James McMurtry

Texas songwriter James McMurtry specializes in rough-hewn characters — from a meth cooker to a disabled veteran forced to panhandle. His sprawling stories and salt-of-the-earth narrators recall the books of his father, Larry McMurtry, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Lonesome Dove. The younger McMurtry uses country-leaning roots rock to champion the working class and embrace progressive populism, pairing biting lyrics with sharp Americana hooks. The result is an unflinching look at desperation under pressure.