Details
Paul Thorn and Webb Wilder LIVE on Saturday, June 27, 2025.
Doors: 6:30 PM, Show: 7:30 PM | The Ellis Theater, Philadelphia, MS
All Ages
About Paul Thorn
Paul Thorn has spent over 30 years crafting songs that reflect the wisdom of simplicity, often turning everyday stories into soulful, tightly written anthems. A former professional boxer, Thorn brings a minimalist style to his songwriting, where heartfelt messages like “life is a vapor, let’s live it while we can” hit with the precision of a punch. His new album, Life is Just a Vapor, continues his tradition of delivering life lessons with humor, warmth, and clarity, offering comfort and resilience through tracks like “Old Melodies” and “Tough Times Don’t Last.”
Raised in Tupelo, Mississippi, with gospel roots shaped by his Pentecostal preacher father, Thorn’s early experiences in church and with a ventriloquist dummy named Ricky sparked a lifelong love of storytelling. Many of his songs stem from real people and moments, like “Geraldine and Ricky,” inspired by a traveling evangelist, or “Wait,” a commentary on modern dating. He co-writes with longtime collaborators like Billy Maddox and Chuck Cannon, always aiming to capture universal truths in personal tales.
The album balances humor and vulnerability, from the funky, reflective “Chicken Wing” to the poignant “Old Melodies,” which reflects on aging and enduring love. Thorn also draws from personal and family struggles, as in a story about his father’s grief that inspired a shift from “Amazing Grace” to “We Shall Overcome.” These deeply human moments speak to Thorn’s ability to blend wit and emotional depth, a skill inspired by his late mentor and friend, John Prine.
Thorn honors Prine’s legacy not just in spirit, but in song — most notably in the title track, which recalls sharing ice cream with Prine in a hotel room, a moment turned lyric, turned lesson. The phrase “Life is a vapor” captures the fleeting nature of time, a theme Thorn returns to with heartfelt urgency throughout the album. As he says, “I’m just trying to put out a good body of work that will be remembered like John’s music.” With Life is Just a Vapor, he may well have done just that.
About Webb Wilder
Webb Wilder was ‘Americana’ before it had a name, and is bonafide Roots Rock Royalty. He’s made albums ranging from the very roots of Rock and Roll to some of its “crunchier” Classic Rock cousins – Outlaw Country, straight-up Blues, bits of Brit Rock, Rockabilly, Southern Rock and all points in between. Hillbilly Speedball is the 13th album in the Hattiesburg, Miss. native’s long and storied career. His nearly four decades in the public eye have included stints with major labels, MTV airplay, induction in the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame, a star of his own cult classic films, and being one of the first national DJs at a then-upstart XM Satellite Radio. He’s logged thousands of miles of blacktop and many frequent flyer miles taking his brand of ‘Uneasy Listening’ music around the world to enthusiastic audiences.
Hillbilly Speedball was produced with an extended family of heavyweights. World class acclaimed guitarist, David Grissom, a frequent WW collaborator, returns not only to play but also penned the title cut. Other notable guests include Vince Gill (who Wilder calls, “the world’s most down to Earth super-star”), iconic Wrecking Crew session man Richard Bennett, Fats Kaplin (ex-Jack White), and more.
Webb Wilder brings us Americana Rock and Roll in the purest sense, and his live shows and albums are a joyride worth taking again and again.