Steve Earle: Fearless Heart, Outlaw Poet

by David McGee

This book examines the life and music of Steve Earle, one of the most important and controversial singer-songwriters of our time. Through in-depth interviews with family members, producers, musicians, and with Earle himself, this volume traces Steve's journey from southeast Texas to his debut No. 1 country album, Guitar Town and his descent into drug addiction, and on to his triumphant comeback with Train a-Comin' and his subsequent challenging projects with co-producer Ray Kennedy. Rosanne Cash, Rodney Crowell, Peter Rowan, and Norman Blake are among the artists who offer insights into Earle's music.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction

330 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2005

Reviews

[Ian Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'be been a fan of Steve Earle's work since the late '80s. I enjoyed Steve Earle's story, but felt like the author kept fishing into other people's stories throughout the work (there were several chapters comparing Earle's career to Rodney Crowell's), and the shift didn't work for me. This also was a book in terrific need of a good editor, as the writing was awkward at points, and not well proofread. If it wasn't for my interest in the story, I wouldn't have made it through.

[Pat Padden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really well-written and detailed, this book deserves more time than I have to devote to it right now. I borrowed a copy through my library's interlibrary loan service, but I'm going to have to buy a copy. Mr. Earle's managed to pack about four lifetimes into one. It's gonna take a while to read through it all.

[Ron Pihlgren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm kind of a fan of most things written about Steve Earle and this book was a nice summary of Earle's life and career up to the Jerusalem album. One cool thing about the way this book was written was the interspersal of info about his albums at the point in the narrative when the book came out.

[PennsyLady (Bev) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm only slightly familiar with Steve Earl.
Therefore, I appreciated the interviews with others and
recaps of other musicians and musical trends.

I definitely came away knowing more than before.

[Chip Rickard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this is an over 20 year old book, it is a very insightful biography. It's a book that focuses heavily on the music and details how all his albums were made song by song. McGee does not ignore the wild side of Earle's life concerning drug abuse and several marriages. Steve's political side is detailed as well from his strong opposition to the death penalty to his left wing politics.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good. But I like biographies, especially on musicians, that are a bit more...how do I say, interesting? Steve Earle's life is interesting, no doubt, but I felt as this was just a blow by blow account and how it related to the over all music scene of the day. Good for fans, but wouldn't convert anyone who just wanted to read about Earle or even country music and the oh-so-interesting period of time.

Nevertheless, I'm a fan, and I learned more than a little from this book. That's always worth the read.

[AustinT · Rating 2 out of 5]

2016