Steve Earle

Steve Earle (born January 17, 1955) is a singer-songwriter. Although best known for his rock and country music, he is also a published writer, a keen 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 the "new Bruce Springsteen" (even though he's only 6 years younger and hasn't quite achieved Springsteen's level of commercial success).

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, an air traffic controller, and Barbara Earle. Although his parents moved around the US a lot during his childhood, he spent several of his formative years in Schertz, Texas. He dropped out of school in 8th grade to move to Houston, Texas and learn more about the music business. One summer evening after seeing a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert, Earle got in backstage and was given the advice of his life. A story that Earle repeats to this day is that "^* 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 rockstar 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 and has become a notable musician himself.

Musical career

While in Texas in the early 1970s, Steve Earle met Townes Van Zandt (who became a mentor) and other artists such as Jerry Jeff Walker, Lucinda Williams, and Nanci Griffith.

In 1975 he moved to Nashville where he met and worked with fellow Texans Guy Clark and his wife Susanna Clark. Guy was instrumental in Steve being employed as a songwriter by the Sunburry Dunbar publishing division of RCA. Steve did backing vocals on Guy's "Desperados Waiting For A Train" together with Emmylou Harris on Guy'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" recorded by Johnny Lee.

His early work as a recorded performer in his own right concentrated on the rockabilly style, which was popular at the time (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 increasing drug problems resulted in him effectively stopping performing and recording for 2 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 whilst 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, and for the first time has found himself with complete artistic control over his albums. This has led to experimentation with a range of styles from country and bluegrass to folk and hard rock. He has maintained a strict work ethic, and avoided any temptation to return to drug use. Several albums have been released since, as has 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 in most years. His concerts tend to be either solo acoustic shows, or ensemble affairs with one of his two backing bands, the Dukes and 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.

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. This experience had a strong effect on Earle, who became involved in the campaign and subsequently campaigned against the war in Iraq.

Earle's mother took part in anti-death penalty vigils, and this was a cause has been taken up by Steve. For a number of years, he has worked to abolish the death penalty, and 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 supporter of, and 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 US-led "War on Terrorism". This album featured Earle's most controversial song yet, "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 sympathising 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 most recent 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 President Bush's rival 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.

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.

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.
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."

Source

Lauren St John, Hardcore Toubadour: The Life and Near Death of Steve Earle, Fourth Estate, 2002 ISBN 1-84115-6116

Samples

Steve Earle Copperhead Road.ogg of "Copperhead Road" from Copperhead Road
Steve Earle Hard Core Troubadour.ogg of "Hard Core Troubadour" from I Feel Alright

Discography

Studio albums

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

Compilations of Non-Album tracks

Early Tracks - 1987
Side Tracks - 2002

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)

'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

Video/DVD

Transcendental Blues (live) -2002
Just An American Boy - 2004
Live From Austin, TX - 2004
20th Century Masters - DVD Collection - 2005

External links

Steve Earle | Steve Earle | Steve Earle

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Steve Earle