E-Squared Records was a record label founded in 1996 by singer-songwriter and producer Steve Earle and seasoned music executive Jack Emerson. The label produced a series of albums by Earle, starting with 1996's I Feel Alright. Warner Bros. supported the label on many early releases. Earle and Emerson soon began signing and releasing additional artists, such as 6 String Drag, The V-Roys, Bap Kennedy, and Cheri Knight. According to Billboard the label developed a reputation for "releasing fine albums by artists who excel at songcraft and whose music is happily uncategorizable — hovering around rock, country and pop but never landing in any one camp."