Southern rocker Steve Earle's story is one with many chapters. Jail time, seven marriages and drug addiction are just of some of the hardships that twisted Earle's life—and his songwriting voice—into what it is today...

For years an outsider in traditional country music and Nashville songwriting circles, Steve Earle has seen his fan base boom over the past decade, as an inclusive alt-country movement, nostalgia for outlaw country and demand for populist troubadours created a more obvious market for the renowned singer-songwriter. He further expanded his profile with a small but unforgettable supporting role on HBO’s “The Wire,” where the singer once infamous for his own drug problems touchingly portrayed a bottomed-out, recovering...

It was never a matter of if, only of when, Steve Earle would get around to honoring mentor Townes Van Zandt with a tribute album. Earle's latest release embraces that role with both simplicity and finesse. As one of Van Zandt's best-known acolytes, Earle adds his characteristic rasp to simple arrangements that highlight the songs' impressionistic...

A contemporary of Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell cut his teeth playing in Emmylou Harris’ Hot Band before literally marrying into country royalty, wedding Rosanne Cash and producing her albums until their 1992 divorce. He’s had an on-again/off-again solo career, too, most memorably recording the great 1988 album Diamonds and Dirt, a mean...

   At 53, Earle has seen and experienced most everything, from drug addiction to jail time. It’s reflected in his fiery brand of rock, country, folk, bluegrass and now techno, courtesy of a DJ who joined him for part of his intense, t...

For years an outsider in traditional country music and Nashville songwriting circles, Steve Earle has seen his fanbase boom over the past decade, as an inclusive alt-country movement, nostalgia for outlaw country and demand for populist troubadours created a more obvious market for the renowned singer-songwriter. . .

HEALTH @ The Borg Ward Collective, 7 p.m., Thursday. Partnered with the Canadian electronic duo Crystal Castles, HEALTH recorded one of last year’s sharpest singles, the disorient ing, Orwellian “Crimewave.” Left to their own devices, though, the Los Angeles group is more of a conventional noise-rock band than that dark dance track suggests, heavy on rusty guitars and cacopho nous drums.