To be a member of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville is one of the great honors in the country music world.

Last September, singer and songwriter Steve Earle was inducted — something he had strived for during his distinguished career. 

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Steve Earle is performing at Gramercy Theatre on March 13

It is part of his “Fifty One Years of Songs and Stories” tour 

Earle became a member of the Grand Ole Opry last year 

“We made it known I wanted to be a member, and I got invited by Vince Gill, who is one of my oldest friends, and Emmylou Harris actually inducted me, who is an even older friend. So, it was great, it was pretty much the biggest deal in my career and my life,” Earle said.

Earle’s career spans more than a half-century, with no stopping anytime soon. Earle is doing a residency at the Gramercy Theatre in Manhattan, and the next show is March 13.

It’s part of his larger tour called Steve Earle: Fifty-One Years of Songs and Stories. It spans more than 70 performances across the United States and Canada through November. Earle started the concept last year.

“We couldn’t get everywhere, so this year we kind of crossed out the zero and put a one on it. I told them to do exactly that, and that’s what they did on the ad,” said Earle, who mostly grew up in San Antonio, Texas, and moved to Nashville when he was 19. The 71-year-old has lived in New York City for more than 20 years.

Earle does the show solo, reflecting on a career that dates back more than a decade before his breakthrough album, “Guitar Town,” in 1986. Earle says he wrote the album after seeing Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on the “Born in the USA” tour.

He also received a boost from Springsteen when word got out that “The Boss” had purchased a copy of “Guitar Town.”

“That week, I sold 35,000 records and got booked on “The Tonight Show” once the word got out in Billboard Magazine that Bruce had bought my records.”

Over the years, Earle has not only done music but has acted in films and TV shows like HBO’s “The Wire,” and written a novel and a collection of short stories.

Music is, of course, his bread and butter, and he continues to write and perform with no end in sight.

“I love my job, and I found out during the lockdown I’m a poor, pitiful human being that requires the immediate feedback from a live audience in order to survive,” Earle said. “I don’t think you retire when you do something that you really love.”