With the 1986 release of his first album, Guitar Town, he was at the forefront of a new wave of singer-songwriters who were marketed as country. Probably the most casually evil character is a Roman Catholic bishop, whose concern for politics and hierarchy prevents him from recognizing a miracle of redemption.Įarle is also a musician. Prostitutes and junkies are sympathetic characters. Who are the true saints and who are the true sinners is a main theme. But the tale, set in 1963, also explores issues of sin, grace, redemption and death with parablelike reverses in every chapter. "Write something about a music legend," Earle reports that the publisher urged. On the surface, this volume is Earle's response to his publisher's request for a book-length story similar in tone and themes to his collection of short stories, Doghouse Roses. I've marveled at this gift for years, first in his songs, then in his short stories. Read our latest issue or browse back issues.įor me, that quip summed up the depth of Earle's willingness to tackle scary subjects and his ability to personalize the universal and lend a new perspective, all the while packing every word with layers of meaning.
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