
This lyrical multigenerational musician's tale marks veteran newspaperman
Williams's impressive first novel. Luther Gaunt is the young front man
and lyricist for the rock-'n'-roll band Long Gone Daddies, their name
derived from an early Hank Williams song. Luther comes from a family of
talented but frustrated musicians. His grandfather Malcolm, "a white man
could sing black," was fatally shot in a married woman's bed, and his
father, who took after his father when it came to women, stuck around
just long enough to teach his son guitar chords. Inspired by his
family's colorful musical tradition, Luther views his destiny as making
it big without losing his integrity and finds a willing ally when Delia
Shook and her "endless legs" joins the band. A femme fatale fired with
ambition, she seduces Luther, usurps control of Long Gone Daddies, and
coerces Luther to write her the megahit song, "I Don't Melt," just in
time for a transformative gig in Memphis. The historical backdrop,
including a cameo by young Elvis as a busboy, adds delightful texture
and rich depth to Williams's fictional account of the early days of rock
'n' roll.