Earle was a country black sheep straight from the get-go. Growing up in a small town outside of San Antonio, Earle was a 16 year old highschool drop-out with a rebellious attitude and self-destructive lifestyle. After giving music a try in Houston for a few years in the early 1970s -- where he befriended later teacher/role-model/friend/songwriting icon Townes Van Zandt -- he moved to Nashville at 19 in 1975. Donning straggly long hair, a heavy lifestyle (thanks Townes), and anti-Vietnam sentiments, Nashville and mainstream country execs certainly didn't take to him right off the bat. Luckily, his songwriting chops didn't go unnoticed and he soon made a decent living as a songwriter for legends such as Guy Clark and Carl Perkins along with artists like Johnny Lee, Vince Gill, Steve Warniner (he was also hired to write a song for Elvis Pressley but unfortunately The King didn't show up to the recording session).
Growing tired of Nashville, Earle moved back to Houston and began playing with his own band, The Dukes. Despite significant support from musicians and critics throughout Nashville, he had trouble finding a major label to support and had a contract fall apart with Epic Records who left him in their back pocket for a years but never produced a record for him. This was certainly indicative of the major label system that was coming to breaking point in the early 1980s, as labels weren't willing to risk producing and distributing music that didn't have an audience already in place. In the rock sphere the "indie" scene was in it's primitive stages and the idea of a country musician attempting the DIY approach seemed to be an effort in futility. However, a producer over at MCA finally caught wind of him and offered him a contract, giving way to the release of Earle's 1986 debut Guitar Town. With a unique "neo-rockabilly" and traditional country sound, the album captured the audiences of both the neo-traditionalist movement led by Randy Travis and Dwight Yoakam and fans of Bruce Springsteen's populist heartland-American rock.
"Gotta keep rockin' while I still can, gotta two-pack habit and a motel tan." Something about that lyric seems to encapsulate the mindset of a freewheeling lifestyle (like that of a young, traveling musician) and every time I hear it in my car I can't help but turn up the volume. The well of great lyrics as such and the fresh sound captivated the country music scene and with two charting singles ("Guitar Town" and "Goodbye's All We've Got Left") the album shot to number one on the US Country Billboard Charts (89 on the Billboard 200). Here's a cut of the latter single live from Austin City Limits.
So Earle finally got some of the mainstream attention many felt his songwriting warranted and the album received critical acclaim just for good measure. I readily admit that upon first listening to the album (my introduction to Mr. Earle's music), as a predominant indie rocker I fell on the "too country" side of the alt-county dilemma in my initial reactions. To me, the sound seemed a little too close to what nowadays sounds like mainstream Nashville, though Allmusic describes his first two albums as much "livlier stuff than anyone in Nashville was cranking out at the time". However (as with much of favorite music) it was the things I was uncomfortable/unfamiliar with on the first listen that have become my favorite parts of the music now. His sophomore album followed quickly in 1987, and Exit 0 (billed as Steve Earle & the Dukes) marked a sound that was nearing closer to a rock-based approach. Here's the lead track "Nowhere Road":
This more rock-based sound was reflected in the country music charts with a loss in sales compared to its predecessor. Nonetheless, it still garnered critical acclaim and did well enough for MCA to not lose anything on it. His third album, 1988's Copperhead Road, found Steve fully embracing his rock and roll sentiments and aggressive attack.
This song became Earle's third charting lead-off track in a row, though it wasn't the Billboard Country charts that grabbed onto it. Gathering significant airplay from rock radio stations, the album was his highest charting on the Billboard 200 (Number 56) with a unique sound that Rolling Stone described as "power twang" in their four-star review and the heartland rock sounds like John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen if they had grown up in the South. The album wasn't a pure rock album by any means though, as many songs still had his (slightly more powerful) country sound as heard.
Despite his steady success in multiple markets, by the late 1980s Earle's personal life was spinning out of control. At the time of Copperhead's release Earle was on his 5th marriage and was battling serious problems with alcohol and drug abuse. After an arrest in Dallas for an attack on a security guard at his own concert, multiple drug related incidents, and a paternity suits from past wives, the country music establishment was ready to turn their back on Earle. His fourth album, 1990's sporadic The Hard Way, showed signs of his wearing and though the album still received generally favorable reviews amongst critics, the album quickly fell off the charts. After this MCA released a live album of previously recorded material to finish out their contract and cut their ties with him after which.
With no record contract and nearly broke, Earle disappeared from the scene completely after slipping into a self-described two-year "trip into the ghetto" followed by a jail and rehab stint. Though at the time the music industry and fans alike thought Earle was gone for good, his influence was clearly evident in the alternative country movement that took off in the 1990s. Luckily though, alt-country's prodigal son would soon return home with a vengeance and solidify his place in country music alongside the contemporary artists he had come to influence.
No comments:
Post a Comment