Paul Thorn: Poet and Prophet of the Unheard.

The first thing you notice is The Voice, unique and distinctive, the voice of a man who has walked a long, hot span over dusty Mississippi country roads. At times soulful, raw, melancholy, brazen, funky, circumspect, serene, brooding, and mutinous, the voice expresses the range of human emotions, from forlorn grimness to incandescent optimism. And after repeated listens, you realize that his is not merely the voice of a poet but also of a merciful prophet, a summation not unjustified. Those who follow the career of Paul Thorn believe he is both.

Thorn’s latest CD is A LONG WAY FROM TUPELO, a collection of songs which once again illustrates Thorn’s versatility and authentic connection to the music of the Mississippi heartland: blues, country, gospel, rhythm and blues, and rock ‘n’ roll. Thorn excels as a musical storyteller. Maybe, given his background, he just can’t help it. His songs are conduits for that gritty part of the South where beleaguered wisdom is as likely from the bottom of a bottle of Johnny Walker Red as it is from the pulpit of an old country church. And the latest Paul Thorn CD remains true to form.

Prophets are called and poets are born so it’s no surprise that Paul Thorn is from Tupelo, Mississippi, the same music-drenched region that gave us Elvis. The son of a Pentecostal preacher, Paul grew up shaking his leg and tambourine while singing in his father’s revivals.

Paul recorded his first CD, HAMMER AND NAIL, for A&M records, then recorded AINT LOVE STRANGE for Miles Copeland’s Ark 21 label. A couple of years later, Thorn switched musical gears and record companies to record the critically acclaimed MISSION TEMPLE FIREWORKS STAND, a quirky collection of songs about people on the byways of backwater South. In 2005, Thorn followed up with ARE YOU WITH ME, 12 songs about love gone wrong - and right.

If listening to a Paul Thorn CD is satisfying, then catching a Paul Thorn show is a revelation. He is a superb entertainer fronting a band of musical veterans who know exactly what to do. He weaves his stories throughout; mostly funny ones about himself, people he has known, old girlfriends, and childhood discoveries. And his conversational tones conjure an old buddy sitting in the back of a ’69 Dodge pickup drinking beer on a dark, sultry Mississippi night.

His performance chops are no accident. Thorn is one of the hardest working people in the business and a hardcore veteran of the road. Before he became the main attraction, Thorn opened for some of the most established acts touring today including Mark Knopfler, Jeff Beck, Sting, John Hiatt, Robert Cray, Marianne Faithful and John Prine. His tours are heavy and hectic, spanning over 200 dates a year in the United States and Canada.

Please visit www.paulthorn.com or www.myspace.com/paulthorn for more information.