Country legend Steve Earle has announced a new covers album J.T., which is a tribute to his late son Justin Townes Earle, who passed away in August. This album will be released on January 4, 2021, via New West Records, on what would’ve been his son’s 39th birthday.

Earle has also released his cover of “Harlem River Blues,” the title-track from his son’s 2010 album, which garnered the younger musician Song of the Year honors at the 2011 Americana Music Awards ceremony. This take on “Harlem River Blues” is a heart ridden country song, with strong honky tonk influences, complete with old timey fiddles and the genre’s signature guitar tones.

This album is named J.T. after one of the nicknames Steve Earle gave his son, which is representative of the love he had for the late musician. The elder Earle states that this record was made for himself, as a way of coping with his son’s unfortunate loss.

“The record is called J.T. because Justin was never called anything else until he was nearly grown. Well, when he was little, I called him Cowboy,” Steve Earle explained in a press release. “For better or worse, right or wrong, I loved Justin Townes Earle more than anything else on this earth. That being said, I made this record, like every other record I’ve ever made… for me. It was the only way I knew to say goodbye.”

Earle’s family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for the medical bills after Justin Townes Earle’s passing. Steve Earle released an acoustic version of the track “Times Like These” back June and the album Ghosts of West Virginia with the Dukes back in May.

J.T. track list

1. I Don’t Care
2. Ain’t Glad I’m Leaving
3. Maria
4. Far Away In Another Town
5. They Killed John Henry
6. Turn Out My Lights
7. Lone Pine Hill
8. Champagne Corolla
9. The Saint Of Lost Causes
10. Harlem River Blues
11. Last Words