 One of the most popular bands in the alternative country
movement's rock & roll wing, Old 97's hailed from Dallas and drew their
inspiration from classic country, bar band rock, the raw sound of early punk,
and -- especially on their later records -- the tight songcraft of power pop.
The band was formed in 1993 by singer/guitarist Rhett Miller and bassist Murry
Hammond; Miller had previously played around the Dallas area as a folksinger and
a British-style pop devotee and actually earned a creative writing scholarship
to Sarah Lawrence College but dropped out to return to Texas and concentrate on
music. When he teamed up with Hammond, his original material was allowing the
influence of Texas country to seep in. The two soon added lead guitarist Ken
Bethea and recorded their initial demo tape at Austin's famed Cedar Creek
studio. Drummer Philip Peeples also came on board, and in 1994, Old 97's issued
their debut album, Hitchhike to Rhome, on the indie label Big Iron. It received
positive reviews and began to build the group's alt-country fan base, which they
consolidated on the follow-up, Wreck Your Life. Issued on alt-country stalwart
Bloodshot Records in 1995, Wreck Your Life fleshed out the group's sound and
presented them as a sharp, eclectic country-rock outfit.
The positive attention given to the band's two indie albums led to a major-label
deal with Elektra Records, on which Old 97's debuted in 1997 with Too Far to
Care. Critics hailed the album as the best balance yet between the group's Texas
traditionalism and pop leanings and placed the band among the leaders of the
alt-country movement. Their next release, 1999's Fight Songs, actually began to
move away from their country influences, offering a more polished, pop-friendly
set of songs. By this time, Miller had moved to Los Angeles and shed the thick
'50s-style glasses that had become a major part of his image; he and Hammond
were also performing in an informal side project dubbed the Ranchero Brothers.
2001's Satellite Rides had an even stronger power pop flavor and once again
received highly positive reviews. Miller subsequently took a temporary leave
from Old 97's to record his solo power pop debut, The Instigator, which was
released in late 2002.
A lengthy period of relative inactivity followed, as the band
members found themselves in different cities and starting families, only
sporadically seeing each other and playing small dates. 2004 changed all that
with the recording of their sixth album, Drag It Up, on New West Records, and
the subsequent tour, which featured prominently on their 2005 double-disc live
release Alive & Wired. In 2006, Rhino Records/Elektra issued Hit by a Train: The
Best of Old 97's, which contained songs released prior to the band's 2004 label
switch. That same year Rhett Miller released another solo album, The Believer
(Verve Forecast), to rave reviews - and the Old 97's were featured prominently
in concert footage during the climax of the Jennifer Aniston/Vince Vaughn hit
film The Break Up.
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