19B: Steve Earle
Steve Earle was born in 1955. (Question 1 — How old does that make him?) He was raised in San Antonio, Texas, and moved to Nashville when he was 19. Nashville is the epicenter for country music. (That means it’s like the headquarters.) Steve Earle didn’t fit in at all. He had long hair, an earring and an attitude. And he was very outspoken. (Question 2 — What is “outspoken”?) His big breakthrough came in 1986, with the album Guitar Town.
Two years later he scored his biggest hit ever, “Copperhead Road,” which was a crossover success. That means it was played both on rock radio, and country radio. Steve plays a mandolin in this song. Notice how the song starts slow, and builds. At 2:30, it goes from a folk song to a rock song.
In the early 1990s, Steve Earle got into trouble. He drank too much and got hooked on drugs. He spent time in jail and almost lost everything. It took a lot of work for him to clean himself up. When he returned, he did so with a vengeance. His first song as a healthy, free man was “I Feel Alright.” (Note: He still has the attitude.)
Since that time, all of his album covers have been designed by a Chicago artist named Tony Fitzpatrick. They’re cool. Take a look. How would you describe them?
Steve Earle sings and speaks out for a lot of people who are often forgotten – prisoners, farmers, minorities, laborers. He is a big fan of Woody Guthrie, and has the same spirit.
He’s a busy man with a lot of interests. In addition to writing, recording, and touring, he also has his own radio show, has written plays and poetry, a book of short stories, and produces and mentors other artists. One magazine article said that since he got healthy, it’s “like he’s making up for lost time.”
One of his musical idols was Townes Van Zandt. He recorded an album of Townes’ songs. He even named his oldest son for him – Justin Townes Earle. Here, Steve talks about meeting Townes for the first time – plus getting in trouble, speaking out, and other topics — in the second segment. (Side note — Steve Earle talks a lot. And this may be the longest he’s ever talked without saying bad words.)
He likes all kinds of music. He loves Prince. He often plays a Nirvana song in concert. He has recorded a bluegrass album and loves old country music. He’s written soundtracks. He’s a folk artist. One of his most popular songs around the world is the Irish song “Galway Girl.” In 2016, a group of musicians decided to stage the largest-ever street performance of the song in Galway, Ireland. Check out all the joy!
One of his most recent albums is called So You Wanna Be an Outlaw. “Outlaw country” is a term that’s used to describe country music with a rock ‘n roll attitude. The founder of this style of music was Willie Nelson. Here’s Steve singing with Willie. (Also, check out the cool gear as they set up for the show.)
Today, Steve Earle lives in New York City, where he continues to write, record, speak out about important causes, and follow baseball. He takes care of his 10-year-old autistic son, John Henry, and helps raise money and awareness for autism research.
Answers:
1 — Steve Earle turns 65 this year.
2 — “Outspoken” means he speaks frankly about his opinions, even if they’re controversial. A magazine writer once said about Steve Earle “he has an opinion about everything — even french fries.”
Bonus video!
Here Steve Earle shows us how he tunes his guitars. Do you know how to tune a guitar? You turn the pegs on the “head stock,” which loosens or tightens the strings. This changes their sound, to a higher or lower pitch. Watch and you’ll get it.