Steve Earle
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Steve Earle (born January 17, 1955) is a country musician who grew up in Schertz, Texas. He was born in Ft. Monroe, Virginia and was the eldest son of an air traffic controller. He dropped out of school in 8th grade to move to Austin, Texas and learn more about the music business. There he met Townes Van Zandt (who became a mentor) and other artists like 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 was one of the backing vocals on Guy's, "Desperados Waiting For A Train" together with Emmylou Harris on Guy's first album Old No 1.
However, despite his early success in gaining a job 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. He had to wait until 1986 before his first album Guitar Town was released. It was a critical success and sold over 300,000 copies. Steve was named Country Artist of the year for 1986 by Rolling Stone magazine.
From 1990, Earle has worked to abolish the death penalty. 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 2002, he provoked a controversy by writing a song about John Walker Lindh ("John Walker's Blues" on Jerusalem) from Lindh's perspective. The controversy raised his profile in the media and did not seem to damage his record sales.
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 which was used to promote the anti-war documentary Fahrenheit 9/11.
Steve is the subject of a documentary film entitled Just an American Boy, directed by Amos Poe.
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Source
Lauren St John, Hardcore Toubadour: The Life and Near Death of Steve Earle, Fourth Estate, 2002 ISBN 1-84115-6116
Discography
Albums
- Guitar Town - 1986
- Early Tracks - 1987
- Exit 0 - 1987
- Copperhead Road - 1988
- The Hard Way - 1990
- Shut Up And Die Like An Aviator - 1991
- Train A-Comin' - 1995
- I Feel Alright - 1996
- El Corazon - 1997
- The Mountain - 1999
- Transcendental Blues - 2000
- Side Tracks - 2002
- Jerusalem - 2002
- Just An American Boy (live) - 2004
- Revolution Starts Now - 2004
External links
- Steve Earle Home page (http://www.steveearle.com/)
- The Original Unofficial Steve Earle Site (http://www.steveearle.net/)
- Just An American Boy (http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/e/earlesteve-justanamericandvd.shtml)
- Lyrics for John Walker Blues (http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/earle-steve/john-walkers-blues-2206.html)