bootlegs have popped up here and there. Mostly acoustic, with Jeff’s guitar as the main instrument, the 10 songs on "Sparrow" are supported by economical and eclectic arrangements and instrumentation. Fans of Jeff’s music will welcome the new songs, and those new to his work will be introduced to the storytelling and fingerpicking style that he is known for. Retired from the practice of law, he is married and lives in Austin.