Mark Collie announces ‘Book of My Blues’ album

New single “Born Ready” available now

Country music icon and trailblazer, Mark Collie has announced the release of his new album Book of My Blues set for June 4th on CD and 2 LP via BFD/Audium Nashville/Orchard in association with Harvest Entertainment, Creator Label Co., and Collie Kuhl Music. The first single, “Born Ready” is available on all digital services along with an accompanying video that is one of a series of music videos from the album directed by acclaimed director and screenwriter Jonathan Hensleigh and shot by award-winning cinematographer Tom Stern.

The themes in the album are those of love, lust, betrayal, addiction, recovery, damnation, and redemption are derived from the
graphic novel Rockabilly Hitman, a long-gestating collaboration between Collie and director Hensleigh (The Punisher, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Armageddon and the soon-to-be-released Ice Road starring Liam Neeson) that depicts the exploits of rockabilly singer Jesse Wayne Hardin, who by night is an avenger of evil, as he travels the hard backroads from Muscle Shoals to Memphis, from the Mississippi Delta to Music City.

“Writing songs from the perspective of this character has been an enlightening journey. Some of my life experiences are in that character and I have stood at many of those same crossroads,” commented Collie. “Every line and nuance is intended to help bring Jesse Wayne and the Book of My Blues to life. There are a lot of ways to describe the music, maybe roadhouse rock, Southern Gothic, Americana, country, but at its core it’s a reflection of me and many others who came before me.”

The album features 12 original songs written or co-written by Collie, plus three rockabilly classics – “Hey Boba Lou” by Ronnie Hawkins, Jacqueline Magill and Robbie Robertson of The Band fame, “Night Train to Memphis” written by Country Music Hall of Fame member Owen Bradley along with Marvin Hughes and Beasley Smith, and the rockabilly standard by Carl Perkins, “Matchbox.” The album was coproduced by Kenny Greenberg (whose producer credits include Allison Moore, Josh Turner, Toby Keith and the Mavericks) and Chad Cromwell (whose credits include his work with Joe Walsh, Neil Young, Willie
Nelson and Boz Scaggs).

The co-writers with Collie reads as a who’s who of songwriter elite, including Collie’s long-time friend Billy Bob Thornton who combines with him on the title cut, Tom Douglas, Gary Nicholson and John Scott Sherill, as well as Jonathan Hensleigh and co-producers Greenberg and Cromwell.

1. Book of My Blues with Billy Bob Thornton
2. Born Ready
3. On the Wings of Your Love
4. Right This Wrong
R. Matchbox
5. Holly Springs
6. Unfinished Hurting
7. Queen of A Hungry Heart
8. Sinking Sand
H. Hey Boba Lou)
9. Put the Gun Down
10. Walk the Floor, Kill the Lights, Slam the Door
11. A Little Every Day
12. The Son of a Gun

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn

Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites. Email: info@themusicuniverse.com