“What makes The Low Highway a near instant classic is its natural progression in Steve Earle's musical staying power. Since 1986, he has refused to be compartmentalized -- philosophically, lyrically, politically -- and most certainly, musically. Now in his adopted Manhattan hometown, Steve brings as much New York City grit to The Low Highway as he does rebellious Texas individualism. The result is a musical combustion of "urban-outlawism" that we've rarely heard before. It's a sound that lives comfortably in coffee houses on 14th Street, in truck stops in Oklahoma, and in bars in Nashville. And, at the heart of it is pure Steve Earle -- a growling voice, a simple guitar, and a catalog of songs that preserves those fighting ghosts of America and inspires the possibilities of all that the future can hold. Joanna Colangelo, The Huffington Post (April 24, 2013)
Steve Earle and The Dukes stop at The Shedd Institute's Jaqua Concert Hall Tuesday, October 1 on tour in support of The Low Highway. The Mastersons open.
Earle, often described as a master storyteller, has released 14 studio albums crossing several genres of music including bluegrass, roots rock, folk and country, since 1986's Guitar Town. The album's title track peaked at No. 7 on the US Country chart. He went on to release such hits as "Nowhere Road," "Copperhead Road" and "The Other Kind." Rolling Stone magazine named Earle Country Artist of the Year in 1986. He's received three Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary Folk Album for The Revolution Starts Now (2005), Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album for Washington Square Serenade (2008) and Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album for Townes.