Laura helped singer/songwriter friend Bill Sanner tell the hilarious and heartwarming story of his years in the US Navy Submarine Corps in this rollicking military memoir. Winner of the 2016 AMG Heritage Award for Best Book.





In this hilarious reverse self-help book, Laura and husband/writing partner Pat Reeder offer valuable life lessons illustrated by hundreds of hilarious stories from their radio service, The Comedy Wire. Foreword by Mike Huckabee.





Laura is a proud member of the Indie Collaborative, an organization of independent artists supporting each other and promoting great indie music in all genres. Click the logo to learn more .





日本語のニュースは こちら

Laura Ainsworth’s “Goldfinger” video premieres on Rock and Roll Globe



The James Bond film theme receives a dramatic reworking as lead single of Laura Ainsworth's latest album You Asked For It. On February 5, 2023, online music journal Rock and Roll Globe premiered a sultry new lyric video for Laura’s “Goldfinger” that plays like a 1940s film noir movie.

Rock and Roll Globe is honored to premiere the video for the signature Bond theme originally sung by Shirley Bassey,” stated editor Ron Hart, whose accolades include work with Down Beat, Billboard, Rolling Stone, and many more. The video, created by filmmaker Austin Reed, and follows in a line of award-winning videos from Laura Ainsworth that includes “That’s How I Got My Start” and “Where Did the Magic Go?” (AMG Heritage Awards “Best Music Video,” 2018 and 2019).

“Just as this arrangement of ‘Goldfinger’ doesn’t reference Bond themes, I wanted the video to avoid specific visual references to Bond as well,” Laura said concerning the video. “I was unexpectedly thrilled to see that Austin had met the challenge; the video turned out exactly right.”

“GOLDFINGER” is Track 3 on Laura’s new studio album You Asked For It, a collection of familiar songs requested by Laura's fans. The 12-song mini-LP CD version (released in Japan only by Ratspack Records) features a 24 x 36 cm poster suitable for framing, lyric sheet, full-color picture CD, and an extra track “As Time Goes By.” It is available on Laura Ainsworth’s Bandcamp page.



Laura’s first holiday single “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” released

On Thursday, October 6, 2022, Laura entered the studio at the request of her publicist XO Publicity to record “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” her first non-parody Christmas / holiday-themed song.

Laura recorded “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” featuring Judy Garland’s original lyrics as presented in the movie Meet Me In St. Louis (1944).

The track features her longtime collaborator Brian Piper on piano and arrangements and You Asked For It bassist Young Heo on string bass. It was recorded at Crystal Clear Studios in Dallas with Kent Stump engineering. The track was released on digital formats December 3 and has been receiving ample radio airplay and positive fan response.

You can watch Laura’s festive YouTube video for the song below:




You Asked For It (11-song edition) released in the US November 18


On November 18, 2022, Laura’s fourth studio album You Asked For It was released to the United States and the rest of the world outside of Japan and South Korea. This album features songs requested by Laura’s fans, with the backup band recorded live in the studio. The album was released to South Korea on digital formats May 27 via Music Island, and to Japan on mini-LP CD and digital formats July 15 via Ratspack Records.

The US/international version of You Asked For It features 11 songs and is available on MP3 and streaming formats. Please see Laura's HearNow page for a complete list of availability.

Publicity is handled by XO Publicity, whose clientele list includes Westbound Records (Funkadelic, Ohio Players), Light In The Attic Records and ORG Music to name a few. Kate Smith Promotions is conducting a targeted radio campaign at the same time.



You Asked For It and Top Shelf Japanese mini-LP CD’s available on Bandcamp November 18

Also on November 18, the deluxe Japanese mini-LP CD’s of You Asked For It and Top Shelf were released to the US and internationally via Bandcamp.

You Asked For It includes the extra track “As Time Goes By,” which is not available on the US/ international release.

The album also includes liner notes by Laura, full lyrics, a 24 cm x 36 cm poster suitable for framing, and a Japanese obi strip, all housed in a paper jacket the resembles a tiny vinyl LP.

Top Shelf is a 16-track best-of Laura’s first three studio albums (Keep It To Yourself, Necessary Evil and New Vintage) released to Japan September 2021. The album includes the otherwise unreleased track “You’d Be Surprised” (an outtake from the Necessary Evil sessions), as well as a full-color 16-page booklet with rare photos of Laura; extensive liner notes and song notes; a full lyric sheet; a Japanese obi strip and a paper sleeve that looks like a small version of the Top Shelf 10-song vinyl LP released in 2017.

Both albums feature warm, vinyl-like mastering from Jessica Thompson, who is Grammy®-nominated for her work on Erroll Garner’s The Complete Concert By the Sea (2015).

Order You Asked For It and Top Shelf mini-LP CD’s on Bandcamp. Top Shelf is also available on Bandcamp as a 15-track digital release that excludes “You’d Be Surprised.”



End of the year accolades: “Best of the Best” Lineup and Most Read Review


In November 2022, Laura received two very special accolades. In Sydney, Australia, Laura’s “Goldfinger” single was selected as part of the end-of-the-year “Best of the Best” roundup in the long-running syndicated radio show Koop Kooper’s Cocktail Nation. Cocktail Nation debuted the “Goldfinger” single in May, and has been playing it regularly since. The “Best Of The Best” lineup also features tiki artists Kenny Sasaki & the Tiki Boys and The Tiki Delights, whom Laura appeared with on the 2021 Vintage and tiki music compilation This is Vintage Now Vol. 2. Listen to the “Best of the Best” show here; track lineup is here.

Also, in November 2021 journalist Eric Harabadian (Down Beat) wrote an excellent review of Laura’s Japanese import CD Top Shelf for the American music blog Geoff Wilbur Music Blog. The review went on to be the most-read review on the blog for three months straight. One year later, the Geoff Wilbur Music Blog announced that the Top Shelf review is now the most-read review in the blog’s entire seven-year history. Thank you to Eric and Geoff for his fantastic piece of publicity! You can read that review here.



You Asked For It + remastered Laura Ainsworth studio catalog released to South Korea


On May 27, Laura’s fourth studio album You Asked For It was released to South Korea via South Korean music distribution giant Music_Island on MP3 and streaming. On October 4, Music Island followed up with South Korean releases of remastered editions of Laura's first three studio albums Keep It To Yourself, Necessary Evil and New Vintage, along with the compilation album This is Vintage Now Vol. 2 which the Laura Ainsworth song “An Occasional Man” appears on. Laura’s Music Island releases can be seen in the Korean streaming platform Melon.

The Laura Ainsworth catalog is part of a 28-volume set of albums being released to South Korea that includes classic albums by ex-Benny Goodman singers Monica Lewis and Jane Harvey, as well as contemporary Vintage artists Alika Lyman Group (nephew of exotica legend Arthur Lyman), Skip Heller (Robert Drasnin), Tim Mayer (Waitiki 7), The Tiki Delights, Toronto-based singer Linda Carone, and Dallas-based cult act The Necro Tonz. Music Island released all of these albums in October, with plans to promote them in earnest beginning in November.



Released to Japan July 15: You Asked For It + remastered Laura Ainsworth studio catalog

Laura Ainsworth’s long-awaited fourth studio album You Asked For It was released in Japan on July 15, 2022 by her Japanese distributor Ratspack Records. The album is a departure from Laura’s usual fare, featuring well-known songs requested by her fans, and with instrumentation recorded live in the studio instead of multi-tracked.

Highlights include Laura’s renditions of “Cry Me A River” and “Over The Rainbow” as well as an unusual take on the classic Shirley Bassey / James Bond song “Goldfinger.”

You Asked For It was mastered by engineer Jessica Thompson, who is Grammy®-nominated for her work on Errol Garner’s The Complete Concert By The Sea (2015). It was released on deluxe 12-song mini-LP CD, MP3 and streaming.

The July 15 Japanese release of You Asked For It was also accompanied by the release of remastered editions of Laura's first three studio albums Keep It To Yourself (2011), Necessary Evil (2013), and New Vintage (2017) on digital (MP3 and streaming formats) only. These remasters were also handled by Jessica Thompson, and bring a vinyl-like warmth to the Laura Ainsworth back catalog.



“Crucial for jazz vocal fans”—Rave reviews for Laura Ainsworth’s Top Shelf CD

Since its September 15 Japanese release, Laura Ainsworth’s Top Shelf CD has collected an impressive set of positive reviews in Japan and in the USA.

Jazz Critique Vol. 224 ran not one, but two positive reviews on Top Shelf, declaring Laura “crucial for jazz vocal fans” and Top Shelf “irresistible for 1920s–1950s retro standard lovers.” Jazz Japan Vol. 134 likewise hailed Laura’s “silky, vibrant voice” that “conveys elegantly the beauty of the standards.”

Other Japanese periodicals that have reviewed Top Shelf positively include CD Journal (one of the top 20 entertainment magazines in Japan) and The Walker’s Vol. 66. Online publications in Japan that have spoken highly of the album include PJ Portrait In Jazz and Music Pen Club. And the lifestyle magazine Hiakara ran two announcement articles for Top Shelf, one in their regular magazine and one in their Hiakara EST insert that is included in the national Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun.

In the United States, longtime jazz journalist Eric Harabadian (Down Beat) praised Top Shelf‘s packaging and track selection, calling Laura “a brilliant interpreter of song” whose “gossamer phrasing brings a unique personality to each song.” More details are included in this press release.



Top Shelf expanded CD released to Japan

Laura Ainsworth’s 2017 best-of album Top Shelf has been released on CD September 15, 2021, as a Japanese import with distribution by Ratspack Records. The CD edition features an expanded and revamped track lineup with six extra tracks, including the previously unreleased song “You’d Be Surprised” (an outtake from the Necessary Evil sessions). It also features a warm, vinyl-like remaster courtesy of Grammy-nominated engineer Jessica Thompson, best known for her work on Erroll Garner’s The Complete Concert by the Sea (2015) reissue. The album is a “mini-LP CD” that looks like a miniature version of the 2017 Top Shelf LP, and includes a 16-page booklet with detailed liner notes. This is an excellent “point of entry” for people new to Laura’s music, as well as an opportunity for longtime fans to hear Laura’s music in a new way. The CD is available on Laura’s Bandwear site to international (non-Japanese) purchasers.





Goa Chillout Zone Vol. 10 featuring Laura’s “The Man I Love Is Gone” charts in iTunes UK and France


On May 2021, “The Man I Love Is Gone,” the only self-written track that Laura has recorded to date, was featured as Track 2 on the compilation album Goa Chillout Zone Vol. 10 released by WOA International. The album promptly charted at #2 in the iTunes UK electronic charts and at #6 in iTunes France’s electronic charts. The album marks a return to the series, as Laura’s “Out of This World” was featured on Goa Chillout Zone Vol. 5 (2013) and the popularity of the track led to a tour of India and Dubai.

Goa Chillout Zone Vol. 10 is available for streaming on Spotify and Apple Music .



Laura Ainsworth LP/CD sales move to Bandwear; new T-shirt designs launched (US)



With the advent of CD Baby shutting down their online CD store, Laura Ainsworth has moved direct sales of her physical albums to Bandwear. All three studio CD’s plus the 180 gram compilation LP Top Shelf are available direct at Laura’s Bandwear Store.

Laura also has two new T-shirt designs available at Bandwear. One features the Top Shelf LP, and the other features the Necessary Evil album. The T-shirts can be purchased by themselves for $30 USD + shipping, or bundled with the full Laura Ainsworth album discography for $75 + shipping, at the links below:

- Top Shelf T-shirt at Bandwear
- Top Shelf T-shirt + full discography bundle at Bandwear

- Necessary Evil T-shirt at Bandwear
- Necessary Evil T-shirt + full discography bundle at Bandwear



Ratspack Records distributing Laura Ainsworth for Japan




Beginning in 2020, Ratspack Records will be the exclusive distributor of Laura Ainsworth’s albums in Japan. On March 25, they will simultaneously release to Japan the studio CD’s Necessary Evil (2013) and New Vintage (2017), along with the 180g compilation LP Top Shelf (2017). Laura’s debut studio CD Keep It to Yourself (2011) will follow, with a release date of April 22.

Click here for more information in Ratspack Records’ “News” section (in Japanese).




“Where Did The Magic Go” Wins “Best Video” Honors

At the 2019 Artists Music Guild Heritage Awards hosted by Regina Belle, Laura Ainsworth’s “Where Did The Magic Go” was honored as Video of the Year.

This song beautifully summarizes Laura’s mission of bringing the elegance, class and romance of the last century into today. While Tony Bennett's original was a nostalgic look back by someone who lived through that fabulous musical era, Laura’s is from the viewpoint of a younger person who longs to revive it. The video includes many of her idols, including a special tribute to her big band genius dad, Billy Ainsworth, who formed her musical tastes. How many of her icons can you recognize? Watch to the very end for a special surprise!





Three-award sweep of 2018 AMG Heritage Awards

On November 10, 2018, at a ceremony in Monroe, NC, hosted by Thelma Houston and taped for national broadcast, Laura Ainsworth was honored with three Artists Music Guild Heritage Awards out of five nominations.

She received the awards for Album of the Year (New Vintage), Video of the Year ("That's How I Got My Start") and Female Vocalist of the Year. AMG founder and multi-award-winning Christian music artist David L. Cook quipped that it was "the year of Laura Ainsworth!"

Laura wishes to express her deepest thanks to the AMG, a non-profit group dedicated to mentoring indie artists and supporting music education for kids. The AMG Heritage Awards are chosen by industry professionals from samples submitted by nominees, with results based solely on qualify of music, not fame, promo budget or major label affiliation, which makes the awards even more meaningful.