| Steve Earle | |
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Steve Earle and Allison Moorer at Bumbershoot 2007
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Stephen Fain Earle |
| Born | January 17, 1955 , Fort Monroe, Virginia, USA |
| Origin | Schertz, Texas, USA |
| Genre(s) | Country, Rock 'n' Roll, Folk |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar |
| Website | SteveEarle.com |
Steve Earle is an American singer-songwriter, well known for his rock and country music, as well as for his many political views. Events 38 BC - Octavian marries Livia Drusilla. 1287 - King Alfonso III of Aragon invades Minorca Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) Fort Monroe (also known as Fortress Monroe) is a Hampton Virginia, military installation located at Old Point Comfort, which is on the tip of the The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Schertz is a city in Bexar, Comal, and Guadalupe Counties in the U Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous A songwriter is someone who writes the Lyrics to songs the Musical composition (chords or Melody to songs or both A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Singer-songwriter is a term that refers to Performers who write, compose and sing their own material including Lyrics Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. He is also a published writer, a political activist and has written and directed a play. Activism, in a general sense can be described as intentional action to bring about social or political change 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, drug addiction and his uncompromising viewpoints, he has become known as "the hardcore troubadour". Drug addiction is widely considered a pathological state. The disorder of addiction involves the progression of acute Drug use to the development of drug-seeking
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Stephen Fain Earle was born on January 17, 1955, at Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia. Events 38 BC - Octavian marries Livia Drusilla. 1287 - King Alfonso III of Aragon invades Minorca Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) Fort Monroe (also known as Fortress Monroe) is a Hampton Virginia, military installation located at Old Point Comfort, which is on the tip of the Hampton is an Independent city in Virginia, and therefore not part of any Virginia county
He was the eldest son of Jack Earle, an air traffic controller, and Barbara Earle. Air traffic controllers are people who operate the Air traffic control system to expedite and maintain a safe and orderly flow of air traffic and help prevent Although his parents moved around the U.S. often during his childhood, he spent several of his formative years in Schertz, Texas. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Schertz is a city in Bexar, Comal, and Guadalupe Counties in the U Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. He dropped out of school in the 8th grade to move to Houston and learn more about the music business. Eighth grade (called Grade 8 in some regions is a year of Education in the United States and many other nations The music industry is the business of Music. Although it encompasses the activity of many music-related businesses and organizations it is currently dominated by the "big Earle released his first album, Guitar Town, in 1986. Guitar Town is the debut album of country singer Steve Earle. His sister, Stacey Earle, is a musician herself, having toured with Steve in the 1990s and sung on the song "When I Fall" on Steve's 2000 album Transcendental Blues. Stacey Earle is an American Country music Singer-songwriter. The sister of Alt-country singer Steve Earle, she has recorded five studio A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a
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. Singer-songwriter is a term that refers to Performers who write, compose and sing their own material including Lyrics Allison Moorer (born June 21 1972) is a Grammy-nominated American Alternative country singer and the younger sister of Shelby Lynne He also has a daughter. His first son, Justin Townes Earle, is also a musician, and is named for Townes Van Zandt. PLEASE DO NOT ADD YOUR BAND YOUR FRIEND'S BAND YOURSELF OR YOUR FRIEND TO THIS SECTION
In 1975, Earle moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he met and worked with fellow Texans Guy Clark and his wife Susanna. Tennessee ( is a state located in the Southern United States. Guy Clark (born 6 November 1941) is a Songwriter and Country musician Biography Clark was born in Monahans Clark was active in Earle being employed as a songwriter by the Sunbury Dunbar publishing division of RCA. RCA Corporation, founded as Radio Corporation of America, was an electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986 Earle did backing vocals on "Desperados Waiting for a Train" (together with Emmylou Harris) on Clark's first album Old No. Emmylou Harris (born April 2 1947) is an American country, folk, alternative rock, and Alternative country 1.
Despite his early success as a songwriter, it was not until 1981 that Earle achieved a top-ten cut with "When You Fall in Love", which was recorded by Johnny Lee. A songwriter is someone who writes the Lyrics to songs the Musical composition (chords or Melody to songs or both The Top Forty or Top 40 is a music industry shorthand for the currently most-popular songs in a particular genre. Johnny Lee Ham (born July 3, 1946, in Texas City Texas) is a Legendary American Country Music Singer.
Earle's early work as a recorded performer was in the rockabilly style, and can be heard on the Early Years album. Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of Rock and roll music and emerged in the early 1950s He had to wait until 1986, though, before his first proper album, Guitar Town, was released. It was a critical success and was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. The follow-up albums Exit 0 and the certified-gold Copperhead Road built on this success. Copperhead Road is an American Country music / Country rock album released in 1988 by Steve Earle.
Earle had been a drug user since an early age and was addicted to heroin for many years. Heroin ( INN: diacetylmorphine, BAN: diamorphine) is a semi-synthetic opioid synthesized from Morphine, a derivative 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. A prison, penitentiary, or correctional facility is a place in which individuals are physically confined or interned and usually deprived of a range of The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global Black market consisting of the cultivation manufacture distribution and sale of illegal Drugs A firearm is a Tool that projects either single or multiple Projectiles at high velocity through a controlled explosion 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. The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
Earle's "second, post-jail musical career" has been noticeably more musically diverse than his early work. 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. This has led to experimentation with a range of styles from country and bluegrass music to folk and hard rock music. Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and is a sub-genre of Country music. Hard rock (also referred to as heavy rock) is a variation of Rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage and Psychedelic rock He has 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. is a form of Japanese poetry. Previously called The short story is a literary genre of Fictional Prose Narrative that tends to be more concise and to the point than longer works of fiction such He also wrote and directed a play about the death penalty. Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the Killing of a person by judicial process as Punishment. 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.
Earle 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. Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt in one fashion or another to " Document " reality Amos Poe is a New York City filmmaker He has been considered one of the first punk filmmakers and his film The Blank Generation (1976 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. General Motors Corporation ( GM) ( is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded in 1908 and headquartered in the United States. A television advertisement or television commercial (often just commercial or advert (US or ad (UK is a span of television programming produced A pickup truck is a light Motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area which is almost always separated from the cab to allow for chassis flex when carrying or pulling [1]
Earle is also the subject of an acclaimed biography, Steve Earle: Fearless Heart, Outlaw Poet, by the noted New York-based music writer David McGee.
Steve Earle's songs have appeared in many major motion pictures and television as writer and performer:
In September 2007, Earle released his twelfth studio album, Washington Square Serenade, on New West Records. Talladega Nights The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is a 2006 Comedy film about NASCAR racing New West Records is a Record label based in Austin Texas and Los Angeles California. Earle recorded the album after relocating to New York City, and it was his first attempt at using digital audio workstation ProTools, as opposed to traditional analog recording techniques. Pro Tools is a Digital Audio Workstation platform for Mac OS and Microsoft Windows operating systems developed and manufactured by Digidesign [2] The disc features wife Allison Moorer on "Days Aren't Long Enough".
In late 2007, he will be producing Joan Baez's next album. Joan Chandos Baez (born January 9, 1941 in Staten Island, New York) an American Folk singer and Songwriter known
In the winter of 2008, he will tour Europe and North America in support of Washington Square Serenade, performing half the set solo and the other half with a DJ. [2]
Earle appeared as a recovering drug addict named Walon in several episodes of the HBO series The Wire[3]. Street level characters comprise a large part of the cast on the fictional HBO drama series The Wire. He appears first in season one where he addresses a 12-step-type meeting with an account of how he lost everything to addiction: "I pawned my bike, my pickup truck, a National Steel guitar, a stamp collection that my grandpa left me; lost a good wife, a bad girlfriend, and the respect of anyone who ever lent me money. " His story affects Bubbles and appears to spur him towards recovery. Reginald "Bubbles" Cousins is a Fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Andre Royo. In season five, Walon is seen again as the sponsor to Bubbles, as Bubbles attempts to overcome his heroin addiction.
Earle's song "I Feel Alright" is used in a montage to close out season two. He also performs the opening theme of the fifth season, performing "Way Down in the Hole".
Since early in his career, Earle has been involved in a number of political causes. In his first public performances, Earle was unable to play in bars due to his age and took to playing in coffeehouses alongside anti-Vietnam War campaigners. A coffeehouse ( French / Portuguese: café; Spanish: cafetería; Italian: caffè The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia These experiences had a strong effect on him, prompting his recent opposition to the war in Iraq. The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign
Earle's mother took part in anti-death penalty vigils, a cause that has been taken up by Earle. 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). Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the Killing of a person by judicial process as Punishment. Dead Man Walking is a work of non-fiction by Sister Helen Prejean, a Roman Catholic nun and one of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Medaille. (Ellis Unit, located in Huntsville, Texas, previously housed the Texas male death row, until it was moved to Polunsky Unit near Livingston, Texas. Huntsville is a city in and the County seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. Death row is a term that refers to the section of a Prison that houses individuals awaiting execution. Livingston is a town in Polk County, Texas, United States. The population was 5433 at the 2000 census ) He is also a regular participant in the "Concerts for a Landmine Free World", benefiting the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation. A land mine is an Explosive device designed to be placed on or in the ground to explode when triggered by an operator or the Proximity of a vehicle person The Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF established in 1980 now the Veterans for America (VFA is a Washington D
In recent years his music has been increasingly political. His 2002 album, Jerusalem, was largely inspired by the U. Jerusalem is a Concept album by Alternative country singer Steve Earle, released in 2002 S. -led War on Terrorism. The War on Terrorism (also known as the War on Terror) is the common term for the military political and legal, and ideological conflict and specifically for U This album featured "John Walker's Blues", which was about the captured American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Taliban ( طالبان, also anglicised as Taleban; translation "students" is a Sunni Islamist, predominately John Phillip Walker Lindh (born February 9, 1981) is an American who was captured during the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan while serving The song provoked widespread outrage; many accused Earle of sympathizing with terrorists since the song was written from Lindh's perspective. Earle responded 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. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. The United States presidential election of 2004 was held on Tuesday November 2, 2004, to elect the President of the United States. } John Forbes Kerry (born December 11 1943 is an American Politician who is currently serving his fourth term as the junior United States Senator It was 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 predominantly left-wing punk rock community. Rock Against Bush was a project mobilizing punk and alternative Musicians against the 2004 U 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. Michael Francis Moore (born April 23 1954 is an Academy Award -winning American filmmaker author and liberal Political commentator. Fahrenheit 9/11 is an award-winning 2004 Documentary Film by American filmmaker Michael Moore which takes a critical look Songs and Artists That Inspired Fahrenheit 9/11 is a compilation album that followed up the 2004 documentary film Fahrenheit 9/11 by filmmaker The song also opens Earle's weekly Sunday-night show on Air America Radio. Air America Radio (commonly abbreviated to AAR)
St John, Lauren. Son Volt is an Alternative country group formed by Jay Farrar in 1994 after the breakup of the band Uncle Tupelo. Hardcore Troubadour: The Life and Near Death of Steve Earle, Fourth Estate, 2002 ISBN 1-84115-611-6
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. Carl Lee Perkins ( April 9, 1932 &ndash January 19, 1998) was an American pioneer of Rockabilly music a mix of Rhythm Vincent Grant "Vince" Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American Neotraditional country Singer-songwriter and Multi-instrumentalist Steve Wariner (born Steven Noel Wariner, December 25 1954, Noblesville Indiana) is an American Country music singer 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. Carl Lee Perkins ( April 9, 1932 &ndash January 19, 1998) was an American pioneer of Rockabilly music a mix of Rhythm
He co-wrote the Patty Loveless song "Some Blue Moons Ago". Patty Loveless (born Patricia Lee Ramey, January 4, 1957 in Pikeville Kentucky, raised in Elkhorn City Kentucky and Louisville
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, Emmylou Harris and Johnny Cash. Joan Chandos Baez (born January 9, 1941 in Staten Island, New York) an American Folk singer and Songwriter known The Pretenders are a British rock band The original band consisted of group founder and main Songwriter Chrissie Hynde ( lead vocals The Proclaimers are a Scottish band composed of identical twins Charlie and Craig Reid (born March 5, 1962) The Highwaymen were a country supergroup comprising four musicians well known for among other things their involvement and pioneering influence on the Outlaw Emmylou Harris (born April 2 1947) is an American country, folk, alternative rock, and Alternative country Johnny Cash (born J R Cash; February 26 1932 - September 12 2003 was a Grammy Award -winning American country Singer-songwriter. [4]
| Year | Album | Additional information |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Guitar Town | |
| 1987 | Exit 0 | |
| 1988 | Copperhead Road | |
| 1990 | The Hard Way | |
| 1995 | Train a Comin' | |
| 1996 | I Feel Alright | |
| 1997 | El Corazón | |
| 1999 | The Mountain | With the Del McCoury Band |
| 2000 | Transcendental Blues | |
| 2002 | Jerusalem | |
| 2004 | The Revolution Starts Now | |
| 2007 | Washington Square Serenade |
| Year | Album | Additional information |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Early Tracks | |
| 2002 | Side Tracks |
| Year | Album | Additional information |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Shut Up And Die Like An Aviator | |
| 1992 | BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert | Recorded 29th November 1988 at the Town & Country Club, London |
| 1997 | Together at the Bluebird Café | With Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark |
| 2003 | Just An American Boy (live) | |
| 2004 | Live From Austin, TX | Recorded 1986 |
| 2006 | Live at Montreux 2005 |
| Year | Album | Additional information |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Essential Steve Earle | |
| 1996 | Ain't Ever Satisfied: The Steve Earle Collection | |
| 1999 | Angry Young Man: The Very Best Of Steve Earle | |
| 2001 | The Devil's Right Hand: An Introduction to Steve Earle | |
| 2003 | 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Steve Earle |
| Year | Album | Additional information |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Transcendental Blues | Live |
| 2004 | Just An American Boy | |
| 2004 | Live From Austin, TX | |
| 2005 | 20th Century Masters - DVD Collection | Music video compilation |
| 2006 | Live at Montreux 2005 |
| Year | Title | US Country | US MSRT | Album |
| 1983 | "Nothin' But You" | 70 | ||
| 1984 | "Squeeze Me In" | |||
| 1984 | "What'll You Do About Me" | |||
| 1985 | "Little Bit In Love" | |||
| 1986 | "Hillbilly Highway" | 37 | Guitar Town | |
| 1986 | "Guitar Town" | 7 | 20 | Guitar Town |
| 1986 | "Someday" | 28 | Guitar Town | |
| 1987 | "Goodbye's All We Got Left" | 8 | Guitar Town | |
| 1987 | "I Ain't Ever Satisfied" | 26 | Exit 0 | |
| 1987 | "Sweet Little '66" | 37 | Exit 0 | |
| 1987 | "Nowhere Road" | 20 | Exit 0 | |
| 1988 | "Copperhead Road" | 10 | Copperhead Road | |
| 1988 | "Back To The Wall" | 20 | Copperhead Road | |
| 1988 | "Six Days On The Road" | 29 | Essential Steve Earle | |
| 1990 | "The Other Kind" | 37 | The Hard Way |