Jim Newsom

Jim Newsom is an award-winning singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who is well known and highly regarded throughout southeastern Virginia. He currently performs with keyboardist Gail Keller Smith and drummer Rick Jebavy asJim Newsom and the Cloudless Sky.

Their concert repertoire draws primarily from Jim’s catalog of original songs, particularly material from the four CDs he recorded and released over the last six years, with a sprinkling of classy, classic songs from the likes of Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Elton John, James Taylor, Van Morrison and The Beatles.

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The band’s new album, Peace Love Happiness, was released on February 9, 2021.

With fourteen new Jim Newsom originals, the album is available for streaming,download and on CD from Spotify, iTunes, Amazon,YouTube Music and many other providers.You can listen here on Spotify:

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Remembering John Lennon

40 years ago, on the night of December 8, 1980, I got a call from a friend telling me to turn on the TV because John Lennon had been shot and murdered. I was numb for days thereafter. Coupled with the election of Ronald Reagan a month earlier, it felt like an ominous portent of dark days to come.

The ensuing four decades have indeed brought much darkness into this world. As the forces of hate have proliferated, it has been increasingly difficult to keep the faith that love is all we need. But I try to retain my hope and belief in the ultimate power of love.

In that spirit, I offer this little medley of John Lennon songs to bring a touch of sunshine and uplift into your day.

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With our live performance schedule among the Covid-19 Casualties, here’s a full set of songs from our Memorial Day weekend gig outdoors at a popular Norfolk brewery:

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“HAPPY SONGS FROM HAPPY TIMES”

A playlist of 80 videos from the Jim Newsom YouTube archive that was shared daily on Facebook during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic:

Live performances of cover songs, primarily from the 1960s and 1970s.

We bring you this music in hopes that happy songs from happier times can help inoculate us against discouragement and despair during this trying period in our lives.

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VEER Magazine – February 15, 2020

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New Set of Dreams was released worldwide on October 12, 2018:

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“The gold standard for songwriting.”
— Michael Crockett, Nashville Songwriters Association International

“The greatest live performance I have ever seen by a local musician.”
— Sandy Adcock, musician and artist

“Relentlessly positive…a carefree feeling like a day spent
hiking in the hills or strolling on the beach.”
— Paul Shugrue, WHRV-FM

“The original songs, about love, life’s choices and feeling good,
have a go-down-easy, James Taylor-Joni Mitchell, flower-power vibe.”
— Craig Shapiro, The Virginian-Pilot

“A local legend.”
— Coast Live, WTKR-TV

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