Red State Balladeer

Country music balladeer James McMurtry comes with about as distinguished a pedigree as anyone from Texas could have: he is the son of American novelist laureate Larry McMurtry. His father gave him a guitar at age 5 and he took off from there. What I love about McMurtry (tip of the hat to the musically voracious J.B. White) is that he combines his father's narrative genius with great honky-tonk licks.

He writes about the great shrinking and breaking heartland of America with poignancy and wit.

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