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Steve Earle (born January 17, 1955) is a country
musician who grew up in Schertz, Texas|Schertz,
Texas. He was born in Ft. Monroe, Virginia|Ft.
Monroe, Virginia and was the eldest son of an air
traffic controller. He dropped out of school in
8th grade to move to Austin, Texas|Austin, Texas
and learn more about the music business. There he
met Townes Van Zandt (who became a mentor) and
other artists like Jerry Jeff Walker, Lucinda
Williams and Nanci Griffith. 

In 1975 he moved to Nashville where he met and
worked with fellow Texans Guy Clark and his wife
Susanna Clark.  Guy was instrumental in Steve
being employed as a songwriter by the Sunburry
Dunbar publishing division of RCA.  Steve was one
of the backing vocals on Guy's, "Desperados
Waiting For A Train" together with Emmylou Harris
on Guy's first album Old No 1.

However, despite his early success in gaining a
job as a songwriter it was  not until 1981 that he
achieved a top ten cut with "When You Fall in
Love" recorded by Johnny Lee.  He had to wait
until 1986 before his first album Guitar Town was
released.  It was a critical success and sold over
300,000 copies. Steve was named Country Artist of
the year for 1986 by Rolling Stone
magazine|Rolling Stone magazine.

A drug user since an early age, Earle effectively
stopped performing and recording from 1993 to
1996, eventually ending up in jail on drug and
firearms charges. Kicking the drug habit whilst in
jail, Earle came out a new man and embarked on a
'second' successful music career. Several albums
have been released since, as has a book of haikus.
Earle also tours hard, playing over 200 gigs in
most years. 

Earle has worked to abolish the death penalty, and
recorded Ellis Unit One for the movie Dead Man
Walking. He is also a supporter of, and regular
participant in, the Concerts for a Landmine Free
World, benefiting the Vietnam Veterans of America
Foundation.

In 2002, he provoked a controversy by writing a
song about John Walker Lindh ("John Walker's
Blues" on Jerusalem) from Lindh's perspective. 
The controversy  raised his profile in the media
and did not seem to damage his record sales. 

In 2004 he was given a BBC Radio 2 Folk
Awards#2004|Lifetime Achievement Award for
songwriting by the United Kingdom|UK's BBC Radio
2. 

In February 2005 he received a Grammy Award for
best contemporary folk album for the album The
Revolution Starts Now which was used to promote
the anti-war documentary Fahrenheit 9/11. Later in
2005 he caused consternation among his fans by
allowing "The Revolution Starts Now" to be used by
General Motors in a TV advertisment for pick-up
trucks.

Steve is the subject of a documentary film
entitled Just an American Boy, directed by Amos
Poe. 
==Source==
Lauren St John, Hardcore Toubadour: The Life and
Near Death of Steve Earle, Fourth Estate, 2002 
ISBN 1-84115-6116

==Discography==
===Albums===
* Guitar Town - 1986
* Early Tracks - 1987
* Exit 0 - 1987
* Copperhead Road - 1988
* The Hard Way - 1990
* Shut Up And Die Like An Aviator - 1991
* Train A-Comin' - 1995
* I Feel Alright - 1996
* El Corazon - 1997
* The Mountain - 1999
* Transcendental Blues - 2000
* Side Tracks - 2002
* Jerusalem - 2002
* Just An American Boy (live) - 2004
* Revolution Starts Now - 2004

==External links==

* http://www.steveearle.com/ Steve Earle Home page
* http://www.steveearle.net/ The Original
Unofficial Steve Earle Site
*
http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/e/earleste
ve-justanamericandvd.shtml Just An American Boy
*
http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/earle-steve/joh
n-walkers-blues-2206.html Lyrics for John Walker
Blues