lifeblood: songs: backgrounds: christmastime in washington

1999-02-27: totally cool show coming april 12, the tennessean:

speaking of steve earle and emmylou harris, they will join jackson browne, the indigo girls and sister helen prejean the nun portrayed by susan sarandon in dead man walking as part of a benefit concert april 12 at the ryman auditorium, tennessean writer jay orr reports:

the show kicks off journey of hope . . . from violence to healing, a two-week trek through tennessee aimed at promoting alternatives to the death penalty and presented by the tennessee coalition to abolish state killing (tcask).

the journey of hope is scheduled to make stops in nashville, knoxville, chattanooga and memphis april 11-25. participants make presentations to high schools, colleges, church groups and the media. earle is a board member for the group.

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1999-04-11: stars to bring anti-death penalty tour to memphis, the memphis commercial appeal:

with tennessee inching toward its first execution in nearly 40 years, steve earle, emmylou harris and other music stars are joining forces with death penalty opponents for a statewide series of events.

"the journey of hope . . . from violence to healing" sixth annual tour features a panel of speakers headed by 1998 nobel peace prize nominee sister helen prejean. her book about her relationship with a death row inmate was made into the movie dead man walking starring sean penn and susan sarandon.

the panel will speak at schools, churches and fraternal organizations in nashville, chattanooga, knoxville and memphis through april 25.

people who attend will "meet some incredible people . . . who have had loved ones killed and who know that the death penalty is not the answer to their healing," sister prejean said.

victims' rights activist rebecca easley, whose sister was murdered in 1977, said she finds events like journey of hope "self-righteous."

"we want victims to know that they don't have to feel bad if they don't forgive or embrace this kind of thinking," easley said. "everybody has a right to their own feelings about someone who slaughtered their loved ones."

a benefit concert at nashville's ryman auditorium is scheduled for monday night. among the performers will be earle, harris, jackson browne and the indigo girls. proceeds will go to pay tour expenses.

the tour will be in memphis tuesday through thursday; knoxville on friday through sunday; chattanooga on april 19-21; and wrap up in nashville april 21-25.

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1999-04-08: from the chamber of death, the tennessean:

last october, singer-songwriter steve earle watched jonathan nobles die by lethal injection in a texas prison.

nobles was executed for stabbing two women to death in 1986 while high on drugs. he asked earle, a death penalty opponent he had come to know, to attend his execution.

'all he wanted was to have one person there that didn't hate him,' says earle during a phone call from a tour stop in dallas.

ten minutes after the execution, earle spoke to the press on behalf of nobles' family. 'i still believe that what i just witnessed was murder, although nobody in the prison is any more responsible than anybody else in the state of texas or the country, for that matter,' he said.

at the end of the winter leg of his national tour with the del mccoury band, earle will be part of a special concert in support of alternatives to the death penalty at 8 p.m. monday night at ryman auditorium.

joining him will be jackson browne, emmylou harris and the indigo girls, all known for their support of social causes, and sister helen prejean, author of the book upon which the 1995 film, dead man walking, was based. the concert is the kickoff event for journey of hope: from violence to healing, a two-week initiative hosted by the tennessee coalition to abolish state killing (tcask).