Guitar Town

The album was recorded in late 1985 and early 1986 in Nashville, Tennessee, at Sound Stage Studio. Overdubs were later recorded at Nashville's Emerald Studios. It was one of the first country music albums to be recorded digitally, utilizing the Mitsubishi X-800. Each of the album's original ten tracks was either written or co-written by Earle.

In 2003, the album was ranked number 489 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. In 2012, the magazine ranked it at No. 482 on a revised list, calling it "the rocker's version of country, packed with songs about hard living in the Reagan Eighties."^[6]

In 2006, it ranked 27th on CMT's "40 Greatest Albums in Country Music". In 2016, the album was re-released as a 30th Anniversary Edition with a corresponding tour.

The title track was later covered by Emmylou Harris. "Someday" was later covered by Shawn Colvin on her cover album, Cover Girl.

"My Old Friend The Blues" was covered by The Proclaimers.

All songs written by Steve Earle unless otherwise noted

Added in a later reissue:

• Steve Earle – guitar, vocals

The Dukes

• Bucky Baxter – pedal steel guitar, guitar on "State Trooper"
• Richard Bennett – guitar, 6-string bass, slap bass, associate producer
• Ken Moore – organ, synthesizer, keyboards on "State Trooper"
• Emory Gordy, Jr. – bass, mandolin, producer
• Harry Stinson – drums, vocals
• Reno Kling – bass on "State Trooper"
• Michael McAdam – guitar on "State Trooper"

Additional musicians

• Paul Franklin – pedal steel guitar on "Fearless Heart" and "Someday"
• John Barlow Jarvis – synthesizer, piano
• Steve Nathan – synthesizer

Technical

• Chuck Ainlay – recording, mixing
• Alan Messer – photography