Mandy Moore stars in a new Audible podcast series as Sue Brewer, the unsung hero of the outlaw country music movement whose home became the epicenter of the scene in 1960s Nashville.
Moore — singer, songwriter, producer and actor (“This Is Us”) — leads the cast of “The Boar’s Nest: Sue Brewer and the Birth of Outlaw Country Music,” a scripted podcast from Fresh Produce Media for Audible.
Brewer, who died in 1981, is credited with being central to launching the careers of the likes of Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Shel Silverstein and Kris Kristofferson. Brewer’s living-room floor — dubbed “The Boar’s Nest” — served “as a raucous but nurturing creative hotbed for artistic outsiders on the road to becoming legends,” according to Audible’s description of the series. “Brewer shaped the sound and soul of country music as we know it today, despite never picking up an instrument herself.”
“The Boar’s Nest: Sue Brewer and the Birth of Outlaw Country Music,” comprising eight episodes, is set to premiere March 14 exclusively from Audible. The podcast will be available as part of the Audible Plus subscription plan, regularly priced at $7.95/month. More info is available at this link.
Moore, in a statement provided to PvNew, said: “The beauty of telling this story in audio is that listeners will find themselves completely immersed in the heart of the Nashville music scene at such an exciting time in its history. Sue Brewer’s pioneering legacy is one that is often overlooked despite her resounding impact on outlaw country and some of its most celebrated artists. I’m honored to pay homage to her and the music revolution she helped ignite from her living room.”
Mick Jagger and Victoria Pearman’s Jagged Films, Bill Gerber (“A Star Is Born”) and Nashville-based Oso Studios collaborated with Fresh Produce and Audible on the podcast.
“I am delighted ‘The Boar’s Nest’ is completed and will be launched on Audible with Mandy Moore playing Sue Brewer,” Jagger said in a statement. “Set amongst now-legendary country artists in Nashville, Sue created a haven for the emerging talent of that time.” Jagger added that “my dear friend” Steve Bing, a producer, screenwriter and businessman, had “brought the idea to us, and sadly left us before completion.”
The cast of “The Boar’s Nest” includes Ebon Moss-Bachrach (“The Bear”) as Shel Silverstein, alongside W. Earl Brown (“Deadwood”) as Waylon Jennings, Stephen Louis Grush (“Night Sky”) as Willie Nelson, John Hoogenakker (“Dopesick”) as Kris Kristofferson, T.J. Osborne (“Brothers Osborne”) as Johnny Cash, Brad Leland (“Friday Night Lights”) as Faron Young, Maury Morgan (“This Is Us”) as music executive Frances Preston, Quincy Dunn-Baker (“The Righteous Gemstones”) as Chet Atkins, and Liz Sharpe (“Tenants”) as Frances Beer.
Told from Brewer’s perspective, the Audible series showcases her famous songwriting salons in each episode. “The Boar’s Nest” features new recordings of country classics, including Jennings’ “Nashville Bum”; Nelson’s “Hello Walls” and “Family Bible”; Kristofferson’s “For the Good Times” and “Sunday Morning Coming Down”; Silverstein’s “On Susan’s Floor”; the Everly Brothers’ “Wake Up Little Susie”; and gospel standard “I’ll Fly Away.”
“‘The Boars Nest’ captures the heart at the center of a transformative era in country music,” Fresh Produce CEO Jason Ross said in a statement. “As a fan of these iconic artists, and a former musician myself, watching the music for the show come together with Dub Cornett and producer John ‘Ferg’ Ferguson — who collaborated with John Prine and Johnny Cash, and was there when this movement took place — was a really special way into the intimate, meaningful moments we wanted to portray.”
Ross added: “Sue was a pioneering woman who never got the public praise she deserved, and I think the writing team nailed the vision of changing that.”
Directed by Kimberly Senior, “The Boar’s Nest” was created and written by producer Dub Cornett (“Tales of the Tour Bus”), who shared writing duties with Holly Gleason and Rachel Bonds. Fresh Produce’s Elena Bawiec was head of production and Ross and Fresh Produce chief content officer Colin Moore executive produced.
The series joins other titles produced by Fresh Produce for Audible. Those include noir drama “The Big Lie” starring Jon Hamm and Kate Mara; music storytelling series “Origins” featuring Doja Cat, Tobe Nwigwe, Billie Eilish and others; “In the Room With Peter Bergen,” a weekly podcast exploring the news from a nonpartisan and uniquely security-focused lens; “Punk in Translation,” a bilingual docuseries exploring the Latin roots of punk music featuing Joan Jett, Jello Biafra and more; and “The Introvert’s Survival Guide,” hosted by Aparna Nancherla.
