How a St. Xavier art teacher changed the life of My Morning Jacket’s lead singer

My Morning Jacket lead singer, Jim James, opened up in a recent interview about someone who changed his life.

That person was a ceramics teacher during his senior year at St. Xavier High School in Louisville.

Speaking with Courier Journal, James said, “Art saved my life. I grew up feeling like I didn’t fit in, no matter where I turned, not with the jocks, the hippies, not with the punk rockers. I was an outcast, but Nina Dimke encouraged my creativity and my self-expression. She was the only teacher I had between preschool and college who said it was OK to just be myself.”

The Louisville natives have put out seven studio albums to date over the last 20 years. On top of those full band releases, James has released three solo records.

Check out the full interview here.