Old 97's
Encyclopedia
The Old 97's are an alternative country
band from Dallas
, Texas
. Formed in 1993, they have since released nine studio albums, two full extended play
s, shared split duty on another, and have one live album. Their most recent release is The Grand Theatre, Volume Two
. They are recognized as pioneers of the alt-country movement during the mid to late 1990s along with bands such as Uncle Tupelo
, Drive-By Truckers
, Whiskeytown
, The Jayhawks, and The Bottle Rockets
.
and 1995's split EP release Stoned / Garage Sale with fellow Dallas band Funland on Idol Records
. In Chicago, they caught the attention of Bloodshot Records
and were signed to record their next album. 1995's Wreck Your Life
brought them to the attention of Elektra Records
, who hoped that alt-country could be a new post-grunge
fad. Lead singer Rhett Miller
, born in Austin, later lived in New York City and Los Angeles. Many of the band's songs include local Texas
references, with New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago appearing as well.
Most songs are written and sung by Miller, with bassist Murry Hammond picking up the vocals on one or two tracks per album. Hammond also handled a number of country covers, especially in the band's earlier years. Hammond also performs gospel at his local church. The band's 2004 album Drag It Up
also includes a song written and sung by guitarist Ken Bethea, "Coahuila."
The band has never reached the level of success expected of them by the music press and was one of the acts purged from Elektra after the merger of Time Warner
and America Online. In 2005, Blender
magazine ranked the band's most successful single, 1999's "Murder (Or A Heart Attack)", as the 176th greatest song "since you were born." However, more recently, their music has been featured in a number of hit movies and TV series, including The Break-Up
("Salome", "Melt Show", "Timebomb"), Ed
("Question", "King of All the World"), Scrubs
("Question"), and Veronica Mars
("Adelaide", "Four-Leaf Clover", "The New Kid").
Rhett Miller has recorded four solo albums, with 2002's The Instigator
receiving substantial airplay on alternative-oriented radio stations. He toured with Neil Finn
in 2004. Miller's second major commercial album, The Believer, was released in February 2006. Murry Hammond's solo album, I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm on My Way, was released April 21, 2008.
The Old 97's have been heralded as a great live band, although they claim never to rehearse their act. They included five live songs as a bonus disc on Satellite Rides, and released a live double CD set recorded at historic Gruene Hall
in 2005, Alive & Wired.
Rhino Entertainment
released Hit by a Train: The Best of Old 97's
, an eighteen track compilation of songs from the band's beginnings through 2001, featuring liner notes and an essay by rock critic Robert Christgau
.
Satellite Riders is faux "tribute band." It's actually an alias the band performs under when contractual obligations prevent them from using the Old 97's name. The recording of "Timebomb" from the live album Alive & Wired was made available for download along with other alt-country songs for the music video games Rock Band
and Rock Band 2
.
Their current project, The Grand Theatre, was released in two volumes. The first The Grand Theatre, Volume One
was released on October 12, 2010. The second The Grand Theatre, Volume Two
was released on July 5, 2011.
Alternative country
Alternative country is a loosely defined sub-genre of country music, which includes acts that differ significantly in style from mainstream or pop country music...
band from Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Formed in 1993, they have since released nine studio albums, two full extended play
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
s, shared split duty on another, and have one live album. Their most recent release is The Grand Theatre, Volume Two
The Grand Theatre, Volume Two
The Grand Theatre, Volume Two is the title of the ninth studio album from alternative country/rock band the Old 97's, released on July 5, 2011.-Track list:# "Brown Haired Daughter" - 3:31# "I'm a Trainwreck" - 3:14# "Perfume" - 3:04...
. They are recognized as pioneers of the alt-country movement during the mid to late 1990s along with bands such as Uncle Tupelo
Uncle Tupelo
Uncle Tupelo was an alternative country music group from Belleville, Illinois, active between 1987 and 1994. Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy, and Mike Heidorn formed the band after the lead singer of their previous band, The Primitives, left to attend college. The trio recorded three albums for Rockville...
, Drive-By Truckers
Drive-By Truckers
Drive-By Truckers are an alternative country/Southern rock band based in Athens, Georgia, though three out of six members are originally from The Shoals region of Northern Alabama, and the band strongly identifies with Alabama. Their music uses three guitars as well as bass, drums, and now...
, Whiskeytown
Whiskeytown
Whiskeytown was an alternative country band formed in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1994. Fronted by Ryan Adams, other members included Caitlin Cary, Phil Wandscher, Eric "Skillet" Gilmore, and Mike Daly. They disbanded in 2000, with Adams leaving to pursue his solo career...
, The Jayhawks, and The Bottle Rockets
The Bottle Rockets
The Bottle Rockets are an American rock band formed in 1992, currently based in St. Louis, Missouri. The founding members are Brian Henneman , Mark Ortmann , Tom Parr and Tom Ray . Current members are Henneman, Ortmann, John Horton and Keith Voegele...
.
Career
Initially a popular Dallas bar band, the Old 97's toured the country after releasing their first album, 1994's Hitchhike to RhomeHitchhike to Rhome
Hitchhike to Rhome is the first studio album by American country/rock band Old 97's, first released on November 1, 1994 . The title comes from the song, "Stoned," and refers to Rhome, Texas....
and 1995's split EP release Stoned / Garage Sale with fellow Dallas band Funland on Idol Records
Idol Records
Idol Records is a Dallas, Texas-based record label and publishing company founded in 1993 by Erv Karwelis who serves as President of the label. Its roster currently consists of bands such as The O's, The Crash That Took Me, Here Holy Spain, Sponge, Watershed, Flickerstick, and PPT...
. In Chicago, they caught the attention of Bloodshot Records
Bloodshot Records
Bloodshot Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois which specializes in roots-inflected indie rock, punk blues, and a Chicago brand of outlaw country...
and were signed to record their next album. 1995's Wreck Your Life
Wreck Your Life
Wreck Your Life is the second studio album by American country/rock band Old 97's, first released on May 23, 1996 . The album's title comes from a Texas Department of Transportation bumper sticker with the slogan, "Don't Wreck Your Life"...
brought them to the attention of Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
, who hoped that alt-country could be a new post-grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
fad. Lead singer Rhett Miller
Rhett Miller
Stewart Ransom Miller II , better-known as Rhett Miller is the lead singer of the alternative country band Old 97's and a successful solo musician. He graduated from St. Mark's School of Texas, a private boys' school in Dallas in 1989 and briefly attended Sarah Lawrence College on a creative...
, born in Austin, later lived in New York City and Los Angeles. Many of the band's songs include local Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
references, with New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago appearing as well.
Most songs are written and sung by Miller, with bassist Murry Hammond picking up the vocals on one or two tracks per album. Hammond also handled a number of country covers, especially in the band's earlier years. Hammond also performs gospel at his local church. The band's 2004 album Drag It Up
Drag It Up
Drag It Up is the sixth studio album by American country/rock band Old 97's, first released on July 27, 2004 . The album's title comes from the fourth track, "Smokers"....
also includes a song written and sung by guitarist Ken Bethea, "Coahuila."
The band has never reached the level of success expected of them by the music press and was one of the acts purged from Elektra after the merger of Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
and America Online. In 2005, Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
magazine ranked the band's most successful single, 1999's "Murder (Or A Heart Attack)", as the 176th greatest song "since you were born." However, more recently, their music has been featured in a number of hit movies and TV series, including The Break-Up
The Break-Up
The Break-Up is a 2006 American comedy-drama romance film directed by Peyton Reed, starring Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn. It was written by Jay Lavender and Jeremy Garelick and produced by Universal Pictures.-Plot:...
("Salome", "Melt Show", "Timebomb"), Ed
Ed (TV series)
Ed is an NBC television program co-produced by David Letterman's Worldwide Pants Incorporated, NBC Productions, and Viacom Productions that aired from 2000 to 2004....
("Question", "King of All the World"), Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
("Question"), and Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during television network UPN's final two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network. Veronica Mars was produced by Warner Bros...
("Adelaide", "Four-Leaf Clover", "The New Kid").
Rhett Miller has recorded four solo albums, with 2002's The Instigator
The Instigator
The Instigator is the second studio album by American country/rock band performer, Rhett Miller, lead singer of the Old 97's. Miller's first album came more than a decade before, languishing in folk obscurity, but The Instigator received airplay and as much commercial success as any Old 97's...
receiving substantial airplay on alternative-oriented radio stations. He toured with Neil Finn
Neil Finn
Neil Mullane Finn, OBE is a New Zealand Pop recording artist. Along with his brother Tim Finn, he was the co-frontman for Split Enz and is now frontman for Crowded House...
in 2004. Miller's second major commercial album, The Believer, was released in February 2006. Murry Hammond's solo album, I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm on My Way, was released April 21, 2008.
The Old 97's have been heralded as a great live band, although they claim never to rehearse their act. They included five live songs as a bonus disc on Satellite Rides, and released a live double CD set recorded at historic Gruene Hall
Gruene Hall
Gruene Hall, was built in 1878 by Richard Gruene and is located in the historical town of Gruene, Texas , and bills itself as "the oldest continually run dance hall in Texas." Gruene Hall has hosted such acts as Willie Nelson, George Strait, Townes Van Zandt, Jerry Jeff Walker, Lyle Lovett, Hal...
in 2005, Alive & Wired.
Rhino Entertainment
Rhino Entertainment
Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company. It is owned by Warner Music Group.-History:Rhino was originally a novelty song and reissue company during the 1970s and 1980s, releasing compilation albums of pop, rock & roll, and rhythm & blues successes...
released Hit by a Train: The Best of Old 97's
Hit by a Train: The Best of Old 97's
Hit By A Train: The Best of Old 97's is a best-of compilation album by American country/rock band Old 97's, first released on June 20, 2006.-Track listing:#"Stoned"#"Cryin' Drunk"#"Doreen"#"Victoria"#"Timebomb"#"Niteclub"#"Four Leaf Clover"...
, an eighteen track compilation of songs from the band's beginnings through 2001, featuring liner notes and an essay by rock critic Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
.
Satellite Riders is faux "tribute band." It's actually an alias the band performs under when contractual obligations prevent them from using the Old 97's name. The recording of "Timebomb" from the live album Alive & Wired was made available for download along with other alt-country songs for the music video games Rock Band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
and Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2 is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems. It is the sequel to Rock Band and is the second title in the series. The game allows up to four players to simulate the performance of popular songs by playing with controllers modeled after musical instruments...
.
Their current project, The Grand Theatre, was released in two volumes. The first The Grand Theatre, Volume One
The Grand Theatre, Volume One
The Grand Theatre, Volume One is the title of the eighth studio album from alternative country/rock band the Old 97's, released on October 12, 2010. The band took up a week-long residency at Sons of Hermann Hall in Dallas, Texas, simulating the concert experience to test out new material...
was released on October 12, 2010. The second The Grand Theatre, Volume Two
The Grand Theatre, Volume Two
The Grand Theatre, Volume Two is the title of the ninth studio album from alternative country/rock band the Old 97's, released on July 5, 2011.-Track list:# "Brown Haired Daughter" - 3:31# "I'm a Trainwreck" - 3:14# "Perfume" - 3:04...
was released on July 5, 2011.
Members
- Rhett MillerRhett MillerStewart Ransom Miller II , better-known as Rhett Miller is the lead singer of the alternative country band Old 97's and a successful solo musician. He graduated from St. Mark's School of Texas, a private boys' school in Dallas in 1989 and briefly attended Sarah Lawrence College on a creative...
– lead vocals, rhythm guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and lyrics - Murry Hammond – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, occasional lead vocals, backup vocals - Ken Bethea – lead guitar
- Philip Peeples – drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s and backup vocals
Discography
- 1994: Hitchhike to RhomeHitchhike to RhomeHitchhike to Rhome is the first studio album by American country/rock band Old 97's, first released on November 1, 1994 . The title comes from the song, "Stoned," and refers to Rhome, Texas....
(Big Iron / Idol Records) - 1995: Stoned / Garage Sale w/ Funland (Idol RecordsIdol RecordsIdol Records is a Dallas, Texas-based record label and publishing company founded in 1993 by Erv Karwelis who serves as President of the label. Its roster currently consists of bands such as The O's, The Crash That Took Me, Here Holy Spain, Sponge, Watershed, Flickerstick, and PPT...
) - 1995: Wreck Your LifeWreck Your LifeWreck Your Life is the second studio album by American country/rock band Old 97's, first released on May 23, 1996 . The album's title comes from a Texas Department of Transportation bumper sticker with the slogan, "Don't Wreck Your Life"...
(Bloodshot RecordsBloodshot RecordsBloodshot Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois which specializes in roots-inflected indie rock, punk blues, and a Chicago brand of outlaw country...
) - 1997: Too Far to CareToo Far to CareToo Far To Care is the third studio album by American country/rock band Old 97's, first released on June 17, 1997 . The album's title comes from the song "Streets of Where I'm From"....
(Elektra RecordsElektra RecordsElektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
) - 1999: Fight SongsFight SongsFight Songs is the fourth studio album by American alternative country band Old 97's, first released on April 27, 1999. It features the song "Murder ", which was named one of the top songs of all time by Blender magazine....
(Elektra Records) - 2000: Early Tracks EP (Bloodshot Records)
- 2001: Satellite RidesSatellite RidesSatellite Rides is the fifth studio album by American country/rock band Old 97's, first released in the second quarter of 2001...
(Elektra Records) #121 US - 2004: Drag It UpDrag It UpDrag It Up is the sixth studio album by American country/rock band Old 97's, first released on July 27, 2004 . The album's title comes from the fourth track, "Smokers"....
(New West RecordsNew West RecordsNew West Records is a record label based in Los Angeles, California, Austin, Texas, and Athens, Georgia. It was established in 1998, and has been home to several indie rock and alternative country bands as well as representing the PBS show Austin City Limits...
) #120 US - 2005: Alive & Wired (New West Records)
- 2006: Hit by a Train: The Best of Old 97'sHit by a Train: The Best of Old 97'sHit By A Train: The Best of Old 97's is a best-of compilation album by American country/rock band Old 97's, first released on June 20, 2006.-Track listing:#"Stoned"#"Cryin' Drunk"#"Doreen"#"Victoria"#"Timebomb"#"Niteclub"#"Four Leaf Clover"...
(Rhino EntertainmentRhino EntertainmentRhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company. It is owned by Warner Music Group.-History:Rhino was originally a novelty song and reissue company during the 1970s and 1980s, releasing compilation albums of pop, rock & roll, and rhythm & blues successes...
) - 2008: Blame It on GravityBlame It On GravityBlame it on Gravity is the seventh studio album by American country/rock band Old 97's, released on May 13, 2008. It entered the Billboard 200 album charts at #85.-Track listing:# "The Fool" - 4:16# "Dance with Me" - 2:39# "No Baby I" - 3:32...
(New West Records) - 2009: Wreck Your Life... And Then Some: The Complete Bloodshot Recordings (Vinyl-Only) (Bloodshot Records) #85 US
- 2010: Mimeograph EPMimeograph (EP)Mimeograph is an EP consisting of recordings by American country/rock band Old 97's. It was released on July 6, 2010. The EP contains four cover songs, originally recorded by The Rolling Stones, The Fratellis, R.E.M...
(New West Records) - 2010: The Grand Theatre, Volume OneThe Grand Theatre, Volume OneThe Grand Theatre, Volume One is the title of the eighth studio album from alternative country/rock band the Old 97's, released on October 12, 2010. The band took up a week-long residency at Sons of Hermann Hall in Dallas, Texas, simulating the concert experience to test out new material...
(New West Records) - 2011: The Grand Theatre, Volume TwoThe Grand Theatre, Volume TwoThe Grand Theatre, Volume Two is the title of the ninth studio album from alternative country/rock band the Old 97's, released on July 5, 2011.-Track list:# "Brown Haired Daughter" - 3:31# "I'm a Trainwreck" - 3:14# "Perfume" - 3:04...
(New West Records)