Steve Earle

Steve Earle is widely regarded as one of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters of his generation. A protege of legendary songwriters Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark, Earle quickly established himself as a master storyteller. His songs have been recorded by a range of iconic artists, including Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez, Emmylou Harris, The Pretenders, and many others.

In 1986, Earle released his breakthrough record, Guitar Town, which soared to number one on the country charts and has since become a classic of the Americana genre. Most recently, in 2023, Earle’s 1988 hit Copperhead Road was officially designated as a state song of Tennessee.

Subsequent releases such as The Revolution Starts…Now (2004), Washington Square Serenade (2007), and TOWNES (2009) earned him consecutive GRAMMY® Awards. His 2022 album, Jerry Jeff, featured Earle’s interpretations of songs by his mentor Jerry Jeff Walker.

Earle is also an accomplished author, having published a novel, I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive (2011, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), and a collection of short stories, Dog House Roses (2003, Houghton Mifflin).

In addition to his musical career, Earle has produced albums for artists like Joan Baez (Day After Tomorrow) and Lucinda Williams (Car Wheels on a Gravel Road). As an actor, he has appeared in several films and had recurring roles in the HBO series The Wire and Tremé. In 2009, Earle wrote the score for and appeared in the off-Broadway play Samara, which The New York Times described as having an “exquisitely subliminal” score. He also contributed music and appeared in Coal Country, for which he was nominated for a Drama Desk Award.

Earle currently hosts the weekly show Hard Core Troubadour on Sirius Radio’s Outlaw Country channel. In 2020, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in 2023, he was honored by the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music.

Steve Earle’s latest album, Alone Again (Live), was released on July 12, 2023.