A native of New Orleans, Tim Laughlin fell in love with the sound of the clarinet before he ever held one after hearing a childhood friend practicing his clarinet. He was nine when he received his first horn and shortly after became hooked on jazz after hearing it on the radio.His first job was on a Mardi Gras float when he was only fifteen. After finishing high school he began working around town and eventually joined the musicians union where he would meet and perform with some of his most influential mentors.He has recorded a dozen solo CDs among which "The Isle of Orleans" (2003) is an award-winning collection of Laughlin originals. With this, he was the first and only New Orleans clarinetist to ever write and record an entire album of originals. The success of this CD caught the attention of "Music Minus One" and prompted Laughlin to license the master for the 2004 issue, along with "New Orleans Classics." The CDs in the two publications include hand-picked musicians with whom students of all ages can play along. As Hurricane Katrina brought her devastation on the Gulf Coast, Laughlin and his band drove overnight to catch their flight and perform at a festival in South America. From there, they watched the aftermath of what was to become the worst natural disaster in US history. Just a week after, the US State Department asked Tim to perform a one month goodwill "thank you" tour in Peru, Mexico and Canada. All had given aid to Katrina evacuees. The October 2005 tour included public concerts, benefits and master classes to elementary, middle and high school student as well as college students. With the students, the band performed and discussed the relevance and importance of their instruments and New Orleans Jazz, Benefits included one in Merida, Mexico, raising over $30,000 to help replace instrument and equipment for the New Orleans Center For the Creative Arts. In 2009, Laughlin along with his good friend Pete Fountain opened the legendary Blue Room at the newly renovated Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans, quickly selling out both nights. Today, you can catch Tim at some of his favorite clubs in New Orleans such as The Bombay Club, The Palm Court, Snug Harbor and The Windsor Court Hotel. Tim and his wife Juliet live on Royal Street in the French Quarter. They enjoy hosting small parties and jam sessions or salons for friends and visitors, keeping the old New Orleans tradition of "open house."