Hachette Books have announced the March release of Truckload of Art the definitive, deep-dive, authorized, and first-ever biography of Terry Allen, the internationally acclaimed visual artist and iconoclastic musician whose work bridges the disparate worlds of contemporary art and country music.
With humor and critical acumen, author Brendan Greaves deftly recounts how Allen built a cult following with pioneering records like Lubbock (on everything) (1979)— widely considered an archetype of alternative country— and multiyear, multimedia bodies of richly narrative, interconnected art and theatrical works, including JUAREZ (ongoing since 1968), hailed as among the most significant statements in the history of American vernacular music and conceptual art.
Released by Paradise of Bachelors in conjunction with the biography is the Gonna California EP of Allen’s long-lost first studio recordings, captured with a full band in LA in 1968. Limited to 500 vinyl copies, the EP features recently rediscovered and remastered early mixes of both songs; the original liner notes by Allen; an excerpt from the book; a lyrics insert; and Allen’s contemporaneous visual art in an arresting gatefold jacket.
Also coming from Paradise of Bachelors is the first digital release of the four-song Cowboy and the Stranger EP, comprising the first recording, in 2018, of a song written in 1969 and three solo demo recordings dating to 1968—previously available only on a 2019 limited-edition cassette.
Truckload of Art is available for pre-order from Hachette Books now
There is also a limited bundle of Truckload of Art and the Gonna California EP available for pre-order from Paradise of Bachelors