Singer/Songwriter Jim Gill

It’s hard not to like a guy who spins a yarn about his mother’s outrageously frugal use of peanut butter and jelly and then weaves that story into a love song about his sister’s boyfriend and his motorcycle. That guy is Jim Gill and Jim is bringing back his original acoustic folk music and hilarious stories to the Lakewood Public Library’s “Sunday with the Friends” series on Sunday, February 22. This free program begins at 2 p.m. and is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and the Friends of Lakewood Public Library.

Gill is known for his Americana folk style, which he started performing live in 2001. He is also recognized for his abilities as both raconteur and songwriter. His offbeat stories stem from growing up as the only son in an Irish-Catholic family of ten. What better place than the stage at Lakewood Public Library for Jim to tell you about a sister who went sleepwalking out of the house at 3 o’clock in the morning to presumably return a book to the library? He follows this with a moving song about his own experience as a child walking to the library in the snow to find a quiet place to hangout. Jim’s show is a veritable roller coaster ride of emotions and ideas. His banter with audience members is a trademark delight.

A lover of music his entire life and a guitar player since childhood, songwriting seemed the next logical step in Jim's musical evolution. But it wasn't until he decided to work from home as an American Greetings illustrator and writer that his music started to become his main focus. His songs are conveyed in his signature, lush, baritone voice that music producer Jim Ballard describes as, “Jim Croce with warmth and range!”

In 2007 Jim released his fourth album, Jim Gill Live Volume One, recorded over three nights in Ohio. Fans of Jim's music will be happy to learn that he's busy recording a new studio album full of unreleased tunes. And you can watch Jim's in-studio performance on Cleveland's Cox Cable “On Demand” program, Face the Music, Episode 4. Gill is also a talented artist and his website, gillustration.com, features his artwork, illustrations and writing.

In the words of Cuyahoga Falls venue owner, Kelly Steele, “It’s almost not fair to be so musically talented and flat out hilarious at the same time!” Be sure to check out Jim Gill for yourself in Lakewood Public Library’s auditorium on Sunday, February 22 at 2 p.m.