Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Jeffrey Allan Lane, mostly known simply as Jeff Lane grew up in Kingsport, Tennessee, where he began playing guitar fervently at the age of fourteen; fascinated by the invention of the “historic” MTV and the great rock guitar players of that era. From an even younger age, his musical roots were watered by his mother’s record collection that was packed full of greats like Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, The Eagles, Elton John, Jim Croce, Elvis, The Beatles and the Commodores. Sneaking over to a neighbor’s house he learned about hot bands AC/DC, Pat Benetar, and REO Speedwagon. After forming a few high school rock bands, life took Jeff out of the public pursuit of his dream. For the next 20 years, he kept his songwriting pursuit private all while picking out the biggest influences in each generation to add to his sound. With a major economical turn of events in 2010, and the loss of Jeff’s business and his farm, an unexpected door opened that started his long-awaited musical journey. That winter collaboration began with Matthew Oakes that would quickly lead to a series of phone calls from guitarist/producer Quentin Horton wanting to record the project known as Hundred Acres. While in the studio, Hundred Acres was officially joined by Horton on lead and slide guitars, as well as guest tracks from fiddle player Kevin Jackson and former Allison Krause & Union Station guitarist Tim Stafford who was touring with Blue Highway as an award-winning guitarist. The result was Jeff’s first record “Where the Buffalo Roam” which he debuted on his 40th birthday in 2011 at his first official gig. Although nervous and clumsy on stage at first, the music brought an energy that grew quickly resulting in a second record exactly one year later called “Feels Good”. At this point, Horton who formerly experienced development in Nashville, suggested that Jeff pursue his next step by experiencing songwriters in other places to find more influence and experience, replicating the journey he had taken years before. For the next few years Lane followed the advice and began playing hundreds of open mics and songwriter rounds within a two hour (100 mile) driving radius so that he could return the same night for work the next day. His soulful and story-telling style of songwriting, along with tasteful guitar work quickly acquired notoriety as someone wanted in “good” rounds, and opened doors further away and into Nashville where he regularly appears at venues such as the world-famous Commodore. With the growth achieved by constant appearances as a songwriter, Lane has become a powerhouse that commands most rooms, bringing audiences to full attention with the sound of his soulful voice of heavily bluesy-style guitar licks on a beaten 1953 Gibson LG-1. Jeff Lane has made many appearances on indie radio stations including the famous “Blue Plate Special” WDVX in Knoxville, TN and “Appalshop” on WMMT in Whitesburg, KY. Jeff, in addition has performed at many intimate songwriter rounds and sessions with an A-list of performers over the past few years including Tim Stafford, Chris Knight, Trey Hensley, Kim Williams, Sean Gasaway, Derek Johnson, Benjy Gaither, Steve Williams, Aaron Barker, Keith Anderson, Lance Miller, Doug Johnson, Bobby Tomberlin, Mark Steven Jones, Aaron Tracy, Randy Finchum, Lara Landon, Emily Minor, Annie Robinette, Bobby Starnes, Justin Mychals, Karen Reynolds, Mason Reed, Robby Hopkins, Mo Pitney, Bill LaBounty, Carrie Tillis, Willy “Big Eyes” Smith, Folk Soul Revival, Holly Williams, Hilary Williams, Bill DiLuigi, Lara Landon, Lanndon Lingerfelt, Johnathan Dean, Marc-Alan Barnette, PJ Steelman, Scott Southworth, Heino Meoller, Morgan Alexander, Judy Paster and many more. Jeff currently tours with the Love, Lies & Lyrics songwriter tour as well as the Fabulous Flying J’s Song-Teller Tour every winter.
A recent description of Jeff as a songwriter came from East TN singer/songwriter/troubadour Scotty Melton who expanded on Jeff as a songwriter…
As a songwriter, Jeff Lane turns hillbilly dialect into high English literature. He sees metaphors in everyday things that are all too often take for granted. A wedding ring becomes a a symbol of life’s unexpected turns: hope and happiness, dreams, despair, lessons learned, loss -and in the end, still hope. A steering wheel becomes a metaphor for the brevity of life; the role of chance and of choices; and how swiftly tragedy can strike in the midst of a laugh. Jeff’s songs are deeply connected to nature and the mountains of his native East Tennessee. The images of hills, trees and old country barns permeate his songs. He finds the answers to the deepest philosophical questions in the quiet solitude of the countryside. His songs reflect that peace of mind and tranquility are as simple as enjoying the sunrise, working on the farm, and appreciating the small pleasures in life. Jeff’s lyrics are filled with a common sense of wisdom that is planted firmly in the spirituality of the mountains and mountain folks. There is a deep reverence for these folks and their culture in Jeff’s songs, his lyrics filled with old mountain sayings and remedies. These songs also reveal an unpretentious sense of humor and a sharp eye for irony. Jeff writes about real life in an honest, straightforward manner. He writes about love, love lost, hope, sadness, mortality, nature, home, the road, simple thrills, picking by the campfire, cars, girls, family, dreams… he writes about those little ironies in life, and he writes from the point of view of one who has found that the grass is just as green on this side. His songs lift you up, and they do not hide behind false eyelashes and masquerades. They are happy, they are sad; they are all about what it means to be alive; and in the end, they offer hope to a world that so often seems without hope. As a performer, Jeff is as much a story-teller as he is a songwriter; he is a true performing Singer-Songwriter: he understands the role of a songwriter and the role of a performer. He is a natural performer: his guitar picking is precise, whether soft and subtle, or hard and heavy, always precise. He sings with an air of authority and confidence, yet with a humbleness that endears him to the audience. His command of the stage can turn a loud honky tonk into a listening room with just a few words. And perhaps most importantly, as entertainment is about being entertained, he entertains; he lifts the listener up. And that is what good music is supposed to do: a good performance of a good song is a prescription for the soul. Jeff Lane is a healer.