New Biography Sheds Light on Justin Townes Earle’s Music, Struggles, & Lasting Impact
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Nashville-based singer and songwriter Justin Townes Earle died in 2020 from an accidental drug overdose, and a new biography is offering fresh insight into his most celebrated work, the downward spiral that followed his rise, and the legacy he left behind.
What Do You Do When You’re Lonesome: The Authorized Biography of Justin Townes Earle, written by Rolling Stone senior research editor and writer Jonathan Bernstein, has already drawn strong critical praise. Kirkus Reviews calls it “a superb biography of a singular life” in a starred statement.
The book offers an in-depth look at Earle’s upbringing, music process, and career highs and lows.
“I started by reading through every interview of Justin Townes Earle I could find, dating back to him being a teenager in Nashville before he was a nationally-known artist,” says Bernstein. “Once I’d done that, I started reaching out to everyone I could think of who knew or ever even really crossed paths with Justin: bandmates, childhood friends, business associates, acquaintances, ex-girlfriends, and family members. I ended up speaking with roughly 250 people for the book.”
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Known for songs like “Harlem River Blues” and “Nylon Eyes,” Justin Townes Earle was the son of Steve Earle — a three-time Grammy Award winner — and carved out his own path with the release of his debut album Yuma in 2007.
“I think Justin’s story is important because on a personal level, he overcame so much — all the odds that were stacked against him as the son of a famous father who struggled mightily with addiction — to create so much lasting art and forge so many beautiful connections and relationships with people around the world during his too-short life,” Bernstein said.
“His main goal as an artist was to create his own identity separate from his father or his middle namesake, and he achieved it entirely. On a larger level, Justin is an underacknowledged influence on so much of contemporary Americana and roots music today — from Charley Crockett to Zach Bryan to Sierra Ferrell —, and I think his story is a way of telling a much larger and important story of the evolution and popularization of roots music and Americana in the 21st century.”
Whether you’re a longtime fan or discovering his compositions for the first time, it’s a compelling dive that music lovers of all kinds can appreciate. It’s also worth noting that the biography was written with the full cooperation of the Justin Townes Earle estate, according to the book’s Amazon description.
What Do You Do When You’re Lonesome: The Authorized Biography of Justin Townes Earle is available to order now. As Jonathan Bernstein’s first full-length biography, the book joins a growing list of our favorite recent music titles, including The Uncool: A Memoir by Cameron Crowe and Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run by Peter Ames Carlin, among others, which you can find out about here.