Culture
NMF ’18: Talking Sister Rosetta, Revival Tents, and God With Paul Thorn
By: Emily Votaw
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Born and raised in Tupelo, Mississippi, the birthplace of another musician who played with themes of redemption, sex, and God in their music and performance, Paul Thorn has been playing music for a higher purpose ever since he started playing the tambourine in his father’s Pentecostal services at the age of three.
He’s been a professional boxer, performed on stage with the likes of Bonnie Raitt, John Prine, Jeff Beck and many others, and, most recently, crafted “Don’t Let the Devil Ride,” an album which stars the likes of the Blind Boys of Alabama, the McCrary Sisters, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and Bonnie Bishop. The record explores some of the gospel tunes that shaped the Paul Thorn we know today.
Thorn will perform as a part of Mission Temple Fireworks Revival at the 2018 Nelsonville Music Festival on Sunday, June 3. Mission Temple Fireworks Revival consists of Thorn’s own band, as well as the internationally lauded gospel kings The Blind Boys of Alabama.
WOUB’s Emily Votaw spoke to Thorn about his musical roots, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and the glory of revival tent imagery.