Steve Earle Archives - Chicago Reader

Steve Earle says farewell to his son with the new J.T.

by James Porter January 8, 2021August 18, 2021

Nothing is more precious than the relationship between parent and child, and it’s a hell of a thing when they’re separated by death—especially when the child is the one to go. Justin Townes Earle, the firstborn son of singer-songwriter Steve Earle, was a well-established Americana artist in his own right when he passed away from […]

City Life

Get your nuts together

by Salem Collo-Julin December 11, 2020August 18, 2021

Upcoming events and distractions from our listings coordinator

Music

Steve Earle examines a mining tragedy to engage listeners across the political spectrum on Ghosts of West Virginia

by Monica Kendrick May 29, 2020August 18, 2021

On April 5, 2010, a coal-dust explosion at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch Mine in Raleigh County, West Virginia, killed 29 miners. Though subsequent investigations found that a pervasive pattern of negligence and safety violations had led to the entirely preventable tragedy, in 2015 Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship got off with a slap on […]

Music

A trio of country outsiders keep tabs on each other on the LSD Tour

by Jeremy Cargill August 9, 2018August 18, 2021

Under the moniker “the LSD Tour” (with the cheeky tagline, “It’s worth the trip”), raspy-voiced Americana singer Lucinda Williams, hard-core troubadour Steve Earle (with his band the Dukes), and spiritual son of Bakersfield Dwight Yoakam have been trekking across the landscape of North America this summer. The package tour—which hits Chicago near the end of […]

Music

Veteran Nashville outsider Steve Earle discourages following his path on So You Wannabe an Outlaw

by Peter Margasak July 13, 2017August 18, 2021

Steve Earle opens his latest album, So You Wannabe an Outlaw (Warner Brothers), with a cautionary tale that asks listeners considering his outsider path to think twice. If anyone can offer such warnings, it’s Earle, whose anti-Nashville posturing and copious substance abuse eventually landed him in jail. The title track features a cameo from fellow […]