STEVE EARLE, one of music’s most respected and rebellious artists, a roots rocker with country flavor, emerged from Texas in the mid-‘80s with a series of landmark albums, including Copperhead Road, his third full-length release. To celebrate this classic album’s 20th anniversary, MCA / UMe will be re-releasing the album as an expanded piece entitled, COPPERHEAD ROAD 2CD DELUXE EDITION, a two-disc set featuring the original Gold album along with a second disc of 17 live 1987-1989 performances, 11 of which are previously unreleased recordings.

Disc One of Copperhead Road 2CD Deluxe Edition (MCA / UMe) reprises the 1988 album’s lineup, featuring the title track and Earle’s first rock radio hit; the Celtic “Johnny Come Lately,” backed by punk-folk’s The Pogues; the bluegrass track “Nothing But A Child” featuring Maria McKee; and fan favorite “You Belong To Me.” Disc Two contains 11 previously unreleased performances recorded in Raleigh, North Carolina just before Copperhead Road was issued. Showcased are live takes of Copperhead Road tracks “The Devil’s Right Hand” and a solo “Johnny Come Lately,” plus covers of Rodney Crowell’s “Brown And Root” and Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman’s “Wheels.”

Also included are a 1988 performance of Bruce Springsteen’s “Nebraska” and five recordings from a 1989 Calgary, Canada concert, including “Guitar Town,” the title cut from his 1986 debut. After Copperhead Road, Earle suffered a series of personal and career lows. But, beginning in the mid-‘90s, he returned to form, and took home the Best Contemporary Folk Album Grammy for 2004’s The Revolution Starts…Now. Even as acclaim for his work continues, Copperhead Road remains a landmark album in roots rock. Copperhead Road 2CD Deluxe Edition will be available for purchase in stores on April 29.