Born in San Antonio, Texas, and raised there alongside her older brother, the iconoclastic country artist Steve Earle, Stacey Earle displayed her own considerable gifts as a vocalist and composer from an early age. At fifteen she first handled a guitar, one that Steve had abandoned at the family house; two years afterward she wed and soon welcomed her initial child, an event that appeared to steer her permanently toward household responsibilities distant from any stage. The marriage dissolved in 1990, prompting her relocation with the children to Nashville and temporary lodging inside Steve’s residence. When he overheard her singing while she worked in the kitchen, he enlisted her to supply harmony vocals on his 1991 album The Hard Way. An extensive tour ensued, during which Earle commenced composing original material; she quickly became a regular presence at songwriters’ nights throughout the city and eventually began curating her own weekly event at Jack’s Guitar Bar. It was there that she encountered fellow songwriter Mark Stuart; the pair married in 1994. Stuart subsequently entered Steve’s band the Dukes and also performed with Stacey’s own ensemble, the Jewels, a name chosen to commemorate her grandmother. After securing a publishing agreement with Ten Ten Music Group, Earle attracted notice when Sammy Kershaw included her composition “For Years” on the 1996 release Politics, Religion and Her. Absent any label offers, she issued her debut, Simple Gearle, independently on Gearle Records in 1998. Two years later came Dancin’ With Them That Brung Me. In June she and Stuart together unveiled Never Gonna Let You Go, the most vigorous recording of her career to date.
