Steve Earle to Present 11th Annual John Henry's Friends Benefit Concert

Steve Earle's 11th annual John Henry's Friends Benefit concert will take place on Friday, December 12, at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY. Hosted by Earle, the evening will feature Brandi Carlile's debut performance for the charity, as well as performances by Earle and past guests Margaret Glaspy, Larry Campbell, and Teresa Williams. The five acclaimed singer-songwriters will share the stage in a classic guitar-pull format, taking turns performing and trading songs.

Pre-sale tickets for John Henry's Friends Benefit concert are available beginning today HERE (pw: SONGS4KESWELL). General on-sale begins this Friday, October 3 at 10:00am ET HERE.

All proceeds from the John Henry's Friends Benefit concert, will be donated to The Keswell School, an educational program for children and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).  Founded on the belief that children diagnosed with ASD can live full and productive lives as integrated members of their communities, The Keswell School provides educational, therapeutic, and supportive services for children diagnosed with ASD and their families.

Steve Earle's son, John Henry, was diagnosed with autism at 19 months old. For the past 11 years, Earle has drawn on his celebrated talent and lifelong musical friendships to host an annual, must-see concert benefiting The Keswell School. Past John Henry's Friends Benefit concerts have featured an all-star lineup of performers, including Terry Allen, Jackson Browne, David Byrne, Rosanne Cash, Shawn Colvin, Emmylou Harris, Jason Isbell, John Mellencamp, Graham Nash, Josh Ritter, Amanda Shires, Bruce Springsteen, Lucinda Williams, and many more.

About Steve Earle

Steve Earle is one of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters of his generation. A protege of legendary songwriters Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark, he quickly became a master storyteller in his own right, with his songs being recorded by Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez, Emmylou Harris, The Pretenders, and countless others. 1986 saw the release of his record, Guitar Town, which shot to number one on the country charts and is now regarded as a classic of the Americana genre. Most recently, Earle's 1988 hit Copperhead Road was made an official state song of Tennessee in 2023. 

Subsequent releases like The Revolution Starts...Now (2004), Washington Square Serenade (2007), and TOWNES (2009) received consecutive GRAMMY Awards. Jerry Jeff, released in 2022, consisted of Earle's versions of songs written by Jerry Jeff Walker, one of his mentors. 

Earle has published both a novel I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2011) and Dog House Roses, a collection of short stories (Houghton Mifflin 2003).Earle produced albums for other artists such as Joan Baez (Day After Tomorrow) and Lucinda Williams (Car Wheels on A Gravel Road).

As an actor, Earle has appeared in several films and had recurring roles in the HBO series The Wire and Tremé.  In 2009, Earle appeared in the off-Broadway play Samara, for which he also wrote a score that The New York Times described as “exquisitely subliminal.” Earle wrote music for and appeared in Coal Country, for which he was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. Earle is the host of the weekly show Hard Core Troubadour on Sirius Radio's Outlaw Country channel. 

In 2020, Earle was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. And in 2023, Steve was honored by the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music. Steve's latest album, “Alone Again (Live)”, released on July 12th, 2024. Most recently, Steve was honored with an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry and was officially inducted on September 17th, 2025.