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Country singer Steve Earle contributes song to benefit formerly incarcerated leaders in Tennessee

September 20, 2024

Country singer Steve Earle’s rendition of “I Fought the Law” is available now on music streaming platforms. This track kicks off the Better Than Jail album, uniting top artists to advocate for criminal justice reform. Every listen supports Equal Justice USA and Free Hearts — which includes Dawn Harrington (Leading with Conviction™ 2017) and Keeda Haynes (LwC 2022).

Listen to the song:

“Sonny Curtis wasn’t ‘breaking rocks in the hot sun’ when he was inspired to write the rock and roll classic ‘I Fought the Law.’

“In fact the 77-year-old songwriter hadn’t had any sort of run-in with the authorities. He was simply daydreaming on a ‘sandstormy’ afternoon in Texas and cooked up the tune in less than half an hour.

“The song was first cut in 1960 by his band, The Crickets — on the first album they released after the death of their frontman, Buddy Holly. It became a hit for the Bobby Fuller Four several years later, and then an anthem for countless rock rebels, from The Clash to Hank Williams Jr. to Green Day.”

Read more about the history of the song at Tennessean.com.

Dear JLUSA.org Blog Reader, 

In our 10th anniversary year, JustLeadershipUSA’s work of educating, elevating, and empowering justice-impacted leaders continues and is growing even stronger!

We are preparing for our very special 10th anniversary gala in New York City on October 21st, and we would love for you to be there with us.

This is going to be a very special time to look back on the past decade of JLUSA’s important work, the 1,600+ leaders we have helped get to the next level in their work, and even more importantly, we will look ahead to the next 10 years and beyond!

We can’t do this without you. We need your support to help us continue to do this work now and into the future. By purchasing a $50 streaming ticket, you are saying to the amazing leaders in our network who represent the 70+ million Americans who have been directly impacted by the criminal legal system, “I see you, and I support you!”

Please plan now to join us in person or give a one-time $100 gift or set up a recurring $10 monthly donation to celebrate JLUSA’s 10th anniversary year, and together we will build a fair and just U.S. Thank you!

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