Justin seemed destined to follow in his father’s footsteps. He showed musical promise early on, playing in two bands in Nashville when he was a teenager. However, not only did he inherit his dad’s musical ability, he also inherited his drug addiction. Justin, who began using drugs when he was only 12, developed a serious addiction by the late 90’s. His drug issues were so bad, in fact, that he was fired from his gig as a guitarist and keyboard player for Steve’s touring band, the Dukes. A major drug overdose, his fifth, when Justin was just 21, finally convinced him to turn his life around and focus on his music.

In 2008 he released The Good Life, a debut that showed more than a few glimpses of his dad’s songwriting skill, but also made it clear that Justin has a preference, and a talent, for country and bluegrass. His second album Midnight at the Movies (2009) builds upon the successful elements of his first record. From heartache songs like Someday I’ll Be Forgiven for This and Here We Go Again to up-tempo, driving tunes like They Killed John Henry and Black Eyed Suzy, which are in the style of Johnny Cash’s versions of The Wreck of the Old 97 and Rock Island Line. By the way, Cash’s birthday is on Friday. Earle rounds out the album with an impressive take on the Replacements’ Can’t Hardly Wait and a stunning title track with lyrics so visual that you feel like you’re sitting In the back row of that lonely theater watching the events unfold.

It’s clear that Justin Townes Earle has big shoes to fill. If his father’s legacy weren’t enough, he was also tagged with the name of one of the greatest songwriters of all time. But, even after wading through the muck of drug addiction, he has carved his own way and is quickly emerging from his dad’s enormous shadow as a formidable songwriter in his own right. Bottom line? He’s not to be missed.