Southern raconteur Paul Thorn and his crack band, plus five-time Grammy award-winning gospel icons the Blind Boys of Alabama, are critically-acclaimed artists raised in the church, combining for a special blend of rock, gospel, blues and country. Joining together for the first time in a wide-ranging and inspiring musical package, the Mission Temple Fireworks Revival is a unique experience blending music that not only spans genres, but generations as well.

The impetus for this package is Paul Thorn’s recently released old-school gospel album, ‘Don’t Let The Devil Ride.’ Thorn, the former boxer and literal ‘son of a preacher man,’ has often touched on spiritual themes in his songs (as well as penning tunes about strippers, pimps and others on the fringes of society). But he has never released a true gospel album – until the one that came out in March of 2018. All of Paul’s recent albums have placed on Billboard’s Top 100 Album charts and have also had lengthy runs on the Americana Radio charts, and this one is no different – except it also features contributions from the Blind Boys!

And, of course, the Blind Boys release nothing but gospel albums. Their most recent, ‘Almost Home,’ told the story of the band’s two surviving original members through songs written for them by a plethora of great contemporary songwriters.

Paul Thorn and the Blind Boys of Alabama have each garnered kudos for their recordings. But it is their live shows that have propelled these artists’ reputations. Their soulful performances and heartfelt songs of redemption and healing have earned them high praise from fans and critics alike.

On this package, Paul Thorn’s versatile, veteran band will provide backing for an entire night of entertainment. The headliners will each have their moment in the spotlight and also collaborate together in a show that will have the audience  up and stomping their feet. This one-of-a-kind experience will be, as Paul Thorn says, “like taking a 6-pack to church!”

Paul Thorn has created an innovative and impressive career, pleasing crowds with his muscular brand of roots music – bluesy, rocking and thoroughly Southern American, yet also speaking universal truths. Among those who value originality, inspiration, eccentricity and character – as well as talent that hovers somewhere on the outskirts of genius, the story of Paul Thorn is already familiar. Raised in Tupelo, Mississippi, among the same spirits (and some of the actual people) who nurtured the young Elvis generations before, Paul Thorn has rambled down back roads and jumped out of airplanes, worked for years in a furniture factory, battled four-time world champion boxer Roberto Duran on national television, signed with and been dropped by a major label, performed on stages with Bonnie Raitt, Mark Knopfler, Sting, and John Prine among many others, and made some of the most emotionally restless yet fully accessible music of our time. He’s also appeared on major television shows such as Late Night with Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Kimmel Live, been the subject of numerous National Public Radio (NPR) features and charted multiple times on the Billboard Top 100 and Americana Radio Charts. paulthorn.com

The Blind Boys of Alabama are recognized worldwide as living legends of gospel music. Celebrated by The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) with Lifetime Achievement Awards, inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and winners of five Grammy® Awards, they have attained the highest levels of achievement in a career that spans over 70 years. The Blind Boys are known for crossing multiple musical boundaries with their remarkable interpretations of everything from traditional gospel favorites to contemporary spiritual material by songwriters such as Eric Clapton, Prince and Tom Waits. They have appeared on recordings with many artists, including Lou Reed, Peter Gabriel, Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Aaron Neville, Susan Tedeschi, Ben Harper, Patty Griffin and Taj Mahal. The Blind Boys of Alabama have appeared on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, Late Night with David Letterman, The Grammy® Awards, 60 Minutes, The Colbert Report and many other television shows. blindboys.com