Tender: A Novel - Softcover

Leroy Kirby, an Elvis-like singer and musician from Mississippi, transforms himself from a guitar-playing redneck into a rock-'n-roll legend, moving from recording sessions and appearances on Ed Sullivan to wild nights in the fast lane of the recording industry

was a sprinkling of poor houses at the scratched-out back edge of Mississippi--and the birthplace of a boy who would become the greatest rock legend of his time.

In Tender, novelist Mark Childress has redefined the American epic. He takes us on a wild ride through the last three decades as his fictional hero, Leroy Kirby, makes his meteoric rise to stardom, from the poverty-stricken child of an overprotective mother and absent father, to an icon who stands for everything American--a role that will ultimately consume him. After reading Tender, you will never think about the South, fame, or rock-and-roll the same way again.