Steve Earle is rock and roll, he is country, and Earle has deep roots in early Americana all the way back to Guy Clarke, Townes Van Zandt, and Rodney Crowell, among many. A songwriter first, I found him with his “Guitar Town” release back in 1986. Listened to the second album, the Springsteen-esque “Exit 0”, a lot, and when 1988’s “Copperhead Road” album came out, we turned it up loud. With this episode, I wanted to listen to his older music and talk about artistry, rebellion, and political themes that the three-time Grammy winner has embraced through 20 albums with themes of social justice, addiction recovery, and political, anti-war views. A newly-invited member to the Grand Ole Opery (who would have ever thought that would happen back in 1987), we also listen to some of what is a whole lot of great cover songs.
Let’s go.