Jazz Fest Season 2012: TOP 10 MOMENTS

Everyone at the Hall is in ecstatic shock to the overwhelming love and support we've been receiving over the past couple of weeks. We are relieved that the chaos from the festival season is over, but we are on the edges of our seats to see the receding effects. In the mean time, the Hall family would love to share with you our top 10 moments during this Jazz Fest season, 2012.

1. Lionel Ferbos and Wendell Eugene perform with the Preservation Hall Junior Jazz Band at Jazz Fest

Sometimes the saying, 'history repeats itself' can be taken as a true gift of time and human potential. I witnessed this on the side of the Gentilly stage as 100 year old Lionel Ferbos (trumpet) and 89 year old Wendell Eugene (Trombone) joined the PHJB and the Preservation Hall Junior Jazz Band to help close out the show. Watching from the side of the stage, I was witnessing the true life cycle of traditional New Orleans' music. After the show, one of Ferbos' family members said that he has been playing music for over 83 years now. Lionel and Wendell's performing history only makes me think of the potential vitality that exists in all of the Junior Jazz Band players. The thought is overwhelming and comforting at the same time.

2. George Wein with the PHJB opening the Gentilly performance with Basin Street Blues

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival founder, George Wein helped open the PHJB's Gentilly performance. Although Preservation Hall is celebrating 50 years, our hats go off to George Wein, who has facilitated Jazz events for over 50 years nation wide. When jazz is in need of a spot light, George collectivizes and presents the art form like no other producer. Thank you Mr. Wein.

3. The Times Picayune-'Global Force'

The entire Pres Hall family was exhausted the day after the PHJB closed out Jazz Fest, until we saw this very flattering front page spread on Monday's issue of The Times-Picayune. This front page spread was revitalizing and goes to show that doing the right things for the right reasons, combined with hard work, always proves to be eternally triumphant.

4. Theresa Andersson's Midnight Preserves performance of 'Japanese Art'


We do not have footage of Theresa Andersson with the Hall Band, but I can tell you that her set was magical and complimenting. The Hall family was most impressed by her song, 'Japanese Art.'

5. Ivan Neville's performance of 'Down By the Riverside' at The Preservation Hall Crescent City Revue



Ivan Neville brought his energy and skills to the joy theater with his rendition of 'Down By the Riverside.'

6. Steve Earle's Midnight Preserves performance of 'This City'



Although we do not have any footage of Steve Earle's Midnight Preserves performance, one of the Hall Family's favorite highlights was witnessing Steve's version of 'This City' backed by the PHJB. 

7. Danny Clinch 'Silver and Brass Exhibit' at Preservation Hall

Our good friend, Danny Clinch, performed at the Hall twice with his band, the Tangiers Blues Band, during our Midnight Preserves showcase. Before the performance we displayed Danny's favorite New Orleans and Hall related photos in the Hall's Carriage way.

View Danny Clinch Photo's HERE

“I could feel the spirit of all the music that passed through there,” photographer and musician Danny Clinch said of the first time he entered the Preservation Hall in New Orleans. "I immediately started taking photographs." And he hasn't stopped since 2005.

8. New Birth Brass Band's tribute to the great Olympia Brass Band


During Jazz Fest, New Birth Birth Brass Band paid tribute to the great Olympia Brass Band. The energy of New Birth bled through the ancient floors of the Hall and brought forth a spirit connecting the audience in a way that only a few a handful of brass bands can muster.


9. RONELL JOHNSON GOING NUTS at Jazz Fest!

Photo by John McCusker

I was helping out backstage on the Gentilly Stage during the PHJB's closing performance. Most of the viewing audience were blown away by the guest performers, but my sights were dead set on Ronell Johnson, a true tuba rock star. Not only does Ronell blast clear and defined bass lines through such a large brass instrument, but he also jumps up and down while playing, sways his left arm back and forth, and dance marches as if he were in a second line. Ronell played this way the entire show and proved to leave a devastating mark in the audience's spirits. Can somebody get this man a towel?

10. This David Lee Roth-esque photo of Ronnie Numbers from the New Orleans BINGO! Show

Photo by Dino Perrucci

Need I say more?

FREE TRACK TUESDAY! 'Taint Nobody's Business

Howdy! The next two weeks are going to be crazy with several PHJB performances at Jazz Fest, Two weekends of Midnight Preserves, A special Crescent City Revue at the Joy Theater, and a special record release. I'm getting excited just typing it! Before the musical chaos begins, let's take a quick break with this weeks FREE TRACK TUESDAY!

Today's free track is entitled, 'Taint Nobody's Business, featuring the PHJB with the impeccable Steve Earle. The track is from the 2010 release, PRESERVATION: AN ALBUM BENEFITING PRESERVATION HALL AND ITS MUSIC OUTREACH PROGRAM.

Download 'Taint Nobody's Business

 Copy and Paste download to SHARE with FRIENDS:
http://soundcloud.com/preservationhall/16-taint-nobodys-business/s-283vL

PRESERVATION is AVAILABLE on iTUNES ($13.99), including 6 BONUS TRACKS

TRACK LISTING:

1. Andrew Bird – "Shake It and Break It"
   
2. Paolo Nutini – "Between the Devil and Deep Blue Sea"
   
3. Tom Waits – "Tootie Ma Is A Big Fine Thing"
   
4. Yim Yames – "Louisiana Fairytale"
   
5. Del McCoury – "After You've Gone"
   
6. Ani DiFranco – "Freight Train"
   
7. Pete Seeger & Tao Rodriguez-Seeger – "Blue Skies (Comin My Way)"
   
8. Jason Isbell – "Nobody Knows You"
   
9. Brandi Carlile – "Old Rugged Cross"
   
10. Richie Havens – "Trouble in Mind"
    
11. Merle Haggard – "Basin Street Blues"
    
12. Blind Boys of Alabama – "There is a Light"
    
13. Dr. John – "Winin' Boy"
    
14. Louis Armstrong – "Rockin' Chair"
    
15. Amy LaVere – "Baby Won't You Please Come Home"
    
16. Steve Earle – "Tain't Nobody's Business"
    
17. Cory Chisel – "Some Cold Rainy Day"
    
18. Buddy Miller – "I Ain't Got Nobody"
    
19. Angelique Kidjo with Terence Blanchard – "La Vie En Rose"
    

*Bonus Tracks (Only on iTunes):

1. Anita Briem – "C'est Si Bon"
   
2. Paolo Nutini – "Pencil Full of Lead"
   
3. Yim Yames – "St. James Infirmary"
   
4. Tom Waits – "Corine Dies On The Battlefield"
   
5. Pete Seeger & Tao Rodriguez-Seeger – "Sailin' Up Sailin' Down"
   
6. Pete Seeger & Tao Rodriguez-Seeger – "We Shall Overcome" 

LEARN MORE ABOUT 'PRESERVATION' HERE!

PURCHASE 'PRESERVATION' DIGITALLY (w/ bonus tracks) @ iTUNES

Midnight Preserves, 2012: At a Glance

Friday, April 27

MIDNIGHT

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band

together with

TAO SEEGER

PURCHASE TICKETS for APRIL 27

Saturday, April 28

MIDNIGHT

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band

together with

THERESA ANDERSSON

PURCHASE TICKETS for APRIL 28

Sunday, April 29

MIDNIGHT

TREME BRASS BAND

PURCHASE TICKETS for APRIL 29

Thursday, May 3

5:300pm – 6:30pm

A Special Funk Guitar Workshop with Leo Nocentelli (of The Meters)

PURCHASE TICKETS for LEO NOCENTELLI GUITAR CLINIC

MIDNIGHT

TANGIERS BLUES BAND playing with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band

PURCHASE TICKETS for TANGIERS BLUES BAND

Friday, May 4

MIDNIGHT

HENRY BUTLER solo performance

PURCHASE TICKETS for MAY 4

Saturday, May 5

8:00pm

Lil’ Band O’ Gold (CC Adcock, Steve Riley, Warren Storm, 'Dickie' Landry, David Egan, Tommy McLain, Lil' Buck Senegal, Pat Breaux, Richard Comeaux)

plus Tangiers Blues Band

PURCHASE TICKETS for MAY 5

Sunday, May 6

MIDNIGHT

Preservation Hall Jazz Band

together with

STEVE EARLE

PURCHASE TICKETS for MAY 6

Pres Hall announces Midnight Preserves lineup, show at The Joy Theater, special shows at Jazz Fest and brand new record

Preservation Hall announces the 8^th Annual Midnight Preserves 2012 Lineup and Special 50^th Anniversary performances and events during Jazz Fest Preservation Hall is excited to announce our Jazz Fest events in accordance with the continued celebration of the Hall’s 50^th Anniversary - The 2012 Midnight Preserves lineup, The Preservation Hall Crescent City Revue at The Joy Theater, special performances and exhibition at Jazz Fest, and a brand-new record release...

Preservation Hall’s 8^th Annual Midnight Preserves Lineup:

We are proud to announce this year’s Midnight Preserves Lineup, featuring intimate limited-seating performances at Preservation Hall featuring both national and local artists. This year’s lineup includes Steve Earle, Theresa Andersson, Henry Butler, Tao Seeger, and much more! The Midnight Preserves series will also feature the Hall’s most admired bands paying tribute to legendary Hall musicians. Proceeds from the series will benefit The Preservation Hall Music Outreach Program.

Friday, April 27

8:00pm

The Preservation Hall Jazz Masters featuring Leroy Jones

MIDNIGHT

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band

together with

TAO SEEGER

PURCHASE TICKETS for APRIL 27

Saturday, April 28

8:00pm

Tornado Brass Band featuring Darryl Adams

MIDNIGHT

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band

together with

THERESA ANDERSSON

PURCHASE TICKETS for APRIL 28

Sunday, April 29

8:00pm

Lars Edegran and The St. Peter Street All-Stars present a Tribute to George Lewis

MIDNIGHT

TREME BRASS BAND

PURCHASE TICKETS for APRIL 29

Monday, April 30 – May 1

New Orleans Jazz Concerts from 8pm-11pm

VIEW CONCERT SCHEDULE

Wednesday, May 2

8:00pm

Mark Braud and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band present a Tribute to John Brunious

Thursday, May 3

5:30pm – 6:30pm

A Special Funk Guitar Workshop with Leo Nocentelli (of The Meters)

PURCHASE TICKETS for LEO NOCENTELLI GUITAR CLINIC

8:00pm

New Birth Brass Band pays Tribute to Dejan’s Olympia Brass Band

MIDNIGHT

TANGIERS BLUES BAND playing with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band

PURCHASE TICKETS for TANGIERS BLUES BAND

Friday, May 4

8:00pm

The Preservation Hall Jazz Masters featuring Leroy Jones

MIDNIGHT

HENRY BUTLER solo performance

PURCHASE TICKETS for MAY 4

Saturday, May 5

8:00pm

Lil’ Band O’ Gold (CC Adcock, Steve Riley, Warren Storm, 'Dickie' Landry, David Egan, Tommy McLain, Lil' Buck Senegal, Pat Breaux, Richard Comeaux)

plus Tangiers Blues Band

PURCHASE TICKETS for MAY 5

Sunday, May 6

MIDNIGHT

Preservation Hall Jazz Band

together with

STEVE EARLE

PURCHASE TICKETS for MAY 6

The Preservation Hall Crescent City Revue at The Joy Theater, May 5

Part of the Superfly During Jazzfest Concert Series, Preservation Hall Crescent City Revue featuring Preservation Hall and Friends will perform on Saturday, May 5th at the brand new Joy Theatre, located in downtown New Orleans on Canal Street. Reminiscent of the revues of the 1920s, this special multi-media performance will celebrate the music that has made the venue and band famous for a half-century. Special guests from near and far will be in attendance, and more info on these special folks will be announced in the coming weeks so stay tuned.

PURCHASE TICKETS

Preservation Hall at New Olreans Jazz & Heritage Festival, 2012

The Preservation Hall Jazz band will be performing TWICE at this year’s Jazz Fest.

The Hall Band’s first performance will be starting at 4:25pm, Saturday, May 5^th at the Economy Hall Tent.

On May 6^th, the Preservation Hall band and friends will close out Jazz Fest on the Gentilly Stage with a mega performance featuring a number of special guests:

Steve Earle

Jim James of My Morning Jacket

Ani Difranco

Allen Toussaint

Trombone Shorty

Bonnie Raitt

Wendell Eugene

Lionel Ferbos

...and More to be Announced

PURCHASE JAZZ FEST TICKETS

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band LIVE at Carnegie Hall limited 10” release at Jazz Fest

Rounder Records is releasing a limited edition 10” vinyl of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band Live at Carnegie Hall in advance of the full-length concert to be released later this year.

-Vinyl will be released at JAZZ FEST! (more info coming soon)

-504 LIMITED copies

-33 1/3, 10” vinyl

Tracks Include:

"Sweet And Low Down,”

"That's Enough,"

"Saints Go Marchin In,"

"Bourbon Street Parade,"

"Tootie Ma"

50 Years of Preservation Hall Exhibit

Take a glimpse into the history and evolution of Preservation Hall, and of the bands that have performed in the Hall and on tour since its inception in 1961. The exhibit features rare photographs, artifacts, music and video from the Hall's archives, as they continue to celebrate 50 years of preserving, cultivating, and perpetuating Traditional New Orleans Jazz. The exhibit coincides with the more expansive "Preservation Hall at 50" exhibit currently on display at the Old U.S. Mint.

The exhibit will be on display in the Grand Stands during Jazz Fest.

Jazz Fest 2012 Releases Schedule Cubes, Pres Hall to Close Gentilly on May 6th

By Wesley Hodges

Check out the 2012 Jazz Fest Cubes HERE

This morning, the 2012 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival unveiled the schedule cubes at the annual “Month-Out” Press Party held at the Fairgrounds, signifying that Fest is only a month away. After a brief performance by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band in the Fairgrounds paddocks, Jazz Fest Director Quint Davis immediately answered the question on everyone’s minds, announcing that the Preservation Hall Jazz Band would be taking over the coveted responsibility of closing down the Gentilly Stage on the festival’s final day. To commemorate the band’s yearlong 50th Anniversary celebration, the band will invite a slew of special guests to join them, and Davis named a few including My Morning Jacket’s Yim Yames, Ani Difranco, Bonnie Raitt and several more. Trombone Shorty, Shamarr Allen and very special guest Mayor Landrieu (on tambourine) then joined PHJB for an a.m. version of “Bourbon Street Parade” followed by a few words from the Mayor, Hasting Stewart of Shell and Nancy Marinovic before a couple more songs by Pres Hall, some red beans and rice (courtesy of Zatarain’s) and a photo opp (see below) of the festival poster subjects posing in front of this year’s official Jazz Fest and Congo Square posters.

The first thing that jumps out from the cubes is the overall strength of 2nd Sunday, with the opportunity to see Rotary Downs, Red Stick Ramblers, Glen David Andrews, Galactic, funky METERS, The Bounce Shakedown with Big Freedia, Katey Red, Keedy Black and DJ Poppa, Foo Fighters, Bonnie Raitt, The Neville Brothers, Preservation Hall & Friends 50th Anniversary Celebration and Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings all in the same day. Pretty solid way to close down the 43rd year of Jazz Fest. Also, the festival’s first Sunday is totally stacked and anchored by the strength of a 2 1/2 hour set by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Besides The Boss on April 29th patrons can take in sets by Jumpin’ Johnny Sansone, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, a very special “Tribute to Alex Chilton”, Bill Summers & Jazalsa, Dr. John & the Lower 911, Papa Grows Funk, Sonny Landreth, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & the Golden Eagles Mardi Gras Indians, Gary Clark Jr., Janelle Monae and Al Green among others.

Now with a tangible schedule at our disposal, the “New Orleans version of 30 Days ’til Christmas” (as Davis described it) has officially started and the always-enjoyable task of strategically planning out 7 days of festival-going begins.

A few notable conflicts that jump out (trust me people, these are good problems to have):

Friday, April 27th: The Beach Boys Reunion (Acura) v. Bon Iver (Gentilly) v. Steel Pulse (Congo Square)

Saturday, April 28th: Midnite Disturbers (Jazz & Heritage) v. Carolina Chocolate Drops (Fais Do-Do) v. Bobby Rush (Blues Tent)

Sunday, April 29th: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (Acura Stage) v. Janelle Monae (Gentilly Stage) v. Al Green (Congo Square)

Thursday, May 3rd: Dirty Dozen Brass Band (Acura) v. Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk (Gentilly)

Thursday, May 3rd: Eddie Vedder (Acura Stage) v. Florence + the Machine (Gentilly) v. Esperanza Spalding: Radio Music Society (Congo Square)

Friday, May 4th: Rodrigo y Gabriela and C.U.B.A. (Gentilly) v. Bunny Wailer (Congo Square)

Saturday, May 5th: My Morning Jacket (Gentilly) v. Herbie Hancock & his Band (WWOZ Jazz Tent) v. The Levon Helm Band with special guest Mavis Staples (Blues Tent)

Sunday, May 6th: The Neville Brothers (Acura) v. Preservation Hall & Friends 50th Anniversary Celebration (Gentilly) v. Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings (Blues Tent) v. Maze featuring Frankie Beverly (Congo Square)

As always, gonna be splittin’ some time to catch multiple sets but all-in-all just beholding this massive 7-day spreadsheet is a huge thrill in itself. Can’t wait!

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

NBC New York spotlights PHJB's Golden Anniversary concert at Carnegie Hall

Preservation Hall Jazz Band Throw Themselves A Party 

By Michael Tedder

            

 

Since 1961 the Preservation Hall Jazz Band has been keeping the tradition of boisterous New Orleans jazz alive, one boogie-fortified, horn-blaring performance at a time.

One suspects that the Preservation gentlemen are constantly coming up with excuses to throw a party, but their current blowout seems especially justified. On Jan. 7 the Preservation Hall Jazz Band will celebrate their 50th "Golden" Anniversary with a performance at Carnegie Hall that's apparently several years in the making.

"I started thinking about the anniversary shortly after we celebrated our 45th Anniversary back in 2006," says Ben Jaffe, creative director and tuba player. "I've been laying down the groundwork for the show for almost 18 months. Ultimately, I want the evening to be a memorable night of music."

The Jazz Band started as a touring outlet for the group of musicians that gathered at New Orleans Preservation Hall, an unretouched, un-air conditioned building which has been around since 1812 and has previously served as a tavern and photo gallery. Jaffe's parents, Allan and Sandra, founded the band 50 years ago, and he credits Preservation's longevity to not mucking up a good thing.

"We're like a pot of red beans and rice. No matter what day of the week, no matter how many times you've eaten them... they're always delicious when the right person is cooking them," he says. "Preservation Hall, no matter where we travel in the world, we connect with our audiences. I don't know exactly what it is, but people universally can't sit still when we play. They have to move or dance or bounce or sing. That's something you still find in New Orleans today, people dance to jazz."

The Hall's brand of rice and beans has proven to be quiet durable and beloved.

For the Carnegie performance the Band will be joined by a wide spectrum of guests including My Morning Jacket, Mos Def,  Allen Toussaint, Trey McIntyre Project, Steve Earle, Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs, Del McCoury Band, Trombone Shorty, GIVERS,  Blind Boys of Alabama, Tao Seeger and even actor Ed Helms.

"We have lots of friends who play lots of styles of music, the whole spectrum. I think that's one of the amazing about what we do.  We all share a love, respect and deep appreciation for New Orleans music and culture," says Jaffe. "To me, it doesn't seem that strange. If Mos Def were alive 100 years ago, he'd be singing with Jelly Roll Morton! Artists have an honest respect for Preservation Hall.  There aren't that many, if any, institutions to compare Preservation Hall to. We are directly connected to the first days of jazz."

The "Golden" 50th Anniversary show (taking place in their 51st year, technically, but let's not pick nits) is a big undertaking for Jaffe, but he says it's only the start of a year-long celebration.

"We have a whole year's worth of projects on the table. We recently opened a retrospective exhibit in New Orleans titled 'Preservation Hall at 50.' We are going to be recording this year as well as touring the country and the world," he says.

READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE

PHJB to perform at benefit with Bill Kirchen, Ryan Bingham, Steve Earl, Buddy Miller and more

Just announced!  PHJB will be performing at "Peace, Love & Twang" The 5th Annual Benefit for The Richard de Lone Special Housing Project at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Sept. 29!  The show will also feature Bill Kirchen, Jim Lauderdale, Buddy Miller, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Kevin Blackie Farrell, Steve Earle, and Ryan Bingham.  

Proceeds will benefit The Richard De Lone Special Housing Project, a non profit agency with the mission of providing a state-of-the-art residential group home setting in Marin County, California, capable of serving both children and adults with Prader-Willi Syndrome and utilizing best practice techniques to serve the Prader-Willi population.  For more info please visit http://www.rdshp.org


GET YOUR TICKETS BY CLICKING HERE

"PRESERVATION" Preview #15: Appearing with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band on their upcoming benefit album - MR. STEVE EARLE!

February 16, 2010 - PRESERVATION: an album benefiting Preservation Hall & The Preservation Hall Music Outreach Program hits the streets! (Best Mardi Gras Ever?) While we wait with baited breath, we share with you these previews of the 19 amazing tracks and special guests that make this latest offering from the Preservation Hall Jazz Band so very special. In this installment...

STEVE EARLE
Stephen Fain Earle was born on Jan. 17, 1955, in Fort Monroe, Va. He grew up in Schertz, Texas, a community 17 miles north of San Antonio. At the age of 11, Earle got his first guitar and learned to play it quickly enough to take third place in the Schertz school district's annual talent show when he was 13.

At 14, Earle left home for Houston to stay with his 19-year-old uncle, Nick Fain, who encouraged him to continue his guitar playing. Soon after, Earle met hard-living songwriter Townes Van Zandt, who inspired him to make music his career. Earle later said of Van Zandt, "He was a real good teacher and a real bad role model." At 19, Earle moved to Nashville. While struggling to make it in the music industry, the young hopeful paid the bills by doing odd jobs. "I've never had a job longer than three months in my life," he said. "I've always led a bohemian lifestyle. I have framed houses, worked on oil rigs, worked on shrimp boats and in restaurants, but it was different for me because I knew I was always going to get out."

In Nashville, Steve played in various bands to support himself. He made his first recording in 1975 on Guy Clark's Old No. 1 album, playing bass and singing backup on the cut "Desperadoes Waiting for a Train." Earle eventually wrote songs that were recorded by some major artists. His first publishing deal was with Sunbury Dunbar (a division of RCA), where he earned $75 a week as a staff writer. He almost had his song "Mustang Wine" recorded by Elvis Presley, but Presley failed to show up for the scheduled session. The song was later recorded by Carl Perkins. Johnny Lee had a No. 14 hit in 1982 with "When You Fall in Love," a song Earle co-wrote with John Scott Sherrill.

From 1982 to 1985, Earle recorded a series of rockabilly tracks for Epic Records. Two of these charted. "Nothing But You" went to No. 70 in 1983, and "What'll You Do About Me" went to No. 76 the following year. From Epic, Earle moved to MCA Records, where, in 1986, he released the roundly acclaimed Guitar Town. For this work, many critics hailed him as the missing link between the power of rock and the passion of pure hillbilly music. The title track became the highest-charting song of Earle's country career, making it all the way to No. 7 in 1986. In 1987, MCA released Earle's sophomore album, Exit 0. It, too, became an instant favorite of critics. One song, "I Ain't Ever Satisfied," enjoyed some airplay on rock radio, but country radio ignored it. Another single from the album, "Nowhere Road," climbed to No. 20 on the country charts. The album Copperhead Road made its bow in 1988 and demonstrated Earle's growing interest in rock music. MCA targeted the title single to rock radio. Although the album made few waves in the United States, it did build Earle's reputation in England.

In 1990, MCA released the much harder-sounding The Hard Way. It was followed the next year by the live album Shut Up and Die Like an Aviator. This was Earle's last contracted album for MCA. The label declined to renew his contract because of his increasing use of drugs. For the next four years, the singer all but disappeared from the music scene. In 1994, Earle was arrested and sent briefly to prison for possession of narcotics. He was paroled later that year after completing a rehabilitation program. During his break from recording -- a period he called his "vacation in the ghetto," Barbara Behler and Mark Brown, who worked at the Warner/Chappell publishing company, and John Dotson, Earle's former manager, compiled a promotional CD of his songs they titled Uncut Gems. They shopped it around to other recording artists in Nashville, a move that led to Travis Tritt and Stacy Dean Campbell each recording "Sometimes She Forgets" and Robert Earl Keen cutting "Tom Ames' Prayer."

Winter Harvest Records released Earle's folksy, acoustic-oriented collection, Train a Comin', in 1995. Soon after, Earle formed his own label, E-Squared Records. His first album for the new label, I Feel Alright, came out in 1996 and combined elements of country, rock and rockabilly. The next year saw the debut of his El Corazon. Earle tipped his hat to bluegrass music in 1999 when he recorded The Mountain with the Del McCoury Band. In 2000, he released Transcendental Blues, also on E-Squared.

Earle has been an outspoken and tireless opponent of capital punishment. His "Ellis Unit One" is featured on the 1996 soundtrack of the film Dead Man Walking. In recent years, Earle also has written and performed poetry and fiction. He presented excerpts from his works in progress at the 2000 New Yorker Festival and published a short-story anthology Doghouse Roses in 2001. He also stirred up controversy with the song "John Walker's Blues," about John Walker Linde, an American who many considered a traitor for joining the Taliban. The biography Hardcore Troubador: The Life and Death of Steve Earle was published in 2003.SESSION PHOTOS BY ERIKA GOLDRING

THE SONG:
"Tain't Nobody's Business"
Steve Earle with The Preservation Hall Jazz Band
(Traditional)

Steve Earle - vocals, guitar
Charlie Gabriel - clarinet
Clint Maedgen - tenor sax
Ben Jaffe - banjo
Rickie Monie - piano
Walter Payton - string bass

Steve Earle appears courtesy of New West Records

AS PERFORMED BY BESSIE SMITH (1923):

"CITY OF IMMIGRANTS" BY STEVE EARLE (LIVE, 2008):

STEVE EARLE: OFFICIAL WEBSITE

PRESERVATION HALL: OFFICIAL WEBSITE

LEARN MORE ABOUT "PRESERVATION!"