What Do You Do When You're Lonesome: The Authorized Biography of Justin Townes Earle

The authorized biography of singer-songwriter Justin Townes EarleWhen Justin Townes Earle died in 2020 at the age of 38 of an overdose, alone in a sparsely furnished apartment in Nashville, his death sent waves of grief through the country-Americana music community.The son of alt-country hellraiser Steve Earle, partially named after the Texas troubadour and patron saint of substance-fueled despair Townes Van Zandt, he had long struggled with mental illness and various addictions.Some weren't shocked at his passing, but everyone had hoped Justin could beat his demons.There had been encouraging periods of long-term sobriety and active recovery in his adult life, including the years that led up to his career peak when he released the 2010 masterpiece Harlem River Blues, a career-making album of rambling folk blues set to Southern Gospel.He sang of cramped Brooklyn apartments and crippling hangovers, about emotional displacement, economic anxiety, and the wandering that characterized his f