Best Music Biography in Nashville 2026: 'What Do You Do When You’re Lonesome' by Jonathan Bernstein
Music biographies are tricky. They can dip into hagiography as easily as they can into exploitation, especially when they cover artists whose struggles loom large next to their work. But Jonathan Bernstein’s What Do You Do When You’re Lonesome, the estate-authorized biography of Justin Townes Earle, eschews both in favor of careful study and empathetic frankness. It’s an illuminating portrait of an artist, an homage to Old Nashville and a case study of the music industry’s whims and woes — an excellent, excavatory read.
