Author, actor, playwright and producer Steve Earle has made himself into somewhat of a renaissance man, though it's still his masterful songcraft that sets him apart. A disciple of Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt—enough to name his son Justin Townes after the latter—Earle started out in the realm of outlaw-tinged country, but in recent years he has experimented across the Americana gamut from folk to bluegrass. His five-piece outfit, the Dukes and Duchesses, is a family affair, featuring his wife, Allison Moorer, plus the husband-wife duo of guitarist Chris Masterson and fiddler Eleanor Whitmore. —Spencer Griffith