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{{short description|American country, rock, and folk singer-songwriter (born 1955)}}
{{for-multi|the football player|Steve Earle (footballer)|the drummer Steve Earle|Afghan Whigs}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Steve Earle
| image = 20180705-Rudolstadt-Festival-Steve Earle-and-the-Dukes-4821 (cropped).jpg
| caption = Earle performing at the [[Rudolstadt-Festival]] in 2018
| birth_name = Stephen Fain Earle
| alias =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1955|1|17}}
| birth_place = [[Fort Monroe]], [[Virginia]], U.S.
| origin = [[San Antonio, Texas]], U.S.
| death_date =
| instrument = {{flatlist|
* Vocals
* guitar
* [[mandolin]]
* harmonica
* [[banjo]]
* [[bouzouki]]
* bass guitar
}}
| genre = {{Hlist|[[Alternative country]]<ref name=Cross>{{cite web |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/music/steve-earle-talks-seattle-bands-alice-in-chains-jimi-hendrix-and-food/ |title=Steve Earle talks Seattle band Alice In Chains, Jimi Hendrix and food |last=Cross |first=Charles R. |date=August 9, 2017 |work=Seattle Times |access-date=December 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814125800/https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/music/steve-earle-talks-seattle-bands-alice-in-chains-jimi-hendrix-and-food/ |archive-date=August 14, 2017 }}</ref>|[[country rock]]<ref name=Hattenstone>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jun/14/steve-earle-so-you-wanna-be-an-outlaw-interview |title=Steve Earle: 'My wife left me for a younger, skinnier, less talented singer' |last=Hattenstone |first=Simon |date=June 14, 2017 |work=The Guardian|access-date=December 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170614064255/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jun/14/steve-earle-so-you-wanna-be-an-outlaw-interview |archive-date=June 14, 2017 }}</ref>|[[outlaw country]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.popmatters.com/steve-earle-so-you-want-to-be-an-outlaw-2495387815.html |title= STEVE EARLE: SO YOU WANT TO BE AN OUTLAW|last=Paul |first=John |date=June 23, 2017 |work=[[PopMatters]] |access-date=December 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190218164556/https://www.popmatters.com/steve-earle-so-you-want-to-be-an-outlaw-2495387815.html |archive-date=February 18, 2019}}</ref>|[[contemporary folk]]}}
| occupation = {{flatlist|
* Musician
* singer-songwriter
}}
| years_active = 1968–present<ref>St John, Lauren. Hardcore Troubadour: The Life and Near Death of Steve Earle, Fourth Estate, 2002</ref>
| label = {{flatlist|
* [[Uni Records|Uni]]
* [[Universal Music Group Nashville#MCA Nashville|MCA Nashville]]
* [[New West]]
* E<sup>2</sup> Records
* [[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]]
}}
| website = {{URL|steveearle.com}}
}}
'''
Earle's breakthrough album was his 1986 debut album ''[[Guitar Town]]''; the [[Guitar Town (song)|eponymous lead single]] peaked at number seven on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Hot Country Singles & Tracks|Hot Country]] chart. Since then, he has released 20 more studio albums and received three [[Grammy award]]s each for [[Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album|Best Contemporary Folk Album]]; he has four additional nominations in the same category. "[[Copperhead Road (song)|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)|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 (country supergroup)|The Highwaymen]], [[Travis Tritt]], [[Vince Gill]], [[Patty Loveless]], [[Shawn Colvin]], [[Bob Seger]], [[Percy Sledge]], [[Dailey & Vincent]], and [[Emmylou Harris]].<ref>[[David Corn|Corn, David]], "Death-House Troubadour: Steve Earle Rocks 'N' Rants against Capital Punishment", ''[[The Nation]]'', Vol. 265, No. 6</ref>
Earle has appeared in film and television, most notably as recurring characters in [[HBO]]'s critically acclaimed shows ''[[The Wire]]'' and ''[[Treme (TV series)|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.
==Early life==
Earle was born on January 17, 1955,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rose |first=Mike |date=January 17, 2023 |title=Today's famous birthdays list for January 17, 2023 includes celebrities James Earl Jones, Jim Carrey |url=https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2023/01/todays-famous-birthdays-list-for-january-17-2023-includes-celebrities-james-earl-jones-jim-carrey.html |access-date=January 17, 2023 |website=[[Cleveland.com]]}}</ref> in [[Fort Monroe, Virginia]], where his father was stationed as an air traffic controller.<ref name="NPR 1999">[[Noah Adams|Adams, Noah]] (June 29, 1999) Review: Steve Earle and the Del McCoury Band collaborate on "The Mountain", NPR's ''[[All Things Considered]]''</ref> The family moved to [[Texas]] before Earle's second birthday and he grew up primarily in the [[San Antonio]] area.<ref name="CMT">[https://web.archive.org/web/20040103172557/http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/earle_steve/bio.jhtml Steve Earle Bio] ''[[MTV]]'', retrieved July 28, 2012</ref><ref>Interview with Steve Earle, July 8, 92.1 [[KNBT]]'s ''Friday Afternoon Club'', Live from [[Gruene Hall]] in [[New Braunfels, Texas]]</ref><ref>[http://www.meg.ie/interview-steve-earle-part-ii Steve Earle Interview Part II (transcript)] MEG. January 31, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2012.</ref><ref name="All Music"/>
Earle began learning the guitar at the age of 11 and entered a school talent contest at age 13.<ref name="CMT"/> He ran away from home at age 14 to search for his idol, singer-songwriter [[Townes Van Zandt]].<ref name="Chicago Sun-Times 1993"/> Earle was "rebellious" as a young man and dropped out of school at the age of 16. He moved to [[Houston]] with his 19-year-old uncle, also a musician. While in Houston, Earle finally met Van Zandt.<ref name="CMT"/><ref name="All Music">[[Stephen Thomas Erlewine|Erlewine, Stephen Thomas]]. [https://www.allmusic.com/artist/steve-earle-mn0000034249 Steve Earle Bio], [[AllMusic]]; retrieved July 27, 2012.</ref> Earle was opposed to the Vietnam War as he recalled in 2012: "The antiwar movement was a very personal thing for me. I didn't finish high school, so I wasn't a candidate for a student deferment. I was fucking going."<ref name="Ambrose">{{cite news |last1=Ambrose |first1=Patrick |title=Politics as usual with Steve Earle |url=https://clclt.com/charlotte/politics-as-usual-with-steve-earle/Content?oid=2697112 |access-date=November 2, 2020 |publisher=Creative Loafing Charlotte |date=April 24, 2012}}</ref> The end of the Selective Service Act and the draft lottery in 1973 prevented him from being drafted, but several of his friends were drafted, which he credits as the origin of his politicization.<ref name="Ambrose"/> Earle also noted that when he was a young man, his girlfriend was able to get an abortion despite the fact that abortion was illegal. Her father was a doctor at the local hospital in San Antonio, while several other girls he knew at the time were not able to get abortions; they lacked access to those with the necessary power to arrange an abortion, which he credits as the origin of his pro-choice views.<ref name="Ambrose"/>
==Career==
===1974–1999===
In 1974, at the age of 19,<ref name="NPR 1999"/> Earle moved to Nashville and began working blue-collar jobs during the day and playing music at night.<ref name="CMT"/> During this period Earle wrote songs and played bass guitar in [[Guy Clark]]'s band and sang on Clark's 1975 album ''Old No. 1''.<ref name="All Music"/> Earle appeared in the 1976 film ''[[Heartworn Highways]]'', a documentary on the Nashville music scene which included [[David Allan Coe]], [[Guy Clark]], [[Townes van Zandt]], and [[Rodney Crowell]]. Earle lived in Nashville for several years and assumed the position of staff songwriter at the publishing company Sunbury Dunbar.<ref name="CMT"/><ref name="All Music"/> Later Earle grew tired of Nashville and returned to Texas, where he started a band called The Dukes.<ref name="All Music"/>
[[File:Steve Earle 2.jpg|thumb|left|Earle performing in 2007 at the [[Midlands (Music Festival)|Midlands Music Festival]] in [[Westmeath]], Ireland]]
In the 1980s, Earle returned to Nashville once again and worked as a songwriter for the publishers [[Roy Dea]] and Pat Carter. A song he co-wrote, "When You Fall in Love," was recorded by [[Johnny Lee (singer)|Johnny Lee]] and made number 14 on the country charts in 1982.<ref name="CMT"/> [[Carl Perkins]] recorded Earle's song "Mustang Wine," and two of his songs were recorded by [[Zella Lehr]]. Later, Dea and Carter created an independent record label called LSI, and invited Earle to begin recording his own material on their label.<ref name="All Music"/> [[Connie Smith]] recorded Earle's composition "[[A Far Cry from You]]" in 1985, which reached a minor position on the country charts, as well.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Horowitz|first1=Steve|title=Connie Smith: ''Long Line of Heartaches''|url=https://www.popmatters.com/review/148184-connie-smith-long-line-of-heartaches|website=[[Pop Matters]]|date=October 9, 2011 |access-date=September 27, 2015}}</ref>
Earle released an EP called ''Pink & Black'' in 1982, featuring the Dukes. Acting as Earle's manager, John Lomax sent the EP to [[Epic Records]], and they signed Earle to a recording contract in 1983.<ref name="All Music"/> In 1983, Earle signed a record deal with CBS and recorded a "[[neo-rockabilly]] album."<ref name="Chicago Sun-Times 1993"/>
After losing his publishing contract with Dea and Carter, Earle met producer Tony Brown, and after severing his ties with Lomax and Epic Records, obtained a seven-record deal with [[MCA Records]].<ref name="All Music"/><ref name="Chicago Sun-Times 1993"/> Earle released his first full-length album, ''[[Guitar Town]]'', on MCA Records in 1986. The title track became a top-10 single in 1986 and his song "Goodbye's All We've Got Left" reached the top 10 in 1987. That same year, he released a compilation of earlier recordings, entitled ''Early Tracks'', and an album with the Dukes, called ''Exit 0'', which "received critical acclaim" for its blend of country and rock.<ref name="All Music"/>
Earle released ''[[Copperhead Road]]'' on Uni Records in 1988, which was characterized as "a quixotic project that mixed a lyrical folk tradition with hard rock and eclectic Irish influences such as [[The Pogues]], who guested on the record."<ref name="Chicago Sun-Times 1993"/> The album's [[Copperhead Road (song)|title track]] portrays a [[Vietnam veteran]] who uses his family background in running moonshine to become a marijuana grower/seller.<ref name=NPR>[[Steve Inskeep|Inskeep, Steve]] (December 7, 2003) Interview: Steve Earle discusses the political nature of his songwriting, [[NPR Weekend Edition]]</ref> It was Earle's highest-peaking song to date in the United States, and it had sold 1.1 million digital copies there as of September 2017.
His 1990 album ''[[The Hard Way (Steve Earle album)|The Hard Way]]''<ref name="Chicago Sun-Times 1993"/> had a strong rock sound and was followed by "a shoddy live album" called ''Shut Up and Die Like an Aviator''.<ref name="CMT"/><ref name="Chicago Sun-Times 1993"/> In August 1991, Earle appeared on the TV show ''The Texas Connection'' "looking pale and blown out."<ref name="Chicago Sun-Times 1993"/> In light of Earle's "increasing drug use," MCA Records did not renew his contract, and Earle did not record any music for the next four years.<ref name="CMT"/> By July 1993, Earle was reported to be improving, having regained his normal weight, and he had started to write new material.<ref name="Chicago Sun-Times 1993"/> At that time, a writer for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' called Earle "a visionary symbol of the New Traditionalist movement in country music."<ref name="Chicago Sun-Times 1993">Hoekstra, Dave (July 11, 1993) "Steve Earle On the Road To Comeback," Chicago Sun-Times</ref>
In 1994, two staff members at [[Warner/Chappell]] publishing company and Earle's former manager, John Dotson, created an in-house compact disc of Earle's songs entitled ''Uncut Gems'' and showcased it to some recording artists in Nashville. This resulted in several of Earle's songs being recorded by [[Travis Tritt]], [[Stacy Dean Campbell]], and [[Robert Earl Keen]].<ref name="CMT"/> After his recording hiatus, Earle released ''[[Train a Comin']]'' on Winter Harvest Records, and it was nominated for the [[Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album]] in 1996. The album was characterized as a return to the "folksy acoustic" sound of his early career.<ref name="CMT"/>
In 1996, Earle formed his own record label, [[E-Squared Records]], and released the album ''I Feel Alright'', which combined the musical sounds of country, rock, and rockabilly.<ref name="CMT"/> Earle released the album ''[[El Corazón (Steve Earle album)|El Corazon]]'' (''The Heart'') in 1997, which one reviewer called "the capstone of this [Earle's] remarkable comeback".<ref>Warren, Doug (November 20, 2007) "Steve Earle: El Corozon E-Squared/Warner Bros". ''[[The Boston Globe]]''.</ref>
According to Earle, he wrote the song "Over Yonder" about a death-row inmate with whom he exchanged letters, before attending his execution in 1998.<ref>Earle, Steve (Sept 2000), [http://www.utne.com/GreatWriting/Steve-Earle-A-Death-in-Texas/2001-01-01/Archives.aspx "A Death in Texas"], ''[[Tikkun (magazine)|Tikkun]]'', republished in ''[[Utne Reader]]'', Jan–Feb 2001; retrieved September 5, 2012</ref> He made a foray into [[bluegrass music|bluegrass]]-influenced music in 1999, when he released the album ''[[The Mountain (Steve Earle album)|The Mountain]]'' with the [[Del McCoury Band]].
In 2000, Earle recorded his album ''[[Transcendental Blues]]'',<ref name="CMT"/> which features the song "[[Galway Girl (Steve Earle song)|Galway Girl]]."
=== 2000–present ===
Earle presented excerpts of his poetry and fiction writing at the 2000 New Yorker Festival.<ref name="CMT" /> His novel, ''[[I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive (novel)|I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive]]'', was published in the spring of 2011, and a collection of short stories called ''Doghouse Roses'' followed that June.<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/books/la-ca-steve-earle-20110306-story.html Myth, reality and Steve Earle], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''; retrieved August 24, 2012.</ref> Earle wrote and produced an [[off-Broadway]] play about the death of [[Karla Faye Tucker]], the first woman executed since the death penalty was reinstated in Texas.<ref>{{cite news|last=Evans|first=Everett|title=Steve Earle brings Karla Faye Tucker's life to the stage|url=https://www.chron.com/entertainment/article/Steve-Earle-brings-Karla-Faye-Tucker-s-life-to-1480007.php|access-date=March 30, 2013|newspaper=[[Houston Chronicle]]|date=October 30, 2005}}</ref>[[File:Steve Earle washington DC 03-07-01.jpg|thumb|upright|Earle performing in front of the [[United States Supreme Court]] on July 1, 2003]]
In the early 2000s, Earle's album ''[[Jerusalem (Steve Earle album)|Jerusalem]]'' expressed his anti-war, [[Capital punishment debate in the United States|anti-death penalty]] and his other progressive views, so-called "leftist."<ref name="All Music"/><ref name="Bio.com">[http://www.biography.com/people/steve-earle-507625 Steve Earle profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120728020455/http://www.biography.com/people/steve-earle-507625 |date=July 28, 2012 }}. 2012. biography.com. Retrieved August 2, 2012.</ref> The album's song "John Walker's Blues," about captured American [[Taliban]] fighter [[John Walker Lindh]] created controversy.<ref name="CMT"/><ref name="Fearless Heart">McGee, David. ''Steve Earle, Fearless Heart, Outlaw Poet''. Backbeat: San Francisco, 2005, pg. 207.<!-- ISSN/ISBN needed --></ref> Earle responded by appearing on a variety of news and editorial programs and defending the song and his views on patriotism and terrorism.<ref name="CMT"/> His subsequent tour featured the ''Jerusalem'' album and was released as the live album ''[[Just an American Boy]]'' in 2003.<ref name="All Music"/>
In 2004, Earle released the album [[The Revolution Starts Now (album)|''The Revolution Starts Now'']], a collection of songs influenced by the [[Iraq War]] and the policies of the [[George W. Bush administration]]; it won a Grammy for best contemporary folk album.<ref name="All Music"/><ref name="Bio.com"/> The title song was used by [[General Motors Corporation|General Motors]] in a TV advertisement.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.cheezeball.net/Video/Earle.mpeg| title=GM Commercial| work=cheezeball.net| access-date=May 26, 2008| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080530034958/http://www.cheezeball.net/Video/Earle.mpeg| archive-date=May 30, 2008}}</ref> The album was released during the U.S. presidential campaign.
The song "The Revolution Starts Now" was used in the promotional materials for [[Michael Moore]]'s antiwar documentary film ''[[Fahrenheit 9/11]]'' and appears on the album ''[[Songs and Artists That Inspired Fahrenheit 9/11]]''. That year, Earle was the subject of a documentary DVD called ''[[Just an American Boy]]''.<ref>Begrand, Adrien (March 8, 2004) [https://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/e/earlesteve-justanamericandvd.shtml "Steve Earle: Just An American Boy"], [[PopMatters]], retrieved August 31, 2012</ref> It was also used in the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE4wxt70aUM "Andor Season 2 trailer]."
In 2006, Earle contributed a cover of [[Randy Newman]]'s song "[[Rednecks (song)|Rednecks]]" to the tribute album ''Sail Away: The Songs of Randy Newman''.<ref>[http://www.covermesongs.com/2010/08/steve-earle-rednecks.html Song of the Day: Steve Earle, "Rednecks" (Randy Newman cover) » Cover Me]. Covermesongs.com. Retrieved on May 10, 2012.</ref> Earle hosted a radio show on [[Air America (radio network)|Air America]] from August 2004 until June 2007.<ref>[http://www.steveearle.net/radio/ SteveEarle.net/radio], retrieved October 3, 2008</ref> Later, he began hosting a show called ''Hardcore Troubadour'' on the [[Outlaw Country (Sirius XM)|Outlaw Country]] channel.<ref>{{cite press release
| title = Country Music Renegade Steve Earle to Launch a Weekly Show Exclusively on Sirius Satellite Radio
| publisher = [[Air America Radio]]
| date = June 4, 2008
| url = http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_music_blog/2007/06/steve_earle_lau.html
| access-date = October 3, 2008
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090208070436/http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_music_blog/2007/06/steve_earle_lau.html
| archive-date = February 8, 2009
}}</ref> Earle is also the subject of two biographies, ''Steve Earle: Fearless Heart, Outlaw Poet'', by David McGee and ''Hardcore Troubadour: The Life and Near Death of Steve Earle'' by [[Lauren St John]].{{citation needed|date=August 2017}}
[[File:Steve Earle & Allison Moorer at Bumbershoot 2007.jpg|thumb|upright|Steve Earle onstage with [[Allison Moorer]] at the [[Bumbershoot]] event in 2007]]
In September 2007, Earle released his 12th studio album, ''[[Washington Square Serenade]]'',<ref>{{cite news | first=Katherine | last=Cole | title=Steve Earle Gives Nod to New Hometown in 'Washington Square Serenade' | date=December 15, 2007 | publisher=[[Voice of America]] | url=http://voanews.com/english/archive/2007-12/2007-12-14-voa59.cfm | work=VOA News | access-date=January 2, 2009 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116160757/http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2007-12/2007-12-14-voa59.cfm | archive-date=January 16, 2009 }}</ref> on [[New West Records]]. Earle recorded the album after relocating to New York City, and this was his first use of digital audio recording.<ref name="exclaimmag">{{cite web | author= Schneider, Jason | title= Steve Earle – Washington Square Serenade | url= https://exclaim.ca/music/article/steve_earle-washington_square_serenade| work = [[Exclaim!]] | year=2007| access-date=November 12, 2007}}</ref> The album features Earle's then-wife, [[Allison Moorer]], on "Days Aren't Long Enough" and "Down Here Below". The album includes Earle's version of [[Tom Waits]]' song "[[Way Down in the Hole]]" which was the theme song for the [[The Wire (season 5)|fifth season]] of the [[HBO]] series ''[[The Wire]]'' in which Earle appeared as a recovering drug addict and drug counselor named [[Street-level characters of The Wire#Walon|Walon]] (Earle's character appears in the first, fourth, and fifth seasons).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hbo.com/the-wire/cast-and-crew/walon|title=Walon Played by Steve Earle|publisher=[[HBO]].com|access-date=April 9, 2021}}</ref> In 2008, Earle produced [[Joan Baez]]'s album ''[[Day After Tomorrow (Joan Baez album)|Day After Tomorrow]]''.<ref>{{cite news|first=Thomas|last=Kintner|title=New on Disc: Jessica Simpson, Joan Baez|url=http://www.courant.com/entertainment/music/hc-albums0909.artsep09,0,1995085.story|work=[[Hartford Courant]]|date=September 9, 2008|access-date=September 15, 2008}}{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Prior to their collaboration on ''Day After Tomorrow'', Baez had covered two Earle songs, "Christmas in Washington" and "Jerusalem", on previous albums; "Jerusalem" had also become a staple of Baez' concerts. In the winter, he toured Europe and North America in support of ''Washington Square Serenade'', performing both solo and with a disc jockey.<ref name="exclaimmag"/>
On May 12, 2009, Earle released a tribute album, ''[[Townes (album)|Townes]]'', on [[New West Records]]. The album contained 15 songs written by Townes Van Zandt. Guest artists appearing on the album included [[Tom Morello]] of [[Rage Against the Machine]], Moorer, and his son Justin.<ref name=nd>Blackstock, Peter, [https://web.archive.org/web/20090623032535/http://community.nodepression.com/profiles/blogs/details-on-steve-earles-album "Details on Steve Earle's album of Townes Van Zandt covers"], [[No Depression (magazine)|NoDepression.com]], March 9, 2009</ref> The album earned Earle a third [[Grammy]] award, again for best contemporary folk album.<ref name="Bio.com"/>
In 2010, Earle was awarded the [[National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty]]'s Shining Star of Abolition award.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blackbookmag.com/arts-culture/music/steve-earle-lays-it-down/|title=Steve Earle Lays It Down|website=Blackbookmag.com|date=January 27, 2010|access-date=April 13, 2021}}</ref> Earle has recorded two other anti-death penalty songs: "Billy Austin", and "Ellis Unit One" for the 1995 film [[Dead Man Walking (film)|''Dead Man Walking'']].{{citation needed|date=August 2012}}
In 2010–2011, Earle appeared in seasons one and two of the [[HBO]] show ''[[Treme (TV series)|Treme]]'' as Harley Wyatt, a talented street musician who mentors another character.
Earle released his first novel and 14th studio album, both titled ''[[I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive (album)|I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive]]'' after a Hank Williams song, in the spring of 2011.<ref name="Bio.com"/> The album was produced by [[T Bone Burnett]] and deals with questions of mortality with a "more country" sound than his earlier work.<ref name="billboard.com">Graff, Gary (January 24, 2011) [https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/473451/steve-earle-explores-mortality-on-new-album-and-novel-talks-treme Steve Earle Explores Immortality On New Album] ''Billboard'', retrieved August 24, 2012</ref> During the second half of his 2011 tour with The Dukes and Duchesses and Moorer, the drum kit was adorned with the slogan "[[we are the 99%]]", a reference to the [[Occupy movement]] of September 2011.{{citation needed|date=August 2012}}
On February 17, 2015, Earle released his 16th studio album, ''[[Terraplane (album)|Terraplane]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://theboot.com/steve-earle-terraplane/|title=Steve Earle to Release New Album in 2015|work=The Boot|date=December 10, 2014 }}</ref><ref>Waddell, Ray [https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6699644/steve-earle-terraplane-interview Steve Earle Explains Rock History, New Album 'Terraplane' and Heading Towards Broadway], Billboard.com, September 17, 2015.</ref>
On September 10, 2015, Earle and the Dukes released a new internet single titled "Mississippi, It's Time". The song's lyrics are directed towards the state of [[Mississippi]] and their refusal to abandon the [[Confederate Flag]] and remove it from their state flag. The song was released for sale the following day with all proceeds going towards the [[Southern Poverty Law Center]], a civil-rights organization.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/hear-steve-earle-denounce-confederate-flag-in-mississippi-its-time-20150910|title=Hear Steve Earle Denounce Confederate Flag in 'Mississippi, It's Time'|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=August 11, 2017}}</ref>
On June 10, 2016, Earle released an album of duets with [[Shawn Colvin]], titled simply ''Colvin And Earle'', which was accompanied by a tour in London and the US.<ref name="New York Times 23 June 2016">{{cite news|last=Green|first=Michelle|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/23/fashion/shawn-colvin-steve-earle.html|title= Shawn Colvin and Steve Earle: Two Old Pals on the Road Together|date=June 23, 2016|work=[[New York Times]]|access-date=November 8, 2016}}</ref><ref name="Guardian 16 June 2016">{{cite news|last=Guarino|first=Mark|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jun/16/steve-earle-shawn-colvin-new-album-collaboration|title= Steve Earle and Shawn Colvin: nine divorces, two addictions, one perfect mix|date=June 16, 2016|work= [[The Guardian]]|___location=London, UK|access-date=August 11, 2017}}</ref>
On June 16, 2017, Earle and the Dukes released his 17th studio album, ''[[So You Wannabe an Outlaw]]''. ''GUY'', Earle's tribute album to his songwriting hero [[Guy Clark]], was released on March 29, 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2019/03/28/steve-earle-new-album|title=Steve Earle's New Album Pays Tribute To Guy Clark: 'The Greatest Story Songwriter That Ever Lived'|website=Wbur.org|date=March 28, 2019 |access-date=October 13, 2019}}</ref>
Earle was among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the [[2008 Universal fire]].<ref name="Rosen2">{{cite web |last1=Rosen |first1=Jody |title=Here Are Hundreds More Artists Whose Tapes Were Destroyed in the UMG Fire |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/25/magazine/universal-music-fire-bands-list-umg.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=June 28, 2019 |date=June 25, 2019}}</ref> Earle was one of five artists who filed a class-action lawsuit against Universal on June 21, in response to an earlier ''Times'' report on the fire.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sisario |first1=Ben |title=Artists Sue Universal Music Group Over Losses in 2008 Fire |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/21/business/media/universal-music-fire-lawsuit.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=July 2, 2019 |date=June 21, 2019}}</ref>
Earle was the musical director for the 2020 play ''Coal Country'' about the 2010 West Virginia mining disaster where 29 men died. The play by [[Jessica Blank]] and [[Erik Jensen (actor)|Eric Jensen]] ran at the Public Theater in New York and was cut short by the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. He was nominated for Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel awards for his work on the play's music. Songs from the play are on his 2020 album ''Ghosts of West Virginia.''<ref name="Star">{{Cite web |author=Nick Krewen |date=2023-08-20 |title='I just write, you know?' Steve Earle has songwriting down pat. Next, a TV pilot, two books and a Broadway musical |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/i-just-write-you-know-steve-earle-has-songwriting-down-pat-next-a-tv-pilot/article_0ed0d0e6-d95d-5fcd-a352-4d965482e05b.html |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=Toronto Star |language=en}}</ref>
In 2021, Earle joined [[Willie Nile]] on Nile's song "Blood on Your Hands", featured on Nile's album ''[[The Day the Earth Stood Still (Willie Nile album)|The Day the Earth Stood Still]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Blistein |first1=Jon |title=Willie Nile Taps Steve Earle for New Song 'Blood on Your Hands' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/willie-nile-new-song-blood-on-your-hands-steve-earle-1178734/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=June 7, 2021 |access-date=July 6, 2021}}</ref>
In 2023, Earle said he is working on a musical of the film ''[[Tender Mercies]]''.<ref name="Star"/>
Steve Earle features prominently in ''Love at the Five and Dime: The Songwriting Legacy of Nanci Griffith'', a biography of the musical career of Griffith by Brian T. Atkinson<ref>(Texas A&M University Press, 2024).</ref>
On April 26, 2025, Earle was invited by [[Vince Gill]] to become a [[List of Grand Ole Opry members|member]] of the [[Grand Ole Opry]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Watts |first1=Cindy |title=Watch Vince Gill Surprise Steve Earle With Invitation To Join the Grand Ole Opry |url=https://americansongwriter.com/watch-vince-gill-surprise-steve-earle-with-invitation-to-join-the-grand-ole-opry/ |website=americansongwriter.com |access-date=April 28, 2025 |date=April 27, 2025}}</ref>
Earle makes a cameo appearance in the [[The End of the Road (Poker Face)|12th episode of the second season]] of the [[Peacock (streaming service)|Peacock]] mystery series ''[[Poker Face (TV series)|Poker Face]]'' as a truck driver.
===''The Steve Earle Show''===
''The Steve Earle Show'' (formerly known as ''The Revolution Starts Now'') was a weekly [[Radio programming|radio show]] on the [[Air America Radio]] network hosted by Earle. It highlighted some of Earle's favorite artists, blending in-studio performances with liberal political talk and commentary. The show aired Sundays on some [[List of Air America Radio affiliates|Air America affiliates]] from 10 to 11 pm ET. The show last aired on June 10, 2007, and that was a rebroadcast of a past episode.<ref>[http://www.steveearle.net/radio/ SteveEarle.net/radio], retrieved 2008-10-03</ref> Earle subsequently started DJing on a show on [[Sirius Satellite Radio]] called ''Hardcore Troubadour''.<ref>{{cite press release
|title = Country Music Renegade Steve Earle to Launch a Weekly Show Exclusively on Sirius Satellite Radio
|publisher = Air America Radio
|date = 2008-06-04
|url = http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_music_blog/2007/06/steve_earle_lau.html
|accessdate = 2008-10-03
|url-status = dead
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20090208070436/http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_music_blog/2007/06/steve_earle_lau.html
|archivedate = February 8, 2009
|df = mdy-all
}}</ref>
==Personal life==
Steve Earle has been married seven times, including twice to the same woman.<ref>St John, Lauren. Hardcore Troubadour: The Life and Near Death of Steve Earle, Fourth Estate, 2002.</ref> He married Sandra "Sandy" Henderson in Houston at the age of 18, and left her to move to Nashville a year later.<ref name="All Music"/> There, he met and married his second wife, Cynthia Dunn. Earle married his third wife, Carol-Ann Hunter, who was the mother of their son, singer-songwriter [[Justin Townes Earle]] (1982–2020).<ref name="All Music"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://people.com/music/justin-townes-earle-dead-at-38/|title=Singer Justin Townes Earle, Son of Musician Steve Earle, Dead at 38|website=People.com|date=August 23, 2020}}</ref>
Next, he married Lou-Anne Gill (with whom he had a second son, Ian Dublin Earle, in January 1987). In December 1987, a [[groupie]], Theresa Baker, claimed her daughter (Jessica Montana Baker) was fathered by Earle, though the initial DNA test was inconclusive and Earle did not submit to a second.<ref>St John, Lauren. ''Hardcore Troubadour: The Life and Near Death of Steve Earle'', Fourth Estate, 2002, p. 210</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=RolandNote.com: The Ultimate Country Music Database |url=https://www.rolandnote.com/people.php?scode=timeline&keyword=Steve+Earle&page=4 |access-date=2023-09-02 |website=www.rolandnote.com}}</ref> His fifth wife was Teresa Ensenat, an A&R executive for Geffen Records at the time.<ref name="Chicago Sun-Times 1993"/> He then married Lou-Anne Gill a second time, and finally, in 2005, he married singer-songwriter [[Allison Moorer]], with whom he had a third son, John Henry Earle, in April 2010.<ref>''The Boot'', April 7, 2010.</ref> John Henry was diagnosed with autism before age two. (In March 2014, Earle announced that Moorer and he had separated.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://themusic.com.au/news/steve-earle-on-staying-clean-through-personal-hardship/D_MAAwIFBAc/23-03-14/|title=Steve Earle On Staying Clean Through Personal Hardship|publisher=Themusic.com.au|access-date=November 18, 2020}}</ref> Earle has primary custody of John Henry during the school year and then tours in the summer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fuller |first=Eric |title=Bruce Springsteen Plays Steve Earle's Autism Benefit Show In New York City. Love Fills The Room. |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericfuller/2021/12/23/bruce-springsteen-plays-steve-earles-autism-benefit-show-in-new-york-city-love-fills-the-room/ |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> In an interview with ''The Guardian'', Earle said about John Henry, "I know why I get up in the morning now: to figure out a way to make sure he's going to be all right when I’m gone. That's my job. That's what I do.")<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hattenstone |first=Simon |date=2017-06-14 |title=Steve Earle: 'My wife left me for a younger, skinnier, less talented singer' |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jun/14/steve-earle-so-you-wanna-be-an-outlaw-interview |access-date=2023-11-13 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
In 1993, Earle was arrested for possession of heroin, and in 1994, for [[cocaine]] and weapons possession.<ref name="CMT"/><ref name="New York Times">{{cite news|author=DeCurtis, Anthony|date=May 7, 2012|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/arts/music/10decurtis.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all/|title=Freeing A Mentor From His Mythology]|work=New York Times|access-date=August 3, 2012}}</ref><ref name="Albany Times 1996">Bledsoe, Wayne (January 14, 1996) STEVE EARLE KEEPS ON MAKING MUSIC ON HIS OWN TERMS, ''[[Albany Times Union]]'' (Albany, New York); accessed August 11, 2017.</ref> A judge sentenced him to a year in jail after he admitted possession and failed to appear in court.<ref>EARLE TREATMENT, ''[[The Buffalo News]]'' (Buffalo, New York). September 9, 1994.</ref> He was released from jail after serving 60 days of his sentence.<ref name="Albany Times 1996"/><ref name="Buffalo News 11/3/94">EARLE MOVED TO DRUG CENTER, ''The Buffalo News'' (Buffalo, New York). November 3, 1994.</ref> He then completed an outpatient drug-treatment program at the Cedarwood Center in [[Hendersonville, Tennessee]].<ref name="Buffalo News 11/3/94"/> As a recovering heroin addict, Earle has used his experiences in his songwriting.<ref>{{cite web|last=Thomas|first=Stephen|url=http://music.yahoo.com/steve-earle/biography|title=Yahoo Biography|publisher=[[Yahoo! Music]]|date=September 11, 2001|access-date=September 10, 2012}}</ref>
Earle's sister, [[Stacey Earle]], is also a musician and songwriter.
==Political views and activism==
Earle is outspoken with his political views, and often addresses them in his lyrics and in interviews. Politically, he identifies as a [[Socialism|socialist]] and tends to vote for Democratic candidates, despite not agreeing entirely with their politics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/feature/goodbye-guitar-town-an-interview-with-steve-earle|title=Goodbye Guitar Town: An Interview with Steve Earle|work=PopMatters|date=September 23, 2007 |access-date=December 27, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2002/08/earl-a07.html|title=US country singer Steve Earle subjected to witch-hunt|author=Ian Bruce|date=August 7, 2002|access-date=December 27, 2015}}</ref> During the 2016 election, he expressed support for Senator [[Bernie Sanders]], whom he considered to have pushed Hillary Clinton to the left on important issues.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenation.com/article/interview-steve-earle|title=Interview With Steve Earle|author=Eric Alterman|date=March 19, 2015|work=The Nation|access-date=December 27, 2015}}</ref> In a 2017 interview, Earle said about President [[Donald Trump]]: "We've never had an orangutan in the White House before. There's a lot of 'What does this button do?' going on. It's scary. He really is a fascist. Whether he intended to be or not, he's a real live fascist."<ref name="Betts">{{cite news |last1=Betts |first1=Stephen |title=Steve Earle talks outlaws, Guy Clark and Donald Trump |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/steve-earle-talks-outlaws-guy-clark-and-fascist-trump-194374/ |access-date=1 November 2020 |publisher=Rolling Stone |date=17 August 2017}}</ref> However, Earle has called for the American left to engage with the concerns of working class Trump voters, saying in 2017: "…maybe that's one of the things we need to examine from my side because we're responsible. The left has lost touch with American people, and it's time to discuss that".<ref name="Toto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/steve-earle-trump-supporters/|title=Socialist Steve Earle: Stop Demonizing Trump Supporters|date=February 29, 2020|website=Hollywood in Toto|access-date=April 13, 2021}}</ref> In 2020, he stated: "I thought that, given the way things are now, it was maybe my responsibility to make a record that spoke to and for people who didn't vote the way that I did. One of the dangers that we're in is if people like me keep thinking that everyone who voted for Trump is a racist or an asshole, then we're fucked, because it's simply not true."<ref name="Toto"/>
In his 1990 song "Justice in Ontario", Earle sang about the [[Port Hope 8 case]]. Earle criticized the conviction of six [[Satan's Choice Motorcycle Club|Satan's Choice]] bikers for a 1978 murder in [[Port Hope, Ontario|Port Hope]], arguing that the accused were innocent, framed by the ruthless Corporal [[Terry Hall (policeman)|Terry Hall]] of the Ontario Provincial Police's Special Squad.<ref name="Newton">{{cite news |last1=Newton |first1=Steve |title=25 years ago: Steve Earle talks bikers, executions, and "Justice in Ontario" |url=https://www.straight.com/blogra/554181/25-years-ago-steve-earle-talks-bikers-executions-and-justice-ontario |access-date=October 30, 2020 |work=The Georgia Straight |date=October 11, 1990}}</ref> In the song Earle compares the conviction of the "Port Hope 6" to the massacre of the [[Black Donnellys]] in 1880. In 1990, Earle stated in an interview about "Justice in Ontario": "There's some concern about reprisals because the O.P.P. (Ontario Provincial Police) is obviously not gonna be thrilled. My hope is that I'll be far too out-in-the-open and far too public for the police to do anything and get away with it. But the point is, that's not a reason for doing or not doing anything, because…I very nearly went to prison myself for something I didn't do, simply because a law enforcement agency didn't want to admit that somebody had fucked up—they didn't want to open the whole can of worms and all the other complaints that were constantly brought against the [[Dallas]] police department. You can't stand by and let stuff like that go down without saying anything about it. And I think I especially have a responsibility to do that, 'cause if I didn't have any money right now I'd be in prison in Texas—I'm convinced of that. It was that close. But I was able to afford decent legal representation. And it comes down to the fact that people who can't afford decent legal representation—who are subject to something like this happening and turning out very badly—feed my kids. That's where my money comes from and that's where my freedom comes from".<ref name="Newton"/>
In 2006, Earle, along with other artists, held a protest concert against the [[Iraq War]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/22/arts/music/against-the-war-michael-stipe-steve-earle-and-lots-of-others.html|title=
Against the War, Michael Stipe, Steve Earle and Lots of Others|newspaper=New York Times|date=March 22, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/anti-war-benefit-concert/7/|title=Anti-War Benefit Concert|website=CBS News|date=March 21, 2006}}</ref> Earle is a vocal opponent of [[Capital punishment debate in the United States|capital punishment]],<ref name="CMT"/> which he considers his primary area of political activism. Several of his songs have provided descriptions of the experiences of [[death row]] inmates, including "Billy Austin" and "Over Yonder (Jonathan's Song)".<ref name=NPR/> Conversely, he has also written a song from the perspective of a prison guard working on death row in "Ellis Unit One", a song written for the film [[Dead Man Walking (film)|''Dead Man Walking'']], the title based on the name of the [[Ellis Unit One|State of Texas men's death row]].<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-12-28-ca-13103-story.html "Dead Man Walking" Ambles Away With Year's Top Singles] ''Los Angeles Times''. December 28, 1996.</ref>
He is pro-choice and has argued that rich Americans have always had access to abortions; he says the political issue in the US is really whether poor women should have access. His 2012 novel ''I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive'' describes the life of a morphine-addicted doctor in 1963 San Antonio before ''[[Roe v. Wade]]'' who treats gunshot wounds and provides illegal abortions to poor women.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://clclt.com/charlotte/politics-as-usual-with-steve-earle/Content?oid=2697112|title=Politics as usual with Steve Earle|work=Creative Loafing Charlotte|access-date=December 27, 2015}}</ref> Since his youngest son was diagnosed with [[autism]], Earle has also become an advocate for people on the autism spectrum.
==Discography==
{{Main|Steve Earle discography}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==Further reading==
* Schone, Mark. (1998). "Steve Earle". In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music''. Paul Kingsbury, Ed. New York: [[Oxford University Press]]. pp. 160–1.
* St John, Lauren. ''Hardcore Troubadour: The Life and Near Death of Steve Earle'', Fourth Estate, 2002 {{ISBN|1-84115-611-6}}
* McGee, David. ''Steve Earle, Fearless Heart, Outlaw Poet''. Backbeat: San Francisco, 2005
==External links==
{{external links|date=July 2024}}
{{Commons category}}
*{{official website}}
*[http://steveearle.net/articles/ Archive of articles about Earle]
*{{allMusic}}
*{{Discogs artist}}
*{{MusicBrainz artist}}
*[https://www.theguardian.com/g2/story/0,,426106,00.html ''Guardian'' article written by Earle]
*[http://www.countrystandardtime.com/d/artist.asp?xid=2855&c=207;/ CD reviews at Country Standard Time]
*[https://pitchfork.com/news/34782-steve-earle-to-release-townes-van-zandt-tribute-album/ Pitchfork review of the ''Townes'' album]
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{{s-bef|before=[[Kris Kristofferson]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[First Amendment Center]]/[[Americana Music Association|AMA "Spirit of Americana" Free Speech Award]]|years=2004}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Judy Collins]]}}
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{{Steve Earle|state=expanded}}
{{Grand Ole Opry members}}
{{AAR}}
{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:20th-century American guitarists]]
[[Category:20th-century American male musicians]]
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[[Category:American folk guitarists]]
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[[Category:American rock guitarists]]
[[Category:Autism activists]]
[[Category:Country musicians from Texas]]
[[Category:Earle family (show business)]]
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[[Category:Grand Ole Opry members]]
[[Category:Guitarists from Texas]]
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[[Category:Singer-songwriters from Virginia]]
[[Category:Stony Plain Records artists]]
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