John Mellencamp, Stephen King Announce ‘Ghost Brothers of Darkland County’ Album
An unlikelier musical collaboration could only be imagined by the author himself. John Mellencamp and Stephen King (with help from T Bone Burnett) have come together to write and record a soundtrack for a near-finished musical called 'Ghost Brothers of Darkland County.' The star-studded album will be available on March 13, 2013. It's not clear when and if the musical will make its full-scale debut.
Sheryl Crow dominates the soundtrack, but other famous faces attached to the music include Elvis Costello, Kris Kristofferson, Taj Mahal and actors Matthew McConaughey and Meg Ryan. King wrote the the musical with Mellencamp over 13 years, after hearing about a cabin on the rocker's property in Indiana.
"He tuned my guitar and told me about this ghost story about a cabin he owned," the author tells Rolling Stone about a trip Mellencamp took to visit with him in Florida. "I loved the idea they were brothers, and then years later history repeats itself. Something in that resonated with me deeply."
The legend of the cabin is that two brothers fought over a girl there and one brother killed the other. A short time later the other brother was killed in a car crash with the girl. King and Mellencamp's narrative takes place in Lake Belle Reve, Miss., with two sets of brothers -- one dead, one alive -- telling a similar story. Each singer on the soundtrack is playing a character from the musical, with Costello playing the Devil.
While a version of the production was performed in Atlanta earlier this year, King has his eyes on Broadway, or even the movies. "I'd love to see that," he says. "One of the other reasons that I did that is that I'm a total whore for musicals. I love Nicole Kidman in 'Moulin Rouge,' 'Bugsy Malone.' You name it and I just love it! It appeals to a sentimental side of me."
Look for the soundtrack in numerous formats, including a deluxe edition that includes a 'Making of Ghost Brothers' DVD with interviews with King, Mellencamp and producer Burnett. Listen to Costello sing 'That's Me' Here.
'Ghost Brothers of Darkland County' Track Listing:
1. Elvis Costello, 'That's Me'
2. Neko Case, 'That's Who I Am'
3. Dave Alvin, Phil Alvin, Sheryl Crow, 'So Goddamn Smart'
4. Elvis Costello, 'Wrong, Wrong, Wrong About Me'
5. Frank and Drake, 'Brotherly Love'
6. Kris Kristofferson, 'How Many Days'
7. Ryan Bingham, 'You Are Blind'
8. Sherly Crow, Dave Alvin, Phil Alvin, Taj Mahal, 'Home Agina'
9. Roseanne Cash, 'What's Going On Here'
10. Clyde Mulroney, 'My Name Is Joe'
11. Taj Mahal, 'Tear This Cabin Down'
12. Sherly Crow, Dave Alvin, Phil Alvin, 'And Your Days Are Gone'
13. Sherly Crow, 'Jukin''
14. Kris Kristofferson, Phil Alvin, Dave Alvin, Sheryl Crow, Taj Mahal, 'What Kind of Man Am I'
15. Phil Alvin, Dave Alvin, Sheryl Crow, 'So Goddamn Good'
16. Sheryl Crow, 'Away From This World'
17. John Mellencamp, 'Truth'