Salt of the King

Music, Madness, and Energy Lines in a Small Desert Town

Henry D. Terrell

Mayhem at the Desert’s Edge

It's 1972. A former ’60s pop star arrives in a small West Texas town, desperate to make a comeback record at a tiny music studio run by an eccentric producer. With determination and gall, but very little budget, he cobbles together a ragtag band of local musicians.

Meanwhile, a young female filmmaker is in town trying to make a documentary about an unsolved disappearance. Getting zero police cooperation and running out of time, she decides, instead, to make her film about the little studio and the struggling musician.

The projects soon fall into turmoil, beset by insanity, supernatural events, and untimely death. In the midst of this madness, all they can do is press “RECORD” and roll tape.

Originally from Odessa, I studied English/Journalism at UT Austin, graduating in 1978. I worked as a business editor and writer for Gulf Publishing Co. for almost 30 years, retiring in 2015 to write fiction.