Steve Earle

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Steve Earle (born Stephen Fain Earle January 17, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter, well known for his rock and country music, as well as for his liberal political views. He is also a published writer, a political activist and has also written and directed a play. In his early career, he was seen as a saviour of country music and labelled by some as the "new Bruce Springsteen". In the later part of his career, after troubles with the law and drug addiction and due to his uncompromising viewpoints, he has become known as "the hardcore troubadour".

1 Biography
2 Musical career
3 Politics
4 Awards
5 Collaborations
6 Source
7 Samples
8 Songwriting for other artists
9 Discography
10 External links
11 References

[edit] Biography

Stephen Fain Earle was born on January 17, 1955 at Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia. Legend has it that a box of Texas dirt, sent by his grandfather, was brought into the delivery room, so that it could be said that the first soil Earle's feet ever touched was Texan.

He was the eldest son of Jack Earle, an air traffic controller, and Barbara Earle. Although his parents moved around the U.S. often during his childhood, he spent several of his formative years in Schertz, Texas. He dropped out of school in the 8th grade to move to Houston, Texas and learn more about the music business. One summer evening after seeing a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert, Earle went backstage and was given the advice of his life. A story that Earle repeats to this day is that "[Ronnie] Van Zant took his necklace off and put around my neck and said, 'Boy, if you work hard enough and believe in yourself, then you too can become a rock star someday.'" This advice was something that would turn out to be true, as Steve released his first album, Guitar Town in 1986. His sister, Stacey Earle, is a musician herself, having toured with Steve in the 1990s and singing on the song "When I Fall" on Steve's 2000 album "Transcendental Blues".

Earle has been married seven times, including twice to the same woman. His wives were Sandra (Sandy) Henderson, Cynthia Dunn, Carol Hunter (with whom he had his first child, Justin), Lou-Anne Gill (with whom he had a second son, Ian), Maria Teresa Ensenat, Lou-Anne Gill a second time, and finally in 2005, singer-songwriter Allison Moorer. He also has a daughter born out of wedlock. His first son, Justin Townes Earle, was named for Townes Van Zandt.

[edit] Musical career

In 1975, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee where he met and worked with fellow Texans Guy Clark and his wife Susanna. Guy was instrumental in Steve being employed as a songwriter by the Sunburry Dunbar publishing division of RCA. Steve did backing vocals on Guy Clark's "Desperados Waiting For A Train" together with Emmylou Harris on Clark's first album "Old No 1".

Despite his early success as a songwriter, it was not until 1981 that he achieved a top ten cut with "When You Fall in Love", which was recorded by Johnny Lee.

His early work as a recorded performer was in the rockabilly style, and can be heard on the "Early Years" album). He had to wait until 1986, though, before his first proper album, "Guitar Town", was released. It was a critical success and sold over 300,000 copies. The follow-up albums "Exit 0" and "Copperhead Road" built on this success.

Steve had been a drug user since an early age, and was addicted to heroin for many years. By the time of his 1990 album "The Hard Way", it started to become clear that the drugs were seriously affecting him. In 1993, his drug problems resulted in him effectively stopping performing and recording for two years, a period he refers to as his "vacation in the ghetto". He eventually ended up in jail on drug and firearms charges. Kicking the drug habit while in jail, Earle came out a new man and released two albums within 18 months of his release in late 1994. His comeback album, the acoustic "Train A Comin'", was nominated for the "Best Contemporary Folk Album" Grammy Award in 1996.

Steve's "second, post-jail musical career" has been noticeably more diverse, musically, than his early material. Since setting up his own record label, he has been able to follow his own artistic direction, rather than being constrained by the Nashville country pop-rock sound. For the first time, Earle found himself with complete artistic control over his albums. This has led to experimentation with a range of styles from country and bluegrass music to folk and hard rock music. He maintained a strict work ethic. Several albums have been released since, as well as a book of haiku and a collection of short stories called "Doghouse Roses". He also wrote and directed a play about the death penalty. Earle also tours often, playing over 200 shows per year. His concerts tend to be either solo acoustic shows or ensemble affairs with one of his two backing bands, the Dukes or the Bluegrass Dukes.

Steve is the subject of a documentary film entitled Just an American Boy, directed by Amos Poe, which explores his political views as well as his music. In 2005, he caused consternation among his fans by allowing the song "The Revolution Starts Now" to be used by General Motors in a TV advertisement for pick-up trucks.

[edit] Politics

Since early in his career, Earle has been involved in a number of political causes. In his very first public performances, Earle was unable to play in bars due to his age, and took to playing in coffee shops, alongside anti-Vietnam War campaigners. These experiences had a strong effect on Earle, who later campaigned against the war in Iraq.

Earle's mother took part in anti-death penalty vigils, and this was a cause that has been taken up by Earle. For a number of years, he has worked to abolish the death penalty and has recorded several songs about this cause, including "Billy Austin", "Over Yonder (Jonathan's Song)" and "Ellis Unit One" (for the 1995 movie "Dead Man Walking"). He is also a regular participant in the "Concerts for a Landmine Free World", benefiting the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation.

In recent years, his music has been increasingly political. His 2002 album, "Jerusalem," was largely inspired by the U.S.-led War on Terrorism. This album featured Earle's "John Walker's Blues", which was about the captured American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh. The song provoked widespread outrage, with many accusing Earle of sympathizing with terrorists since it was written from Lindh's perspective. Earle's defense was that he was simply empathizing with Lindh and in no way set out to glorify terrorism. The controversy raised Earle's profile in the media, but did not seem to damage his record sales.

His 2004 album,"The Revolution Starts Now", which features several songs relating to the war in Iraq, was deliberately released to coincide with the run up to the 2004 U.S. presidential election, with the aim of encouraging votes for John Kerry. Earle's contribution to the Democratic campaign was particularly notable, since Country Rock is traditionally associated with the Right Wing. It was therefore hoped that it would be more likely to convert new people to Kerry than other anti-Bush musicians (such as those involved in the Rock Against Bush movement) who might be seen as preaching to the converted, as their fan bases lay in the predominatly left-wing punk rock community. The song "The Revolution Starts Now" was used in the promotion of Michael Moore's anti-war documentary film Fahrenheit 9/11 and appears on the album Songs and Artists That Inspired Fahrenheit 9/11, the songs for which were selected by Moore. The song also opens his weekly Sunday-night show on Air America Radio, which has the same name as the title of this song, The Revolution Starts Now.

[edit] Awards

Steve Earle has received a total of nine nominations for Grammy Awards.

Steve was named Country Artist of the year for 1986 by Rolling Stone magazine.

In 2004 he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award for songwriting by the UK's BBC Radio 2.

In February 2005 he received a Grammy Award for best contemporary folk album for the album The Revolution Starts Now.

[edit] Collaborations

Steve co-wrote the Jason & The Scorchers song "A Bible & A Gun"
Sang on Jason Ringenberg's re-recording of "A Bible & A Gun" in 2002.
Both Copperhead Road and Johnny Come Lately were performed with The Pogues.
Worked with the Supersuckers, recording their song "Creepy Jackalope Eye" and his song "NYC" -1996
Recorded covers of Alejandro Escovedo's "Paradise" and Warren Zevon's "Reconsider Me" with Reckless Kelly, for Escovedo and Zevon tribute albums.
Collaborated with the Del McCoury Band on 1999's "The Mountain."
Duets with Lucinda Williams on You're still standing there
Duet with Siobhan Maher Kennedy on Poison Lovers
Duet with Emmylou Harris on Comin' around, Goodbye, I remember you.
Duet with Stacey Earle on When I Fall.
Emmylou Harris also recorded her own version of Goodbye (written by Earle) for her Wrecking Ball album - Earle plays guitar and sings on this version.
Sheryl Crow co-wrote Go Amanda, which appeared on Jerusalem.
Sheryl Crow sings on Steve's cover of Time Has Come Today, which appeared on Sidetracks album

[edit] Source

Lauren St John, Hardcore Toubadour: The Life and Near Death of Steve Earle, Fourth Estate, 2002 ISBN 1-84115-611-6

[edit] Samples

Download sample of "Copperhead Road" from Copperhead Road
Download sample of "Hard Core Troubadour" from I Feel Alright

[edit] Songwriting for other artists

Before Earle was signed as an artist in his own right, he was employed as a songwriter, writing songs for the likes of Carl Perkins, Vince Gill and Steve Wariner. His song Mustang Wine was due to be recorded by Elvis Presley in 1975, but Presley did not turn up for the recording session, the song was released as a single by Carl Perkins.

He co-wrote the Patty Loveless song Some Blue Moons Ago.

Since his emergence as a performer, his songs have been covered by various well known artists including Joan Baez, The Pretenders, The Proclaimers, The Highwaymen and Johnny Cash. ^[1]

[edit] Discography

[edit] Studio albums

Pink and Black - an early EP 1982
Guitar Town - 1986
Exit 0 - 1987
Copperhead Road - 1988
The Hard Way - 1990
Train A-Comin' - 1995
I Feel Alright - 1996
El Corazon - 1997
The Mountain - 1999 (with the Del McCoury Band)
Transcendental Blues - 2000
Jerusalem - 2002
The Revolution Starts Now - 2004

[edit] Compilations of Non-Album tracks

Early Tracks - 1987
Side Tracks - 2002

[edit] Live albums

Shut Up And Die Like An Aviator - 1991
Together at the Bluebird Café - 1997 with Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark
Just An American Boy (live) - 2004
Live From Austin, TX - 2004 (recorded 1986)
Live at Montreux 2005 (2006)

[edit] 'Best of' Compilations

The Essential Steve Earle - 1988
Ain't Ever Satisfied: The Steve Earle Collection - 1996
Angry Young Man: The Very Best Of Steve Earle - 1999
An Introduction to Steve Earle - 2001
20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Steve Earle - 2003