Acclaimed singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle sadly passed away on August 20, 2020, at the age of 38 years old.
The son of influential alt-country artist Steve Earle, like his father he was able to establish a reputation as a gifted storyteller who at times was also able to provide meaningful social commentary.
His eighth and final full-length album The Saint of Lost Causes was released in 2019. While not overtly political, tunes such as “Don’t Drink the Water” and “Flint City Shake It” touched upon real-world issues such as environmental and economic injustices.
One of the most powerful songs on the album is “Over Alameda” which addresses issues of generational poverty and systemic racism. The song is written from the perspective of a 19-year-old boy living in the Jordan Downs Housing Project in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles.
The story starts with his mom moving from the Mississippi Delta to Los Angeles in 1966 when the family bought a home when his grandfather landed a job at the Firestone factory in south Los Angeles. The hope of a new start for the family was shattered when the factory closed which resulted in the family relocating (“Then the jobs moved out. Grandaddy died and we lost the house. Moved into the Jordan Downs. And been here ever since”).
Jordan Downs was known as a violent area that was heavily associated with the Grape Street Watts Crips. The lyrics express a desire to escape the violence and poverty, “Mama’d say there’s something better. I’d say I know that there is. Over Alameda. Where the white folks live.” That poignant line highlights the link between economic and racial inequality.
Justin Townes Earle had the gift of empathetically articulating the human plight. He will be greatly missed.