The Great Credibility Scare

Steve Earle dubbed it "the great credibility scare"—and he should know. From roughly 1985-90, Music Row executives pushed the envelope and signed artists whose music was neither cookie-cutter nor predictable. The period brought hits from Mary Chapin Carpenter, Dwight Yoakam, and Earle himself, while left-of-center acts like Rosanne Cash and Rodney Crowell experienced some of their biggest success.