Stacey Earle is the sister of country music's Steve Earle (who often joins her in her music.) She arrived in Nashville in 1990 after her divorce--to help Steve with his children while he went on tour. After Steve heard her tinkering around at home with music one day, he asked her to help him record; later, she joined Steve on tour as back-up. From there, she started her own music career.
Her music has been described as acoustic folk, her lyrics as emotional, and her melodies as pretty. She has been compared to Nanci Griffith and Iris Dement. Her first album, Simple Gearle (1999), was created for distribution at concerts; she felt bad that the fans were going home empty-handed. Albums that followed include: Dancin' With Them That Brung Me (2000), Never Gonna Let You Go (2003), Must Be Live (2003), and Communion Bread (2005). Most of her music is a joint venture with Mark Stuart, whom she met through her brother.