Album: Guitar Town
Artist: Steve Earle
Artist: Steve Earle
Born: San Antonio, Texas
Released: March 1986
Genre: Outlaw Country
Influenced: Alison Krauss, Wilco, Josh Ritter, Bright Eyes, Gillian Welch, Kings of Leon
Music is an integral part of many contemporary TV shows, and it was through HBO productions The Wire and True Detective that I discovered the work of Steve Earle and Townes Van Zandt. Earle's version of Tom Waits' song Way Down In The Hole was played over the opening credits of season 5 of The Wire, while Van Zandt's Lungs was the closing tune of episode 7. I've been listening to Earle's music for a few years now but hadn't made the connection that they were both part of the outlaw country scene, and that Van Zandt was a huge influence on Earle. Outlaw country was a reaction to the more conservative Nashville brand of country and was pioneered by progressive voices like Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. Van Zandt was inspired not just by these guys but also Texas bluesman Lightnin' Hopkins and Bob Dylan. In turn, Earle drew on this rich heritage and made an instant impact with his debut album, Guitar Town, which topped the US country charts and also reached out to a wider public. Part of this appeal was the way that Earle fused country with heartland rock in the style of Bruce Springsteen, but it was also down to the quality of the songs. Like the best country artists, Earle had experienced lows (broken marriages, drug addiction) and lived to tell the tale.
Earle's many years as a frustrated songwriter are expressed with passion in Guitar Town ("everybody told me you can't get far / on thirty-seven dollars and a jap guitar"), and it's also an archetypal American song about life on the road. Politics also plays an important role in Earle's songs, and there are several tracks on the LP, notably Someday and Good Ol' Boy (Getting Tough), that deal with the hardships faced by many working-class people in 80s America under Reagan ("I was born in the land of plenty / now there ain't enough"). Many of the songs deal with Earle's frustration at being left behind in a "one horse town", tied to a bank loan for a house or a car, but pining for the open road. His writing is closer to documentary journalism than poetry and this direct approach helped to widen his appeal. Earle also does old-fashioned country heartbreak, in the style of Hank Williams, on My Old Friend The Blues. Guitar Town is a seriously good record and helped to spark the alt-country scene that emerged in the late 80s and 90s. To date, Earle has released 14 albums (including Townes, a record of Van Zandt covers) and remains politically active (particularly on the issue of the death penalty), while also becoming a fine actor (notably as Waylon in The Wire). He's a real authentic American voice.
Music is an integral part of many contemporary TV shows, and it was through HBO productions The Wire and True Detective that I discovered the work of Steve Earle and Townes Van Zandt. Earle's version of Tom Waits' song Way Down In The Hole was played over the opening credits of season 5 of The Wire, while Van Zandt's Lungs was the closing tune of episode 7. I've been listening to Earle's music for a few years now but hadn't made the connection that they were both part of the outlaw country scene, and that Van Zandt was a huge influence on Earle. Outlaw country was a reaction to the more conservative Nashville brand of country and was pioneered by progressive voices like Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. Van Zandt was inspired not just by these guys but also Texas bluesman Lightnin' Hopkins and Bob Dylan. In turn, Earle drew on this rich heritage and made an instant impact with his debut album, Guitar Town, which topped the US country charts and also reached out to a wider public. Part of this appeal was the way that Earle fused country with heartland rock in the style of Bruce Springsteen, but it was also down to the quality of the songs. Like the best country artists, Earle had experienced lows (broken marriages, drug addiction) and lived to tell the tale.
Earle's many years as a frustrated songwriter are expressed with passion in Guitar Town ("everybody told me you can't get far / on thirty-seven dollars and a jap guitar"), and it's also an archetypal American song about life on the road. Politics also plays an important role in Earle's songs, and there are several tracks on the LP, notably Someday and Good Ol' Boy (Getting Tough), that deal with the hardships faced by many working-class people in 80s America under Reagan ("I was born in the land of plenty / now there ain't enough"). Many of the songs deal with Earle's frustration at being left behind in a "one horse town", tied to a bank loan for a house or a car, but pining for the open road. His writing is closer to documentary journalism than poetry and this direct approach helped to widen his appeal. Earle also does old-fashioned country heartbreak, in the style of Hank Williams, on My Old Friend The Blues. Guitar Town is a seriously good record and helped to spark the alt-country scene that emerged in the late 80s and 90s. To date, Earle has released 14 albums (including Townes, a record of Van Zandt covers) and remains politically active (particularly on the issue of the death penalty), while also becoming a fine actor (notably as Waylon in The Wire). He's a real authentic American voice.
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