What do you get when you blend the popular American rock & roll music of Bruce Springsteen and the neo-traditional country sounds of Dwight Yoakam? Steve Earl. This rock meets country star refused to adhere to the rules of the Nashville music scene when he emerged in the 1980s and as a result has perhaps never achieved mainstream success akin to other musicians of the two genres. But don't feel bad for Earle yet, this roots rocker garnered a cult following that blurred the line between country and rock and was nominated for 11 Grammys for his musical gifts. Despite a continuous battle with substance abuse, the Texas-raised Earle, whose wild ways started when he was a child and clashed with the country crowd as he became a long-haired, anti-Vietnam performer, continues to make music.

Earle gained notoriety as a songwriter for other artists before the Epic-released EP Pink & Black (1982) and Guitar Town (1986), which earned Earl two Grammy nods for Best Country Male Vocalist and Best Country Song. With his backup band the Dukes, Earle continued to unveil political themes in his work. 1987's critically acclaimed Exit O received two more Grammy nominations and was followed by 1988's Copperhead Road, which signaled Earle's move to rock, also seen in 1990's The Hard Way. The early ‘90s were a tumultuous time for Earle, who endured a succession of marriages and divorces and was paroled for drug possession in 1994. One year later the singer was back with Train A Comin', nominated for a 1996 Grammy in the Contemporary Folk category and in 1996 his song "Ellis Unit One" appeared in the film Dead Man Walking. Earle started his own label with Jack Emerson and released seven subsequent albums under label E-Squared, including bluegrass album The Mountain (1999) and "political album" Jerusalem (2002).