Steve Earle & The Dukes have announced that their new album Guy will be released by New West on March 29.
A sequel to his 2009 album Townes, on which he covered the songs of Townes Van Zandt, Earle’s new effort comprises 16 songs by his other songwriting mentor Guy Clark.
Order the latest issue of Uncut online and have it sent to your home!
“No way I could get out of doing this record,” says Earle. “When I get to the other side, I didn’t want to run into Guy having made the Townes record and not one about him.”
“Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark were like Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg to me. When it comes to mentors, I’m glad I had both. If you asked Townes what it’s all about, he’d hand you a copy of Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee. If you asked Guy the same question, he’d take out a piece of paper and teach you how to diagram a song, what goes where. Townes was one of the all-time great writers, but he only finished three songs during the last fifteen years of his life. Guy had cancer and wrote songs until the day he died… When he was sick – he was dying really for the last ten years of his life – he asked me if we could write a song together. We should do it ‘for the grandkids,’ he said. Well, I don’t know… at the time, I still didn’t co-write much, then I got busy. Then Guy died and it was too late. That, I regret.”
Guy was produced by Earle and recorded by his long-time production partner Ray Kennedy. The Dukes on this record include Kelley Looney on bass, Chris Masterson on guitar, Eleanor Whitmore on fiddle & mandolin, Ricky Ray Jackson on pedal steel guitar, and Brad Pemberton on drums & percussion. Guy also features guest appearances by Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Terry Allen, Jerry Jeff Walker, Mickey Raphael, Shawn Camp, Verlon Thompson, Gary Nicholson, and the photographer Jim McGuire.
You can peruse the tracklisting below, and pre-order the album (including a limited edition red vinyl version) here.
1. Dublin Blues
2. L.A. Freeway
3. Texas 1947
4. Desperados Waiting For A Train
5. Rita Ballou
6. The Ballad Of Laverne And Captain Flint
7. The Randall Knife
8. Anyhow I Love You
9. That Old Time Feeling
10. Heartbroke
11. The Last Gunfighter Ballad
12. Out In The Parking Lot
13. She Ain’t Going Nowhere
14. Sis Draper
15. New Cut Road
16. Old Friends