Album Notes

NOTE: This album has been nominated for 2008 Cowboy/Western Swing Album of the Year in the Western Music Association (WMA).

The title song of this album “Here Comes a Change” brings Jim’s writing skills to the forefront along with his songs Up the Draw and Cowboy’s Life. He combines these with other western cowboy and western swing favorites. This album can be classified as leaning more toward western swing but still keeping that cowboy flavor.

A review by Rick Huff, Radio & TV host and producer, in the Western Music Association's magazine, "The Western Way" Fall 2007 issue: "...every now and then a CD of Western Music or Western Swing arrives and gets me 'jazzed!' Such CDs have some other intangible something that works on level after level. Jim Garling's second CD release "Here Comes A Change" is one of them. . . It isn't mega-processed It isn't 'showy.' It's just right!"

With Jim’s incredible vocal style and acoustic guitar ability, this album brings together selections of cowboy western songs and Texas western swing employing the best western swing fiddler in the State of Oklahoma, Greg Burgess, along with the best bass man in the state, Richard Sharp. Byron Berline, three-time National Fiddle Champion, also adds great fiddling to two of the tunes. The harmonies in several tracks are produced by the Arizona group Journey West, a lively trio of ladies who, through the perfect blending of their voices, makes it obvious that they love music.

Jim embarked on a life-long journey of playing the guitar and singing in his teen-age years. He spent most of his spare time hanging out at a local, family-owned music store where he picked up many guitar skills through jamming with other musicians playing the good, old-time country and western swing standards. In the back of this store was a recording studio which instilled a dream in the back of Jim’s mind of some day recording his own music. That dream manifested itself in early 2006 with the CD, “Cattle, Trails, and Romance,” and with the release of “Here Comes a Change,” he now adds song writing to his resume.

During his musical journey he always had a full-time job providing for his family, but he continued enjoying his music even learning to play the fiddle which opened a new area of music—old-time fiddling and contest fiddling. It was after selling his RV dealership that he began his teaching, performing, song-writing, and recording career. He keeps grounded by keeping a rigorous teaching schedule for two-full days a week that includes, at most times, 54 students of fiddle and/or guitar.

Back in 2002 Jim was introduced to cowboy music at the Gene Autry Oklahoma Film and Music Festival. It was then that he really discovered and came to love the soothing quality and character of western cowboy music. Since that time he has thoroughly immersed himself in the cowboy-era music and music of the cowboy movie stars as well as music of more contemporary artists who reflect on the cowboy life.

Jim has performed publicly at numerous venues around the country: The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City; Cheyenne Cowboy Symposium, Wyoming; Western Music Association Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, New Mexico; Cedar Depot Memorial Celebration, Cedar, Kansas; Gene Autry Oklahoma Film & Music Festival; Acoustacadia Music Festival, Edmond, Oklahoma; Western Heritage Days-Tom Mix Festival, Dewey, Oklahoma; Miles of Memories Country Music Festival, Hastings, Nebraska; numerous schools, libraries, etc.

Audiences young and old enjoy Jim's vocal style, his guitar skills and his all-around gregarious, outgoing spirit and love of music. Discover the character and quality of this cowboy western genre that brings back memories of the pure music of an earlier time.