Let’s get your Monday started with one of my favorite songs.
“Well my name’s John Lee Pettimore
Same as my daddy and his daddy before…”
Ol’ Steve was really working that outlaw angle back then.
Musical palate cleanser, a brand new plan edition
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Get The Picture 
I almost always enjoy your musical palate cleanser links. This one introduced me to someone I didn’t know. I went on a YouTube and Wiki search – interesting musician. Thanks
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I did too…talk about transformations. Was wondering if that was an actor in the video by the end of the google search.
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Steve is an excellent songwriter.
I like the non-political stuff better than the political (this goes for Fogerty, Neil, Seger, Jackson Browne, Bruce, Mellencamp, and , yes, even the Stones, too).
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Nobody writes a better love song than SE.
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“Valentine’s Day” being a great example.
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This one, too.
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That song is now 32 years old. And Steve Earle looks like a baby in the video.
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He is an all time favorite of mine. Find “Last of the Hardcore Troubadours.”
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So much to unpack here. Did Poison or Montley Crue dabble in New Grass or Alt Country? And the video shots, editing, etc., were all… interesting… and dated. But also fun to check out.
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Not really (although Poison’s Every Rose would probably be marketed to 2000’s country radio if it wasn’t also from 1988) but this was released in 1988 when 96 Rock was still alive and playing everything from Skynrd to Bon Jovi to Judas Priest to REM.. This wasn’t sold as a country record and received solid airplay on AOR as well as MTV. Earle was marketed as more of southern rock act until the bottom dropped out of it when the world started paying attention to bands from Seattle.
Steve has lived a hard life of his own making. Substance abuse (his outgoing answering machine message allegedly said he wasn’t able to come to the phone because he was out doing heroin) led to multiple failed marriages, homelessness, and stints in jail which nearly cost him his career. It also completely influenced his songwriting since getting clean which infuriates the “shut up & sing” crowd. But other musicians love the guy unless you are Alison Moorer or Hayes Carll. (I like Hayes a lot too)
For the record there is Copperhead Hollow Road near Bristol and three John Lee Pettimore’s listed in Geni.com as being moonshiners etc. from that area. But I have no idea if it is a true story or how singer songwriter from Texas via Nashville came across the story.
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I tell ya, Justin Townes Earle’s got no time for him. Or anything, really.
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I thought they had patched things up recently? I am a big fan of Justin too.
FWIW – I like Hayes Carll too.
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Who gave you the weekend off ? I’m gonna take my subscription fee elsewhere.
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I know, I know…
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Best song he’s ever done.
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Tom Ames’ Prayer
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I really thought when SE landed a spot in The Wire, this song could be a movie or TV show, especially with Justified(outstanding) and Moonshiners(meh) getting buzz. Amazingly, this song still holds and really blew my mind since I wore out Exit 0 on cassette, lol
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