MUSIC

Dosey Doe Coffee House presents Paul Thorn.

Inveterate storyteller Paul Thorn credits his gift of gab to being the son of a Pentecostal preacher. "You get to know how to get along with almost everybody. You just have to sit down and start getting to know one another." Thorn has a lot about himself to tell. One would expect to hear great stories from a guy who boxed Roberto "Hands of Stone" Duran on national television, made chairs for a living, skydives for fun, had his first singing gig at age three, and who happens to be one of the South's finest songwriters. Paul Thorn doesn't disappoint.

Thorn started down his music path when he was not long out of diapers. Like most, Thorn paid his dues over the next 12 years. Working in a furniture factory by day, he played out his musical passions by night. While performing at a Tupelo pizza joint, he was discovered by the legendary manager Miles Copeland.

Thorn writes and performs songs taken from life - good times, bad times, and everything in between. His songs are often constructed on the universal themes of love, loss, and yearning. But far from ever sounding commonplace, Thorn is able to weave in a slightly loopy Southern sense of the unexpected that draws you in and never lets go. Musically, Thorn takes his rootsy style of gospel infused rock to a more refined place. Son of a Church of God minister, professional boxer, factory worker, skydiver, songwriter supreme - Paul Thorn has done it all.

Photo by Bob Hakins.