Thirty-three years ago a murder-suicide near Mobile orphaned sisters who would go on to establish themselves as two of the most gifted singer-songwriters ever to emerge from the state. Now one of them, Allison Moorer, is bringing her full talents to bear on an exploration of that family tragedy.
In superficial detail, at least, that dark family history was told over and over from the outside as Moorer and her sister, Shelby Lynne, began careers in mainstream country music and moved on to less formulaic genres. Both sisters have touched on it repeatedly in their lyrics over the years. Now Moorer has written a memoir titled "Blood," which will be released in late October along with a companion album of the same name.
In the book, Moorer gives a full account of Aug. 12, 1986, the day Vernon Franklin “Frank” Moorer fatally shot Laura Lynn Smith Moorer and then himself outside a Tillman’s Corner home as his daughters lay sleeping inside. But she also unravels the threads leading up to the fatal burst of violence and explores its lasting aftermath.
"In promotional materials, Moorer describes it as an offer of identification, inheritance, reverberation, results, resilience, hope, and recovery that I'm finally ready to hold in my open hands. It's an offer of compassion. It's an offer of strength and awareness."
"Blood" is to be released Oct. 29 by Hachette Books' Da Capo Press. The album of the same title will be released on Oct. 25 by Autotelic Records/Thirty Tigers. The first song released from it, "The Rock and the Hill," is described as a tribute to her mother's resilience.
Moorer also has announced a tour starting Nov. 6 at Saturn in Birmingham, followed by a date Nov. 7 at Cedar Street Social Club in Mobile.