Stephen Fain Earle is an American rock, country and folk singer-songwriter, record producer, author, and actor. Earle began his career as a songwriter in Nashville and released his first EP in 1982.

His breakthrough album was the 1986 debut album Guitar Town; the eponymous lead single peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot Country chart.

Since then Earle has released 20 more studio albums and received three Grammy awards each for Best Contemporary Folk Album; he has four additional nominations in the same category. “Copperhead Road” was released in 1988 and is his best selling single.

His songs have been recorded by Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Levon Helm, The Highwaymen, Travis Tritt, Vince Gill, Patty Loveless, Shawn Colvin, Bob Seger, Percy Sledge, and Emmylou Harris. He has appeared in film and television, most notably as a recurring character in HBO’s critically acclaimed shows Treme and The Wire. He has also written a novel, a play, and a book of short stories.