Old 97's | |
|---|---|
 Old 97's performing at the Levitt Pavilion in central Arlington, Texas in 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | ATO Records, Big Iron,Idol,Bloodshot,Elektra,New West |
| Members | Rhett Miller Murry Hammond Ken Bethea Philip Peeples |
| Website | Old97s.com |
Old 97's is an Americanrock band fromDallas,Texas. Formed in 1992,[6] they have released thirteen studio albums, two fullextended plays, shared split duty on another, and they have one live album. Their most recent release is titledAmerican Primitive.
Old 97's were pioneers of thealt-country movement during the mid-to-late 1990s, then they developed more of apower pop style in the 2000s.[4] Lead vocalist and primary songwriterRhett Miller has described the band's style as "loudfolk".[7] The band's name is in reference to theWreck of the Old 97.[8]
Initially a popular Dallas bar band, Old 97's toured the country after releasing their first album, 1994'sHitchhike to Rhome and 1995's split EP releaseStoned / Garage Sale with fellow Dallas band Funland onIdol Records. In Chicago, they caught the attention ofBloodshot Records and were signed to record their next album. 1995'sWreck Your Life brought them to the attention ofElektra Records,[6] who hoped that alt-country could be a new post-grunge trend. Lead singerRhett Miller, born in Austin, later lived in New York City and Los Angeles. Many of the band's songs include localTexas references, with references to 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 albumDrag It Up also includes a song written and sung by guitarist Ken Bethea, "Coahuila."
In 2005,Blender magazine ranked the band's then most successful single, 1999's "Murder (Or a Heart Attack)", as the 176th greatest song "since you were born."[9]
Their music has been featured in a number of films and TV series, includingThe Break-Up ("Salome", "Melt Show", "Timebomb"),Clay Pigeons ("Timebomb"),Slither ("The New Kid"),Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide ("Big Brown Eyes"),Ed ("Question", "King of All the World"),Scrubs ("Question"),Veronica Mars ("Adelaide", "Four-Leaf Clover", "The New Kid") andScorpion ("Question").[10] With respect toThe Break-Up, a key scene toward the end of the film takes place at an Old 97's concert.
Rhett Miller has recorded seven solo studio albums and one live album, with 2002'sThe Instigator receiving substantial airplay onalternative-oriented radio stations. He toured withNeil Finn in 2004. Miller's second major commercial album,The Believer, was released in February 2006.[11] Murry Hammond's solo album,I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm on My Way, was released April 21, 2008.
Old 97's have been heralded as a great live band, although they claim never to rehearse their act.[12] They included five live songs as a bonus disc onSatellite Rides, and released a live double CD set recorded at historicGruene Hall in 2005,Alive & Wired.
Rhino Entertainment releasedHit 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 criticRobert Christgau.
Satellite Riders is a faux "tribute band"—it is actually an alias the band performs under when contractual obligations prevent them from using the Old 97's name.[13] The Ranchero Brothers is the name used when only Rhett and Murry Hammond perform. The recording of "Timebomb" from the live albumAlive & Wired was made available for download along with other alt-country songs for the music video gamesRock Band andRock Band 2.[14]
Their next studio project,The Grand Theatre, was released in two volumes. The first,The Grand Theatre, Volume One, was released on October 12, 2010.[15] The second,The Grand Theatre, Volume Two, was released on July 5, 2011.[16]
In 2013, the band released an EP containing two tracks with vocals by country music legendWaylon Jennings entitledOld 97's & Waylon Jennings. Rhett Miller called the previously unreleased tunes with Jennings "the band's 'holy grail.'"[17]
The band's tenth studio album,Most Messed Up, was released April 29, 2014, byATO Records and was their best-selling album to date, reaching #30 on the Billboard 200.[18]
Their next two releases on ATO Records wereGraveyard Whistling, their 11th studio album, released February 24, 2017,[19] andLove the Holidays, an album of mostly original Christmas songs, released November 16, 2018.
ATO Records released the band's next studio album, aptly namedTwelfth, on August 21, 2020. The twelve tracks were produced by Vance Powell, who producedGraveyard Whistling. Old 97's noted that the recording sessions inNashville started on the night of a deadly tornado outbreak and right before theCOVID-19 pandemic hit.[20][21]
The band members portrayed the alien rock band Bzermikitokolok and the Knowheremen inThe Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, singing the original song "I Don't Know What Christmas Is (But Christmastime Is Here)" and their 2018 song "Here It Is Christmastime," the latter withKevin Bacon singing lead.[22][23]
Current members
Studio substitutes
Touring substitutes
| Year | Album | Billboard 200[24] | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Hitchhike to Rhome | Idol Records | |
| 1995 | Stoned / Garage Sale(with Funland) | ||
| 1995 | Wreck Your Life | Bloodshot Records | |
| 1997 | Too Far to Care | Elektra Records | |
| 1999 | Fight Songs | ||
| 2000 | Early Tracks | Bloodshot Records | |
| 2001 | Satellite Rides | 121 | Elektra Records |
| 2004 | Drag It Up | 120 | New West Records |
| 2005 | Alive & Wired | ||
| 2006 | Hit by a Train: The Best of Old 97's | Rhino Entertainment | |
| 2008 | Blame It on Gravity | New West Records | |
| 2009 | Wreck Your Life... And Then Some: The Complete Bloodshot Recordings[Vinyl Only][25] | 85 | Bloodshot Records |
| 2010 | Mimeograph EP | New West Records | |
| The Grand Theatre, Volume One | |||
| 2011 | The Grand Theatre, Volume Two | ||
| 2012 | Too Far to Care: Expanded Edition | Omnivore Recordings | |
| 2013 | Old 97's & Waylon Jennings | ||
| 2014 | Most Messed Up | 30 | ATO Records |
| 2017 | Graveyard Whistling | 82 | |
| 2018 | Love the Holidays | ||
| 2020 | Twelfth | ||
| 2024 | American Primitive |
| Year | Song | Chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US AAA[26] | |||
| 1995 | "Eyes for You" | — | non-album single |
| 1996 | "Crying Drunk" | — | |
| 1997 | "Timebomb" | — | Too Far to Care |
| 1998 | "Streets of Where I'm From" | — | |
| 1999 | "Murder (or a Heart Attack)" | 6 | Fight Songs |
| "Nineteen" | 9 | ||
| 2001 | "King of All the World" | 8 | Satellite Rides |
| 2007 | "Here It Is Christmas Time" | — | non-album single |
| 2008 | "Dance With Me" | 28 | Blame It On Gravity |
| 2010 | "Every Night is Friday Night (With You)" | 20 | The Grand Theatre, Volume One |
| 2017 | "Good with God"(featuringBrandi Carlile) | 11 | Graveyard Whistling |
| 2020 | "Turn off the TV" | 22 | Twelfth |
...gradually transformed from pioneers of alt-country to one of the sleekest and winningest power pop bands around.
| International | |
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| Artists | |
