Steve Earle

For the football player, see Steve Earle (footballer). For the drummer Steve Earle, see Afghan Whigs.

Steve Earle
Earle performing at the Rudolstadt-Festival in 2018
Earle performing at the Rudolstadt-Festival in 2018
Background information
Birth nameStephen Fain Earle
Born (1955-01-17) January 17, 1955 (age 69)
Fort Monroe, Virginia, U.S.
OriginSan Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer-songwriter
Instruments
Years active1968–present[4]
Labels
Websitesteveearle.com

Stephen Fain Earle (/ɜːrl/; born January 17, 1955) is an American country, rock and folk singer-songwriter. He began his career as a songwriter in Nashville and released his first EP in 1982.

Earle's breakthrough album was the 1986 debut album Guitar Town; the eponymous lead single peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot Country chart. Since then, he has released 20 more studio albums and received three Grammy awards each for Best Contemporary Folk Album; he has four additional nominations in the same category. "Copperhead Road" was released in 1988 and is his bestselling single; it peaked on its initial release at number 10 on the Mainstream Rock chart, and had a 21st-century resurgence reaching number 15 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, buoyed by vigorous online sales. His songs have been recorded by Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Levon Helm, The Highwaymen, Travis Tritt, Vince Gill, Patty Loveless, Shawn Colvin, Bob Seger, Percy Sledge, Dailey & Vincent, and Emmylou Harris.[5]

Earle has appeared in film and television, most notably as recurring characters in HBO's critically acclaimed shows The Wire and Treme. He has also written a novel, a play, and a book of short stories. Earle is the father of late singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle with whom he frequently collaborated.

  1. ^ Cross, Charles R. (August 9, 2017). "Steve Earle talks Seattle band Alice In Chains, Jimi Hendrix and food". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  2. ^ Hattenstone, Simon (June 14, 2017). "Steve Earle: 'My wife left me for a younger, skinnier, less talented singer'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 14, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  3. ^ Paul, John (June 23, 2017). "STEVE EARLE: SO YOU WANT TO BE AN OUTLAW". PopMatters. Archived from the original on February 18, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  4. ^ St John, Lauren. Hardcore Troubadour: The Life and Near Death of Steve Earle, Fourth Estate, 2002
  5. ^ Corn, David, "Death-House Troubadour: Steve Earle Rocks 'N' Rants against Capital Punishment", The Nation, Vol. 265, No. 6