Song premiere: John Fullbright's 'Stars' is the catharsis we need right now

The first time I heard Oklahoma songwriter John Fullbright's "Stars" was on Oct. 28, 2016. He'd traveled south to join a handful of prominent Austin acts at a benefit for local bassist George Reiff, who'd recently been diagnosed with cancer. Shinyribs, James McMurtry, Fastball, Carson McHone, Joe King Carrasco, Robert Earl Keen's backing band and others performed that night — but I left with only one song on my mind.

"Stars," which Fullbright usually performs solo on piano, instantly struck me as an American classic. In three verses across three and a half minutes, the song's narrator looks up at the sky and seeks existential truths about God, love, dying and heaven. An extraordinary singer, Fullbright puts all of his heart and emotion into the simple yet cathartic lyrics.

The second time I heard it was under similar circumstances. An even larger cast of musicians gathered at Austin's Paramount Theatre on May 18, 2017, to pay tribute to Jimmy LaFave, who'd also been diagnosed with cancer the previous year. LaFave was near death, but he attended the show. For all the beautiful moments provided by Ruthie Foster, Joe Ely, Slaid Cleaves, Marcia Ball, Eliza Gilkyson and many others, none were more moving than Fullbright's rendition of "Stars."

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Three days later, LaFave and Reiff died within hours of each other. Reiff was 56; LaFave was 61.

Fullbright wrote the song sometime after he'd finished his 2014 album "Songs," the follow-up to his Grammy-nominated 2012 breakout "From the Ground Up." The earliest performance of it I've found on YouTube is from the Woody Guthrie Festival in Oklahoma in July 2014. He's often played it at shows since then, but an eight-year break between albums meant it hadn't appeared on a record until now.

"Stars" is included on "The Liar," due Oct. 7 from Nashville-based Thirty Tigers. Fullbright will be in Austin on Oct. 8 for a record-release show at C-Boy's. We're premiering the audio track of "Stars":

There's a little more back-story to fill in. About a year ago, Fullbright performed on the outdoor stage at South Austin hot spot Sam's Town Point, and he played "Stars." I was there, and though I often limit videos I post on social media to a minute or less, in this case I posted the full song. I added a simple caption: "I did not hear a better new original song than this from anyone in the past decade."

Among those who saw it was an old friend who was married to pop superstar John Legend's manager. "I was super taken with it and it crossed my mind that it could be a great song for John," he wrote to me later. "I never play A&R for him, but in this one case I thought it was worthwhile."

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Legend recorded a solo-piano version of the song, but it didn't end up making the cut for his new album, which was released Sept. 9. It's possible Legend's version could still surface as a B-side or movie track at some point.

In the meantime, Fullbright's own studio version is finally seeing the light of day. We asked if he'd like to comment about what inspired him to write "Stars," but he politely declined, preferring to let listeners form their own impressions of its meaning.

Fair enough. For me, it will always bring back bittersweet memories of George Reiff and Jimmy LaFave.

More:How much does Austin miss George Reiff? Two dozen acts testify in 5-hour show

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: How John Legend heard and recorded John Fullbright's "Stars"