americana

Steve Earle (born January 17, 1955) is a singer-songwriter best known for his country music and rock 'n roll tinged "alt-country." He is also a published writer, a keen political activist (particularly in protesting against the death penalty in the U.S., as in his song "Ellis Unit One" from the movie Dead Man Walking), and has written and directed a play. Steve also plays a small role as a recovering addict on the HBO television show "The Wire".

Iris DeMent (born 5 January 1961) is an American country/folk singer and songwriter. She was the fourteenth and last child of Pat DeMent and the sixth child of his second wife, Flora Mae. She was born near the town of Paragould, Arkansas but grew up in California, where she was exposed to and influenced by country and gospel music. DeMent writes songs about everyday experiences in simple language.

Junior Brown (born 1953) is an American country guitarist and singer from Kirksville, Indiana. He first learned to play piano from his father "before I could talk". His music career began in the 1960s, and he worked through that decade and the next developing his astonishing guitar skills. By the mid-80s he was teaching guitar at the Hank Thompson School of Country Music at Rogers State University, in Claremore, Oklahoma.

Blessed with a commanding, blast-it-to-the-back-of-the room voice, the 21-year-old Lydia Loveless was raised on a family farm in Coshocton, Ohio, US—a small weird town with nothing to do but make music. With a dad who owned a country music bar, Loveless often woke up with a house full of touring musicians scattered on couches and floors. When she got older, in the time-honored traditions of teenage rebellion, she turned her back on these roots, moved to the city (Columbus, OH) and immersed herself in the punk scene...