Like a comet shooting across the sky, Raymond Anthony Myles was brilliant, incandescent and unmistakably unique—and then, just as quickly, he was gone.

A Taste of Heaven follows Raymond from the everyday violence of New Orleans public housing to the schools where he steered countless students away from gangs and drugs; from the Southern churches where he mesmerized the faithful to the Telluride Bluegrass and Newport Folk festivals, where he won over new and wonderstruck fans. His journey ended with his shocking murder in 1998, just as he stood on the brink of music stardom, in the same projects he could never leave behind.

More than a maverick musician, Raymond was part of a vital but scorned community within New Orleans’ Black churches: queer people struggling against dogma and interpretations of Scripture that told them God’s love did not apply to them. His turbulent life was propelled by extraordinary talent, fierce ambition and the gritty, vibrant city that shaped him.