Devil Put the Coal in the Groundby Steve Earle & The Dukes

A song about the strength of Appalachian miners from his new album, Ghosts of West Virginia. Earle was approached by playwrights Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen to collaborate on a play about the 2010 Upper Big Branch disaster in West Virginia, which killed 29 men. The finished work, Coal Country, features Earle as a kind of Greek chorus and opens March 3rd, with shows running through March 29th, at the Public Theater in New York.

New album out May 22nd -- tour dates here: www.steveearle.com

Steve Earle created the upcoming album "Ghosts Of West Virginia" in the hopes of connecting with working people who don’t see the world the same way he does. In a press release, he explains, “I thought that, given the way things are now, it was maybe my responsibility to make a record that spoke to and for people who didn’t vote the way that I did.” - bit.ly

Steve Earle & The Dukes have a new album coming this May. Titled Ghosts Of West Virginia, it’s built largely from songs Earle wrote for Coal Country, a new play by The Exonerated’s Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen running throughout March at NYC’s Public Theater. Earle performs the tunes as part of the stage production, which is currently in previews.