Song · Steve Earle
“Guitar Town” by Steve Earle
From the album Guitar Town (1986)
“Guitar Town” by Steve Earle appears on 7 radio countdowns from 4 stations between 2001 and 2026. It was first released in 1986 on the album Guitar Town. Its best result is #237 on The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Colorado Sound Songs of All Time. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #3,080 indie & aaa song of all time.
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"Guitar Town" gives Steve Earle's MCA album its name, and in June 1986 it followed "Hillbilly Highway" as the second single, climbing to 7 on the country singles charts of America and Canada alike, higher than he had ever reached in either. It's a rockabilly-charged road song told by a touring musician rolling out of Nashville into Texas, with Earle writing and singing it, Harry Stinson on drums and Chuck Ainlay recording and mixing.
The guitar break almost didn't happen. Earle and session guitarist Richard Bennett had decided a guitar solo in a song with this title would be too predictable, and early takes carried a little keyboard solo instead, until producer Emory Gordy Jr. demanded one. Bennett argued with him, then grabbed a Danelectro Longhorn six-string bass and played whatever came to him first.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1820 | WFPK | WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2000 |
| 2010 | 405 | WXPN | WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010) | 885 |
| 2021 | 551 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s | 909 |
| 2022 | 237 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Colorado Sound Songs of All Time | 1055 |
| 2023 | 795 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s | 850 |
| 2023 | 700 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 800 Songs About Places | 800 |
| 2026 | 510 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs You Discovered on The Colorado Sound | 1055 |
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