Steve Earle

Born in San Antonio, Texas, in 1955, Steve Earle belongs to the tradition of American country and folk singer-songwriters while incorporating rock and bluegrass elements. Settling in Nashville in the 1970s, he began as a songwriter for the country scene before launching his solo career with Guitar Town in 1986, which established him between modern honky-tonk and roots rock. In the late 1980s, with Exit 0 (1987) and Copperhead Road (1988), he developed a more electric sound, marked by narrative songs about rural life, veterans, and society’s margins. After a period of withdrawal linked to personal and legal problems, Earle returned in the mid-1990s with Train a Comin’ (1995), followed by I Feel Alright (1996) and El Corazón (1997), showing a more acoustic, introspective songwriting. Regularly backed by his band The Dukes, he also explored bluegrass with the Del McCoury Band on The Mountain (1999) and tackled political themes more explicitly on albums such as Jerusalem (2002) and The Revolution Starts… Now (2004). Later based in New York, he alternated folk, rock and blues projects, paid tribute to his influences on Townes (2009) and Jerry Jeff (2022), and continued working as a songwriter, occasional actor and columnist, maintaining an engaged, narrative approach to American music.