steveearleinterview

The year was 1987 when my friend Ad and I went to Wetzlar, Germany for a 2 day open-air festival organized by our good fiend Rainer Zosel. On saturday Jim Glaser, Stella Parton, Doyle Holly and the Seldom Scene were on. Not many spectators watched the show because it was raining cats and dogs. On sunday the weatherforecast predicted lots of rain and indeed in the morning it was pouring and Rainer wanted to cancel the afternoon show pretty early. And although I told him not to, he did which he later on regretted because the rain stopped around noon. So then I didn't see Dwight Yoakam, the Whites and Steve Earle & the Dukes perform. But it gave us the opportunity to do interviews. It was the first of many conversations I had with Steve.

Steve, you recorded Guitar Town what became a number 1 album and everybody praised it into heaven but when it came to awards it didn't get any.

I feel pretty good about the awards. Guitar town fell in between but the album will be eligable this year. But I felt real honored to be nominated for the Grammys. There are only 5 nominees and I was nominated on two categories, so was Dwight and Randy but it turned out to be Ronnie Milsap. The people that do the voting for the Grammys don't know really much about country music so they check the one name they know. That is why Ronnie won. And about the ACM awards, I was nominated but I didn't go because they don't mean much. I call them the Dick Clark awards. They are just there to have a TV show. I think we probably do better this year. The important thing is we brought in a younger audience. What happened in Nashville this year is that Randy, Dwight and me were brought in for completely different reasons, totally different kinds of music. We all brought in young listeners for country music. And we all sold lots of records.The reason is the young listeners. Buying records is more a priority for them. The older people is what they call a passive audience. They listen to the music on the radio but they don't buy many albums. It's great to be in the middle of it.

But the reason I asked you is that everybody talked about Randy, Dwight and you but in the end, conservative as Nashville is, Randy got the awards. To me, it looked that you're not as much accepted as it probably seemed to be.

I think that's not quite true. Dwight did real well at the ACM awards. They are California based and that's where he lives. He got some crossways with people who live in Nashville. My album fell in between eligabllity periods for the CMA awards but we'll see what happens this year.CMA is a full-time organization. The people that run the CMA tended to be very conservative but they can't fight windmills. Some things change slower than others. But there is a new generation producers, like mine (Richard Bennett hh),Emory Gordy jr and Tony Brown. They make the decision to do the albums with new people like me. They have the jobs and make the decisions for the record labels and eventually you're gonna see new people on the CMA awards too. I think the community in Nashville is pretty much behind me because we're selling albums.

I think Gram Parsons would like what you do. Bringing country music to a younger audience.

That's very flattering to hear. This music, and I've said that a million times, has always been there, it only wasn't recorded. One of the people that kept it alive was Emmylou Harris but Emmy had good teachers too. People talk about Randy, Dwight and me in the same breath but actually I got in the business in 1974 playing bass for Guy Clark so I feel more part of the Outlaw movement than what's going on in Nashville right now. I was there. I only went through a period where the labels didn't pay much attention to this kind of music.

You used to open for big names in pop and rock?

We did a lot but now we got to the point that we hardly open shows.We play the largest club in town or a small theater. But in the South-East we did shows with Waylon Jennings and Hank jr, we've done shows with Bob Seger, the Replacements, Green On Red and that worked very well. We worked with the Replacements and the Reds in New York where Dwight has opened for Husker Du at The Plaza. Believe me that's real fun.

You just finished your second album Exit O. What is there to say about it?

Exit O is a band's album. It's a Steve Earle and the Dukes record. Two of the songs came from the bandmembers, I wrote the rest of the songs. We came off the road, a little over 80 dates and went in the studio and recorded it. There's always been great music in Nashville. The percentage of bad music is probably the same as in L.A.. If you look at what's recorded in L.A. over the years... L.A. overlooked one of the greatest countryrock bands long before the Flying Burrito Brothers and that was Rick Nelson's Stone Canyon Band . No one payed attention to what he did because no one let him be anything else but RickY Nelson. That band was absolutely one of the best bands I've ever seen. They were doing countryrock on the Ed Sullivan Show years before anyone ever heard of Gram Parsons.

Steve, would you ever compromize if success would fade away?

I will change because the worst thing that could happen to me is stop growing. I'm not here to preserv the form of how it was always played. We don't sound like the Burrito Brothers. A lot of things happened sinceand we incorporate those things in my music.I am a songwriter first and my songs predict how I and my band sounds and I don't put any limits on it at all and that's what I disagree with Dwight. We use synthesizers very heavily but it's still guitarmusic. But it's a very useful instrument and you can colour things that you can't do with guitars. We simultaneously brought the steelguitar back. My steelguitar player Bucky Baxter is one of the greatest. The steelguitar was almost a dead instrument in Nashville. The players made it almost sound like anything but a steelguitar. There's a lot of tradition in my music but at the same time I'm not willing to stand still and keep things the same but compromizing for the sake of success; no never.

American Music's

Steve Earle

interview

1986, Someday, MCA single, with Guitar Town and Good old boys (live versions).

1982, Pink and Black, 4-track EP on LSI Records.

1984, What'll you do about me, single on CBS.

1987, The rain came down, single on MCA UK,

with I love you too much, Guitar town and No. 29, all live.

1986, Guitar town, on MCA.

1987, Early tracks, re-issue of 1983 album, on Epic UK.

1988, Copperhead road, on UNI Records.

1987, Exit 0, on MCA.

1988, Back to the wall, single on UNI/MCA.

1990, The other kind, single on MCA (vinyl), with West Nashville Boogie.

1990, The other kind,

CD single on MCA,

with West Nashville Boogie plus Dead flowers and Guitar town live.

Also poster below.

1990, The hard way, on MCA.

1991, Shut up and die like an aviator, live album on MCA.

1990, Justice in Ontario, CD single on MCA, with This higway's mine plus live versions of Copperhead road and I ain't ever satisfied.

1993, This highway's mine, compilation on Pickwick UK.

1992, We ain't ever satisfied, the essential collection,

on MCA UK.

1992, Essential Steve Earle, on MCA.

1992, BBC Radio I, live in concert, on Windsong, from 1988 BBC concert.

1994, Uncut gems, on WB Music (demo's)

1999, Return of the grievous angel a tribute to Gram Parsons, on Almo Sounds. Steve with Chris Hillman on High fashion queen.

1992, The road and the sky, on Great Dane Records Italy, bootleg with Jeff Healy.

1995, train a-comin', on Winter Harvest.

1996, I feel alright,

on WB (advance copy).

1996, I feel alright, on Warner Bros.

1996, More than I can do, CD single, WEA Australia, with Copperhead road and Sorry Dwayne (live).

1996, Hard-core troubadour, CD single on WB, with To hell and back (live in Cold Creek prison).

Clockwise starting with:

1. 1987, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Heart of the country, on DixieFrog France, with Heatin' up.

2. 1988, Webb Wilder & the Beatnecks, It came from Nashville, on Special Delivery, with The Devil's right hand.

3. 1989, Jason & the Scorchers, Thunder and fire, on A&M, with Bible and a gun.

4. 1992, Greg Trooper, Everywhere, on Black Hole, with I thought I was dreramin'.

5. 1994, Shawn Colvin, Cover girl, on Columbia, with Someday.

6. 1995, Emmylou Harris, Wrecking ball, on Elektra, with Goodbye.

7. 1999, Lucy Kaplansky, Ten year night, on Red House, with Somewhere out there.

8. 1999, Various artists, Steel Cowboys vol.1, on Platinum, a.o. Billy Burnette with Copperhead road.

9. 1999, Montana Rose, There' s a dream, on Cowboy Heaven, with The rain came down.

10. 2001, Lucy Kaplansy, Every single day, on Red House, with You're still standing there.

Steve's songs covered outside the Nashville circuit.

This picture taken during Steve's show at Paradiso, Amsterdam Holland, 1997, by me. Sorry, bad quality.

Two shots taken at Steve's place (click here to find out the story behind these pictures).

Steve with Tacy Peck, running his fanclub in the early days.

1996, Steve Earle and the V-roys, Johnny too bad, on WB UK.

1996, Steve Earle,

Ain't ever satisfied,

The S.E. collection, 2CD on Hip-O Records

1997, El Corazon, on Warner Bros.

1997, Early tracks, on Koch Int'l, plus bonus tracks = two singles for CBS 1984/1985.

1997, S.E. and the Supersuckers, 5-track EP on Sub Pop Records.

1999, The mountain, with the Del McCoury Band on E-Squared

1999, Dixieland and I'm still in

love with you, single on Grapevine UK.

2001, Steve Earle, Townes Van Zandt & Guy Clark, TOGETHER at the Bluebird Cafe, on American Originals.

2002, Side tracks, on E-Squared.

2002, Jerusalem, on E-Squared.

2000, Transcendental blues, on E-Squared.

Steve started his own label: E-Squared Records and got a distribution deal with Warner Bros.

Along with Ray Kennedy calling themselves Twangtrust, turned out to be a great producer.

Following are some examples of fine products released on his own label.

Until now, Steve's little sister Stacy recorded three fine albums for her own label (Gearle Records).

Steve Earle can also be found on fine tributes in all kinds of music.

V-roys, Just add ice

V-roys, All about town

6 String Drag, High hat

Bap Kennedy,

Former Energy Orchard frontman, Domestic Blues.

Cheri Knight, The North East kingdom

Jack Ingram's best album,

Livin' or dyin' on Rising Tide.

Production: Twangtrust.

1996, Not fade away (remembering Buddy Holly),

on Decca. Steve with Marty Stuart

on Crying, waiting, hoping.

1994, Skynyrd Frynds, on MCA.

Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute.

Steve on What's your name.

1997, The songs of Jimmie Rodgers, a tribute,

on Columbia.

Steve doing In the jailhouse now with the V-roys.

2001, If I had a song: the songs of

Pete Seeger, vol. 2, on Appleseed.

Steve doing Walkin' down death row.

2002, Kindred spirits, a tribute to the songs of Johnny Cash, on Lucky Dog. Steve doing Hardin wouldn't run.

2002, Poet, a tribute to Townes Van Zandt,

on Catfish UK.

Steve and the Dukes doing Two girls.

The story behind this picture at the end of this page.

We skip all the Nashville artists that recorded a Steve Earle tune, like Waylon Jennings, Marsha Thornton, Rhonda Vicent, Sawyer Brown,

Ricky Skaggs, Kelly Willis, Brother Phelps, Gretchen Peters,

Patty Loveless, Mark Chesnut, Vince Gill, Robin Lee, Kathy Mattea, Thompson Brothers Band, Travis Tritt, and many many more...

But there are some great Australian artists:

1994, Lee Kernaghan, Three chain road.

2CD on ABC Australia, with Copperhead road.

1995, Gina Jeffreys, The flame.

2CD on ABC Australia,

with Nothing but a child.

1998, Dead Ringer Band, Hopeville,

on Massive Australia,

with Sometimes she forgets.

Steve's contribution to a few remarkable albums, as:

1993, The Beverly Hillbillies, OST on Fox Records.

Steve and Eagle Joe Walsh on Honey don't.

1998, Stacey Earle, Simple Gearle.

2000, Stacey Earle,

Dancin' with them that brung me.

2001, Stacey Earle and Mark Stuart,

Must be live (2CD).

This is not a complete Steve Earle discography. All items above are from my own collection. This is only a guide line.

Here comes the story of a remarkable night. Playing an important part was Nashville singer-songwriter Marjy Plant. We were visiting her when she invited us to join her later that night when she wanted to do some demo work.

1. Marjy Plant playing Douglas Corner with Sarah Majors (L).

2. Emmylou Harris, Brand New Dance, 1990. Opening track Marjy Plant' s Wheel of love.

3. Marjy (L), Louise Zepp on my right. She has taken all the following b/w pictures.

So we went up driving north, and finally ended up in Dave Earney's studio, which turned out to be the same one that Steve used for his Early tracks.

As you can see on 4. Dave is making a phone call, but I didn't know what for. Of course I found out later that Marjy and he arranged something for me.

But first we started doing demo's, me supervising on 5.

When Marjy did her demo's, Lisa Robertson was the drummer, but when she wanted to record a few songs she's written, the only one that could her place was my buddy Ad, so he did (6).

What was all the fuzz about? Phonecalls, whispering...

They'd call Steve Earle in the afternoon and saying a friend from Belgium who he'd met in Germany, would like to seem him again.

And Steve, who has always been a nice guy, and had nothing much to do, thought: "why not?"

And I had no reason to think that Steve would show up for me, but as a pleasant surprise, he did.

And we had a good time, talked a lot, he played some songs, made me listen to some demo's he'd done, in preparation for an upcoming album, songs which turned out to end up on I feel alright (7,8,9,10).