Newly inducted Grand Ole Opry member Steve Earle has announced his 2026 World Tour, Fifty-One Years of Songs and Stories. 
As fitting, he kicked off the tour at the Grand Ole Opry House on March 17th, where his performances have long been favorites of the mostly out-of-town guests. Besides performing his mega hits, “Guitar Town” and “Copperhead Road,” which have more than a billion streams combined, he brought his beautiful “The Galway Girl,” which is basically a required track on St. Patrick’s Day.
Interestingly, Earle is not Irish, but many Irish (and other) artists have recorded his song. He joked, “Now all of them have to sing this song (The Galway Girl) written by an American.”
His work, particularly on the album Copperhead Road, features Irish musical influences like the mandolin and fiddle, reflecting his love for Irish traditional music.
Steve Earle is one of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters of his generation. A protege of legendary songwriters Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark, he quickly became a master storyteller in his own right, with his songs being recorded by Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez, Emmylou Harris, The Pretenders, and countless others. 1986 saw the release of his record, Guitar Town, which shot to number one on the country charts and is now regarded as a classic of the Americana genre.
Most recently, Earle’s 1988 hit “Copperhead Road” was made an official state song of Tennessee in 2023. Subsequent releases like The Revolution Starts…Now (2004), Washington Square Serenade (2007), and Townes (2009) received consecutive GRAMMY® Awards. In 2022, Earle released the album Jerry Jeff, which consisted of Earle’s versions of songs written by Jerry Jeff Walker, one of his mentors.
As someone who has literally interviewed more than 600 artists, I have never, in my career as an entertainment journalist, come across anyone who even comes close to writing and producing as many songs/records as Steve Earle. The word “prolific” doesn’t do him justice.
That’s why in 2020, Steve Earle was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2023, Steve was honored by the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music. And on September 17th, 2025, he was officially inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
At his past Opry performance, Lauren Alaina followed him. She told him, “Great, I get to follow ‘Copperhead Road.’” To which Earle replied, “That’s why I play it last. I wouldn’t want to follow it either.”
I recommend seeing Steve Earle in concert if you can get there. He will literally be performing all over the continental US, with dates in Canada, the UK, and throughout Europe. And for the locals, he has one more date in Nashville as Earle is playing at the historic Ryman Auditorium on May 31st.
For those unable to attend, I recommend Steve Earle’s 2024 live album, Alone Again. It’s as close to hearing him in person as you can get.
Get tickets to Steve Earle’s World Tour, Fifty-One Years of Songs and Stories here.
Follow Steve Earle on his website, Facebook, Instagram, and all streaming platforms.
Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Instagram, and TikTok.
