Following his death in August, many tributes poured in remembering late singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle. His father, Steve Earle, shared a poignant tweet of the two when his son was a teen.
Now, the elder Earle will pay tribute to his son by recording a new album comprised of songs written by Townes Earle. The album is slated to be recorded in October with a January 2021 release date. The album will be in conjunction with what would have been Townes Earle’s 39th birthday.
All of the artist advance funds and royalties will go to a trust for Justin’s daughter and Steve’s granddaughter, Etta St. James Earle.
A few days after his death, a police spokesperson told SPIN at the time that Townes Earle died of a “probable drug overdose.”
Earlier this year, Steve Earle released an album, Ghosts of West Virginia and for Record Store Day, he released the anti-Trump song “Times Like These.” He also recorded an acoustic version of the song following the election of Donald Trump.
“This is a song I wrote for a moment at the beginning of the Trumpian nightmare that I planned on releasing closer to the election, but I reckon its time has come today,” Earle told SPIN at the time of the release.
Justin Townes Earle 1982-2020 pic.twitter.com/AzerqkUZa1
— Steve Earle (@SteveEarle) August 24, 2020
