What do you think?
Rate this book
Long Gone Daddies
“A book full of wild music and generous imagining. Read it slowly. You’ll love it.”
—Richard Bausch, author of Something Is Out There and winner of the PEN/Malamud Award
—Richard Bausch, author of Something Is Out There and winner of the PEN/Malamud Award
All his life, Luther Gaunt has heard songs in his head—songs of sweet evil and blue ruckus, odes to ghosts, drinking hymns. In search of his past, he hits the road with his band, the Long Gone Daddies, and his grandfather’s cursed guitar, Cassie.
While his band mates just want to make it big when they get to Memphis, Luther retraces the steps of his father and grandfather, who each made the same journey with the same guitar years earlier. Malcolm Gaunt could have been Elvis—that white man who could sing black—except his rounder’s ways got him shot before he could strike that first note for Sam Phillips at Sun Records. At least that’s what Luther’s father—Malcolm’s son—always told him before he made like smoke when fame came calling and disappeared down south, too.
As Luther discovers the truth about the two generations of musicians that came before him, he must face the ghosts of history, the temptations of the road, and the fame cravings of a seriously treacherous woman named Delia, who, it turns out, can sing like an angel forsaken.
Long Gone Daddies is lyrically written but accessible as a hook-filled favorite song and proves that the people who struggle the most are invariably the most interesting—the most noble—whether they succeed or not.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
273 people want to read
About the author
David Wesley Williams
7 books23 followersDavid Wesley Williams is the author of the novels COME AGAIN NO MORE (available now) and EVERYBODY KNOWS (2023), both from JackLeg Press, and LONG GONE DADDIES (John F. Blair, Publisher, 2013). His short fiction has appeared in the Oxford American, Kenyon Review Online, Akashic Books' MEMPHIS NOIR, Harper Perennial's FORTY STORIES, and such journals as The Common and The Pinch.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
April 30, 2013
As close to folding Memphis up inside the pages of a novel as I've ever seen. Beautiful language, even when it's ugly. Read this book, y'all.
March 13, 2013
I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a great story with fine language and depth. This novel follows three generations of musicians who all shared the same guitar. The grandson and main character, Luther Gaunt, is on his way to Memphis with his band, the Long Gone Daddies, when they pick up a dangerous and attractive woman named Delia, who wants something from Luther - something Luther is not sure he wants to give, but he may not have a choice. The story of each of the Gaunt men intertwine throughout the narrative as Luther struggles to understand his past and fight his family's legacy of the "almost famous" musician. In the process, Luther just might be the first Gaunt man to survive with his soul in tact. On top of discovering another great gem of a novel, I loved reading about the music and musicians from the area where I grew up.
March 6, 2013
This is a story about Luther Gaunt, John Gaunt, and Malcolm Gaunt, three generations who all played the same guitar, Cassie. Luther is on a journey that his father, and his grandfather took many years ago. He searches for the truth, on what actually happened to his grandfather, and why he never made it to Sun Records to cut his own record, they say he could have been the next greatest thing. Luther's father also was lost down south. As Luther goes through his own journey of shows with the Long Gone Daddies, his group's name, he learns about what happened to his father.
This was a well written book that takes you through Memphis and other parts of the South. The book is written like song lyrics which I found really engaging.
I received a copy of this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
This was a well written book that takes you through Memphis and other parts of the South. The book is written like song lyrics which I found really engaging.
I received a copy of this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
May 27, 2013
This was a fun book to read! I was fascinated by the story of the three generations of the Gaunt men and the power that music, especially the guitar named Cassie, had over them. Most of the story took place in Memphis, and it was fun to read about places I've been and people I know. If you love music, you need to read this book!
April 26, 2013
Long Gone Daddies is a book dripping with the blues. Luther Gaunt has blues in his blood and songs in his head. I loved the descriptions of the music and the people who made it. Reading this and feeling the love that Williams has for the blues makes me want to hear all the the songs and singers he mentions; Johnny Cash, Furry Lewis, Howlin' Wolf, Charley Patton - the list goes on and on.
May 14, 2013
This was a great book! The book is able to be read quickly, however, once may not be enough! I was pulled in quickly and stayed hooked start to finish. The characters are greatly developed and easy to connect with. I recommend!
I received this book through Goodreads first read!
I received this book through Goodreads first read!
May 20, 2013
Long Gone Daddies by David Wesley Williams is an excellent book. I love the characters in the book. They are like real people that I know. I received a book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
April 8, 2013
Lyrical prose, a charming protagonist, a tangled family story. David Wesley Williams weaves a winning story.
May 10, 2013
Brilliant writing......poetic, thoughtful, funny & filled with the music of the blues, rockabilly, country & rock and roll.....a hymn to Memphis.
August 25, 2025
The style of writing was really enjoyable and there was a lot of good music trivia in the book. I didn’t feel like the story itself made a complete story as much as I had hoped. There wasn’t enough rise and fall in the energy of the story.
June 6, 2016
For those of us (like me) who *LOVE* to read, we yearn to find the great books hidden within the mountains of good books. These great finds, these new favorites, have all had something different that's special about them. Something that elevates them. In this particular case, David Wesley Williams gives us a novel that's a blues song and dessert all wrapped up into one. Long Gone Daddies is both the name of the book, and the name of Luther's struggling blues band. He is bound and determined to follow in the footsteps of his Granddaddy and Daddy Gaunt...living the life of a below-the-radar traveling musician. He understands the road isn't easy, and he will most likely disappoint people along the way (he has the evidence of his Grandma Sara and his mother right in front of him). But still, he can't fight the call of the Gaunt men's shared treasure--a lovely golden guitar embellished with roses; a Cassandra special rider nicknamed "Cassie".
And so we follow Luther from his boyhood as he sat on the porch talking to his grandmother about her family. "The New World didn't change them one," she said.
"One what, Grandmother?"
"Iota. You know what that is, Luther?"
I just listened for what she'd say.
"It's even less than a little bit." The old woman sighed and looked off into the distance as if the past might come cresting now over Grove Street hill, a lunchpail in one hand and a miner's helmet in the other. "It's hardly more than none at all."
"Iota," I said.
"It's how they measure truth and love and money, and a few other things, probably, that just never seem to add up to enough," she said. "They don't teach you that in school, but I'm telling you now."
We see him form his band, play his small clubs, and then the group meets up with a beautiful and dangerous woman named Delia. "Delia has this wild and endless dirty-blond hair in a style you might call, 'Run Screaming for Your Lives, Boys.' She has a long, full face with eyes like blue neon as seen through pouring rain; I wonder what besides pouring rain a boy might run through just to get to see them up close. And Delia, she has ruby-red, painted-up lips, and those old engineer boots in black that clash right nicely, I guess you'd say, with the pink satin shirt she took off of Jimmy Lee. She stands near six feet, with those endless legs of hers. I say all this not to romanticize the woman, or God forbid to objectify her. More in the way of an all-points bulletin."
Williams puts us right there in their struggle for bigger gigs and recognition with his descriptions of the bars they play and the places they stay along the road. "The motel room smells of road sweat and cigarettes. It has this air--this stench--of folly and regret and something else I can't quite catch in the whiff I'm willing to take. The walls are papered beige, but the paper is peeling from them, fleeing them really, from the top down and the bottom up. Buck opens the curtains to let in some light. That helps, but still it doesn't feel all that much like fame's waiting room."
Luther comes alive in the observations, in the descriptions, in the musings. We come to understand that he wouldn't mind being famous, but it's not his end all-be all goal...and he certainly doesn't want to sacrifice his soul in the process. Here he is writing a song that was practically demanded of him by Delia. "I set aside the old family guitar. I scribble all the rest I can remember. I crumple the paper and toss it in the guitar case. I wonder how Delia would sound singing it, wonder would it, could it, be a Nashville smash. I wonder how it would sound after it's been dipped in industrial-strength sheen and commercial-grade gloss, the words lost in service to the tune, the story to the message, the message being only this: Buy me."
Luther hasn't had much in the way of male role-models when it comes to interacting with women...especially a woman like Delia. His struggle to remain true to himself and his music make up a large part of the story-line of the book. He looks to the past to find clues--by reading newspapers, by pumping his mother and grandmother for information, even by asking the wise old bartender who has known his family for years. I won't tell you what he discovers, that's for you to discover by reading this wonderful little book. I highly recommend it.
Rating of 5 stars or "Perfect" because, well, when I've jotted down page after page of quotes...and realized almost the whole book is worthy of quoting...what other rating can I give it? :)
And so we follow Luther from his boyhood as he sat on the porch talking to his grandmother about her family. "The New World didn't change them one," she said.
"One what, Grandmother?"
"Iota. You know what that is, Luther?"
I just listened for what she'd say.
"It's even less than a little bit." The old woman sighed and looked off into the distance as if the past might come cresting now over Grove Street hill, a lunchpail in one hand and a miner's helmet in the other. "It's hardly more than none at all."
"Iota," I said.
"It's how they measure truth and love and money, and a few other things, probably, that just never seem to add up to enough," she said. "They don't teach you that in school, but I'm telling you now."
We see him form his band, play his small clubs, and then the group meets up with a beautiful and dangerous woman named Delia. "Delia has this wild and endless dirty-blond hair in a style you might call, 'Run Screaming for Your Lives, Boys.' She has a long, full face with eyes like blue neon as seen through pouring rain; I wonder what besides pouring rain a boy might run through just to get to see them up close. And Delia, she has ruby-red, painted-up lips, and those old engineer boots in black that clash right nicely, I guess you'd say, with the pink satin shirt she took off of Jimmy Lee. She stands near six feet, with those endless legs of hers. I say all this not to romanticize the woman, or God forbid to objectify her. More in the way of an all-points bulletin."
Williams puts us right there in their struggle for bigger gigs and recognition with his descriptions of the bars they play and the places they stay along the road. "The motel room smells of road sweat and cigarettes. It has this air--this stench--of folly and regret and something else I can't quite catch in the whiff I'm willing to take. The walls are papered beige, but the paper is peeling from them, fleeing them really, from the top down and the bottom up. Buck opens the curtains to let in some light. That helps, but still it doesn't feel all that much like fame's waiting room."
Luther comes alive in the observations, in the descriptions, in the musings. We come to understand that he wouldn't mind being famous, but it's not his end all-be all goal...and he certainly doesn't want to sacrifice his soul in the process. Here he is writing a song that was practically demanded of him by Delia. "I set aside the old family guitar. I scribble all the rest I can remember. I crumple the paper and toss it in the guitar case. I wonder how Delia would sound singing it, wonder would it, could it, be a Nashville smash. I wonder how it would sound after it's been dipped in industrial-strength sheen and commercial-grade gloss, the words lost in service to the tune, the story to the message, the message being only this: Buy me."
Luther hasn't had much in the way of male role-models when it comes to interacting with women...especially a woman like Delia. His struggle to remain true to himself and his music make up a large part of the story-line of the book. He looks to the past to find clues--by reading newspapers, by pumping his mother and grandmother for information, even by asking the wise old bartender who has known his family for years. I won't tell you what he discovers, that's for you to discover by reading this wonderful little book. I highly recommend it.
Rating of 5 stars or "Perfect" because, well, when I've jotted down page after page of quotes...and realized almost the whole book is worthy of quoting...what other rating can I give it? :)
March 13, 2013
“All kinds of histories have been written about the music and lore of Memphis, Sun Records, and Elvis Presley. Then there’s Long Gone Daddies, a work of fiction that gets to core truths mere facts can’t convey—namely, what it is about the sound that leads a grown man to spend his life chasing it down blind alleys and back roads into countless smoky bars, juke joints, and recording studios. Guitar wrangler Luther Gaunt and his band of beautiful losers pursue their musical dreams with “a righteous fury, a fool’s joy, and bulletproof souls.” Long Gone Daddies is a highly entertaining read that’s so Southern-fried you can smell the barbecue, taste the beer, and tap your foot to the honky-tonk beat. It is a book about and for anyone who knows what it means to be a prisoner of rock ’n’ roll.”
—Parke Puterbaugh, author of Phish: The Biography and former senior editor at Rolling Stone
“I’ve been a fan of David Wesley Williams and of his novel Long Gone Daddies since I saw the first pages of it two years ago. I’m so happy to see my anticipation of the event of its publication realized. It is a book full of wild music and generous imagining. Read it slowly. You’ll love it.”
—Richard Bausch, author of Something Is Out There and winner of the PEN/Malamud Award
“This lyrical multigenerational musician’s tale marks veteran newspaperman Williams’s impressive first novel. . . . The historical backdrop, including a cameo by young Elvis as a busboy, adds delightful texture and rich depth to Williams’s fictional account of the early days of rock ’n’ roll.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Luther, Delia, and the Long Gone Daddies are on a rocking, rhythm-and-blues tear across the South, and you want to be there when the band starts playing. By turns exuberant and intimate, David Wesley Williams’s prose captures the glories, perils, and pleasures of the road—a soulful musical tour de force!”
—Bland Simpson of The Red Clay Ramblers, author of Into the Sound Country
“Long Gone Daddies is a story that sings. This tale of a struggling band unfolds in the places where my favorite music was born. But like a good song, it transcends the particular. It conjures Maxwell Perkins’s idea that one of the great themes in literature is a man’s pursuit of his father, and Utah Phillips’s line that ‘the past didn’t go anywhere.’ ”
—Singer-songwriter John Gorka
“Long Gone Daddies is a rich, full-bodied novel that ebbs and flows like the Mississippi into its flood plains. It is about wanting and getting what you want, but mostly it is that rare creature in fiction: an honest lie.”
—Courtney Miller Santo, author of Roots of the Olive Tree
—Parke Puterbaugh, author of Phish: The Biography and former senior editor at Rolling Stone
“I’ve been a fan of David Wesley Williams and of his novel Long Gone Daddies since I saw the first pages of it two years ago. I’m so happy to see my anticipation of the event of its publication realized. It is a book full of wild music and generous imagining. Read it slowly. You’ll love it.”
—Richard Bausch, author of Something Is Out There and winner of the PEN/Malamud Award
“This lyrical multigenerational musician’s tale marks veteran newspaperman Williams’s impressive first novel. . . . The historical backdrop, including a cameo by young Elvis as a busboy, adds delightful texture and rich depth to Williams’s fictional account of the early days of rock ’n’ roll.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Luther, Delia, and the Long Gone Daddies are on a rocking, rhythm-and-blues tear across the South, and you want to be there when the band starts playing. By turns exuberant and intimate, David Wesley Williams’s prose captures the glories, perils, and pleasures of the road—a soulful musical tour de force!”
—Bland Simpson of The Red Clay Ramblers, author of Into the Sound Country
“Long Gone Daddies is a story that sings. This tale of a struggling band unfolds in the places where my favorite music was born. But like a good song, it transcends the particular. It conjures Maxwell Perkins’s idea that one of the great themes in literature is a man’s pursuit of his father, and Utah Phillips’s line that ‘the past didn’t go anywhere.’ ”
—Singer-songwriter John Gorka
“Long Gone Daddies is a rich, full-bodied novel that ebbs and flows like the Mississippi into its flood plains. It is about wanting and getting what you want, but mostly it is that rare creature in fiction: an honest lie.”
—Courtney Miller Santo, author of Roots of the Olive Tree
May 14, 2015
Long Gone Daddies is a story of a man, his guitar, and the family lore that haunts and threatens to ruin his future. Luther Gaunt has grown up on tales of his father and grandfather, die hard musicians who left their wives and children in search of something more. That something came in the shape of a guitar—a 1930s Cassandra Special Rider—an instrument that conveys songs to the men and made them dig to get to the music that mattered.
The story follows Luther as he and his band drive to Memphis in search of a good song and maybe a little bit of fame. Delia, a blonde singer they picked up along the way, tags along and inserts herself into the band, intent on snagging a hit from Luther’s songwriting skills and pushing herself to the top of Nashville’s country music scene. Although the band wants to see where this crazy blonde takes them, Luther battles his inner demons—the voices that tell him that he will end up just like the men who came before him—without courage and at the edge of where he longs to be, a place where songs tell stories and mean something a little more.
This is a book about music, and the author delivers it in a voice that is smooth and melodic. There is warmth in his words, where snappy dialogue and fluid, well paced exposition pulls you into the settings—a 1950s roadside diner, Memphis on the brink of Elvis, the open road—all sprinkled with a hint nostalgia but comes to life in vibrant color. The author really has a way for describing the sound and feel of a particular song. For example, on describing one by Little Junior’s Blue Flames, a character says, “Nah, man. It starts with these guitar licks got steam coming off. Then it chugs and goes. It sounds a little country, but I don’t mean all slow and whiny like Hank Williams. Hank’s dead and buried and this is something new coming.”
The intertwining story lines masterfully develop both plot and character as Luther reflects on the lives of his father and grandfather, the story moving back and forth in time. There are love affairs and smoky bars, but there is also the chase of an endless, memory engulfed dream that makes Luther wonder whether he can transcend the history his family has left behind.
Long Gone Daddies is a soul-searching trip into the root of music making. You'll find this book an immersive and imaginative experience.
The story follows Luther as he and his band drive to Memphis in search of a good song and maybe a little bit of fame. Delia, a blonde singer they picked up along the way, tags along and inserts herself into the band, intent on snagging a hit from Luther’s songwriting skills and pushing herself to the top of Nashville’s country music scene. Although the band wants to see where this crazy blonde takes them, Luther battles his inner demons—the voices that tell him that he will end up just like the men who came before him—without courage and at the edge of where he longs to be, a place where songs tell stories and mean something a little more.
This is a book about music, and the author delivers it in a voice that is smooth and melodic. There is warmth in his words, where snappy dialogue and fluid, well paced exposition pulls you into the settings—a 1950s roadside diner, Memphis on the brink of Elvis, the open road—all sprinkled with a hint nostalgia but comes to life in vibrant color. The author really has a way for describing the sound and feel of a particular song. For example, on describing one by Little Junior’s Blue Flames, a character says, “Nah, man. It starts with these guitar licks got steam coming off. Then it chugs and goes. It sounds a little country, but I don’t mean all slow and whiny like Hank Williams. Hank’s dead and buried and this is something new coming.”
The intertwining story lines masterfully develop both plot and character as Luther reflects on the lives of his father and grandfather, the story moving back and forth in time. There are love affairs and smoky bars, but there is also the chase of an endless, memory engulfed dream that makes Luther wonder whether he can transcend the history his family has left behind.
Long Gone Daddies is a soul-searching trip into the root of music making. You'll find this book an immersive and imaginative experience.
October 17, 2013
"Long Gone Daddies" reads like a soulful blues melody. I loved this debut novel from David Wesley Williams. It's a fiction "must read" for anyone who's a fan of Memphis music and Delta blues. The journey of the protagonist, Luther Gaunt, is told in a descriptive, lyrical prose style that is simply beautiful to read. This Memphian author highlights the depth of his musical knowledge as he weaves bits of music reality into this work of fiction effectively. The connection of the guitar, Cassie, as it travels between three generations of Gaunt musicians serves as a great link to intertwine their lives, heartaches, and struggles as each one has their own story to tell.
July 28, 2013
I'll be honest, I really enjoyed this one solely for the story.
There were a few flaws in the writing, regarding characters and such, but I loved the story.
Probably because I can relate to it on a number of levels. One level, for those who know me, is the obvious musician story. There's a few other things that go on in this book that struck home also.
Anyway, if you want to read a good musician narrative, read this one. If you can forgive a few technical flaws and want to read a Romantic (capital R) story about musical history (good music, my music), then read this book.
There were a few flaws in the writing, regarding characters and such, but I loved the story.
Probably because I can relate to it on a number of levels. One level, for those who know me, is the obvious musician story. There's a few other things that go on in this book that struck home also.
Anyway, if you want to read a good musician narrative, read this one. If you can forgive a few technical flaws and want to read a Romantic (capital R) story about musical history (good music, my music), then read this book.
September 24, 2013
There are so many love stories that permeate this beautifully written novel, but none more powerful than the love the author has for his Memphis, and its place in the pantheon of America's rich musical history. I found myself playing a soundtrack to the book based on his musical references, which made the trip through the book even more enjoyable. Amid the grittiness of Memphis (and Scranton) -- captured so vividly with turns of phrases that will make you marvel -- the author finds a kind of beauty that is very personal. An outstanding work.
April 21, 2013
I Loved the title of this book. I Loved the book jacket . I wa sorely disappointed by the content if the book. The characters rambled and were disjointed . I'm sure that may have been a " stylistic" thing but it just wasn't working . The best two chapters were the ones focused on grand father Gaunt the almost Elvis. Those chapters were well done. All else left me confused & yearning for the clarity of those two afore mentioned chapters
July 4, 2013
I went to the library to pick up some Virginia Woolf, and I came home with this wild road novel. It is about a rag tag blues band taking a circuitous route to Memphis, and it reads just like a rambling blues tune, a road trip with stops in all the right, remote places. I smiled the whole time I read this book. It's that fun, and beautifully executed. I love it when I stumble upon a book to love.
September 10, 2016
Really wanted to like this one — I was rooting hard for it, and kept reading to the end. It's not terrible, and if you don't already know a lot about the Memphis sound, you might learn something. But in the end I thought it was just okay, a self-referential and overly romanticized hymn to Memphis and its music. I could have saved some time and listened to the Drive-By Truckers' "Carl Perkins Cadillac" on repeat instead.
August 12, 2016
I received this book for free through goodreads' First Reads program.
Long Gone Daddies is a good story. It took me two tries to get into it, but once I got past the first few chapters, I read the whole thing through.
The characters are fully formed, and the events are brought to life by Wililams.
Long Gone Daddies is a good story. It took me two tries to get into it, but once I got past the first few chapters, I read the whole thing through.
The characters are fully formed, and the events are brought to life by Wililams.
August 19, 2013
Whew! I picked this book up on a whim. I'd like to rate it 3 1/2 stars. It is a good story, just written in a completely different style than I like or am comfortable with, for that matter... This is a rambling story about a rambling man and the history of his family, Long Gone Daddies, the name of his band and a description of his father and grandfather.
October 10, 2014
What can be said after you sigh, amazing? Williams lyrical prose sings in your mind. Never overly constructed. Luther Gaunt's words as he tells his tale are believable, heartbreaking, and finally reaffirming.
Read
June 6, 2013Odd tale rich with musical jargon and prose. Worth the read for those loving guitars, smokey bars, and late nights drifting into early morning.
September 12, 2013
This was a fun book but really didn't have much to say.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews