John Wooley

author of Ghost Band & author of From the Blue Devils to Red Dirt: The colors of Oklahoma music

November 4, 2015

John Wooley is the author, co-author, or editor of 17 books. His work has received acclaim across the country. Wooley's earlier horror-fantasy tale, Dark Within, was a finalist for the 2001 Oklahoma Book Award for Best Novel, and his first, Old Fears – co-written with fellow newspaper writer Ron Wolfe – was optioned by both Wes Craven and Paramount Pictures and is currently under option with former Paramount vice-president Brian Witten. Wooley also penned the script for the made-for-TV movie Dan Turner, Hollywood Detective and the award-winning independent film Café Purgatory, along with writing comic books (including the Plan Nine from Outer Space graphic novel), trading cards, and thousands of magazine and newspaper stories, most of them in conjunction with his work as the music and horror-movie writer for the Tulsa World, a position he held from 1983 through most of 2006. He is also the producer and host of the highly rated Swing on This, Tulsa's only western-swing radio program, heard every Saturday night on NPR affiliate KWGS (89.5 FM). In 2003, he became the first – and so far only – writer to be inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.

In Ghost Band, trumpeter Miles West only planned to tour with a dance band for a couple of years after college. Now middle-aged, he finds himself still riding a bus across the country with a group that plays under the name of a long-dead bandleader. Playing music that revives long-forgotten memories and rekindles romances, the band is never far from the specters of the past. In a breathtaking moment during a special song for sweethearts, Miles is shocked to discover the link to the past is far more real than anyone ever dared to imagine...

From the Blue Devils to Red Dirt: The Colors of Oklahoma Music highlights the musical currents that have swept from Oklahoma across the world. Wooley paints a vivid panorama of the artists, the business behind the scenes and the strong sense of community they share. From the jazz influence of the Oklahoma City Blue Devils to the power of western swing, he captures the explosion of musicians who transformed their Oklahoma energy and soul into magic on stages across the world.

URL: https://library.okstate.edu/news/celebratingbooks/2008-honorees/john-wooley

Last Updated: 14 January 2022