Shawn Colvin and Steve Earle: Songs and Stories, Together Onstage

Grammy Award winning singer-songwriters Shawn Colvin and Steve Earle  share the stage at Tacoma’s Urban Grace Church on May 17,  for a night of song swapping, duets, storytelling and stellar guitar playing. The evening promises to be a rich and inspiring musical experience as these two long-time friends and mutual admirers share music form their extensive catalogs as well as some of their favorite songs by other classic songwriters.

Shawn Colvin stands out as a singular and enduring talent. Her songs are works of craft and catharsis that become treasured lifetime companions for their listeners. In the 25 years since the release of her debut album, she has won three Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year for the hit single “Sunny Came Home,” and has been nominated for another seven. Colvin has released 10 albums, appeared on many television and radio programs, had her songs featured in major motion pictures, maintained a demanding national and international touring schedule, and created a remarkable canon of work. Over the years, she has shared the stage with such legendary artists as Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, James Taylor, and Lyle Lovett. The Guardian newspaper praised her “…extraordinary songs, mesmerizing guitar playing, and a voice that goes effortlessly from bruise-tender to scar-hard in a matter of minutes.”

Steve Earle quickly became a master storyteller in his own right. His songs have been recorded by legends such as Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Travis Tritt, the Pretenders, Joan Baez, and many others. In 1986, his debut record, Guitar Town, shot to No. 1 on the country charts and immediately established the term “new country.” Several releases followed, including the biting hard rock of Copperhead Road (1988), the minimalist beauty of Train A Comin’ (1995), as well as the politically charged masterpiece Jerusalem (2002), plus the Grammy- winning albums The Revolution Starts…Now (2004), Washington Square Serenade (2007), and Townes (2009). In 2011, he released his Grammy-nominated album I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive, and published his debut novel by the same name. Of the novel, Patti Smith said, “Steve Earle brings to his prose the same authenticity, poetic spirit, and cinematic energy he projects in his music. I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive is like a dream you can’t shake, offering beauty and remorse, redemption in spades.”

Tickets may be purchased through the Broadway Center Box Office at 253.591.5894, toll-free 1.800.291.7593, in person at 901 Broadway in Tacoma’s Theater District or online at www.broadwaycenter.org.