Steve Earle

Biography

Stephen Fain Earle (; born January 17, 1955) is an American country, rock, and folk singer-songwriter. He began his career as a songwriter in Nashville.

Earle's breakthrough album was his 1986 debut album Guitar Town; the eponymous lead single peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot Country chart. Since then, he has released 21 more studio albums and received three Grammy awards, each for Best Contemporary Folk Album; he has four additional nominations in the same category. "Copperhead Road" was released in 1988 and is his bestselling single; it peaked on its initial release at No. 10 on the Mainstream Rock chart, and had a 21st-century resurgence reaching No. 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, Travis Tritt, Vince Gill, Patty Loveless, Shawn Colvin, Bob Seger, Percy Sledge, Dailey & Vincent, Robert Earl Keen, and Emmylou Harris.

Earle has appeared in film and television, most notably as recurring characters in HBO's critically acclaimed shows The Wire and 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.

He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020, and became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 2025.

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