Benjamin Myers (Writer | Benjamin Myers) is a writer and journalist who grew up in County Durham. He formed the punk rock band Sour Face whilst at school. Rare Singles (2024) is his ninth publication.
The novel takes place over a single weekend in Scarborough. Earlon ‘Bucky’ Bronco is a forgotten singer from Chicago who, 40 years ago, had the merest glimpse of success, but things ever since have been disappointing. If, back then, he traded in soul music, now his life is very much a depiction of the blues: increasingly at odds with the modern world, grieving his late wife and hooked on prescription drugs. Just when he convinces himself that, like all good bluesmen, his future comprises nothing but sepia-tinged memories and an expectant grave plot, he receives an unlikely invitation: to headline a soul weekender in Yorkshire, which, he has it on good authority, is somewhere over the sea, in England. It is a place, he presumes, of kings and queens, cups of tea, country houses and cucumber sandwiches on the lawn.
This is a memorable story about the power of music and friendship to bring about reconciliation, healing and fulfilment. It carries the tones of humour and optimism we need in these grim times in 2026.
This was listed as a GUARDIAN book to look out for in 2024.
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224 pages in Bloomsbury Circus
First published 2024
ISBN-13 : 978-1526671905
Ben Myers