Drive-By Truckers are an American rock band based in Athens, Georgia. Two of five current members (Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley) are originally from the Shoals region of northern Alabama and met as roommates at the University of North Alabama. The group also has roots in Richmond, Virginia. The Secret To A Happy Ending [DVD]. ATO Records
The band currently consists of Mike Cooley (lead vocals, guitar, banjo), Patterson Hood (lead vocals, guitar), Brad Morgan (drums), Jay Gonzalez (keys, guitar, accordion, backing vocals), and Matt Patton (bass guitar, backing vocals). The line-up has undergone multiple changes since the band's formation, with Cooley and Hood serving as the sole constants throughout. The band's constant touring has developed a dedicated following.
History 1996–1999: Early days Drive-By Truckers was cofounded by Patterson Hood (son of bassist David Hood of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section) and longtime friend, former roommate, and musical partner Mike Cooley in Athens, Georgia, in 1996. The two had played in various other bands including Adam's House Cat, which was chosen as a top-10 Best Unsigned Band by a Musician contest in the late 1980s. Adam's House Cat recordings, entitled Town Burned Down were released in September 2018 via ATO Records. After the demise of Adam's House Cat, Cooley and Hood performed as a duo under the name Virgil Kane. They eventually started a new band, Horsepussy, with bassist-vocalist Adam Howell (later to join DBT) and Aaron Bryant (brother of DBT webmaster Jenn Bryant) before splitting for a few years. During this split, Hood moved to Athens and began forming what would become Drive-By Truckers, "with the intent of luring Cooley back into the fold".
The band's original lineup was fluid, but it most often included Hood, Cooley, and Howell, along with drummer Matt Lane, pedal steel player John Neff, and mandolin player Barry Sell. They released their first album Gangstabilly in 1998. With Hood and Cooley sometimes playing mandolin and banjo instead of guitar, and Howell playing double bass. After recording their first album, the band added a third guitarist/vocalist, Rob Malone. By the second album, Pizza Deliverance, released in 1999, Howell had left, Malone switched to bass, and Sell had left the band. Neff was also listed as a guest rather than a member, although he plays on much of the album. Hood dominated the songwriting and lead vocals in these early records, but Cooley, Howell, and Malone also contributed songs, with Cooley's songwriting share increasing notably by the second album.
Following their second release, Lane was replaced by drummer Brad Morgan, who had already filled in for Lane during some of the band's shows. Morgan went on to become the band's other constant member along with Hood and Cooley. With Neff also having declined to remain a full-time band contributor, Hood and Cooley were left as the only original members. The band then embarked on a nationwide tour as a four-piece band, resulting in a live album entitled Alabama Ass Whuppin' (released in 2000 by Second Heaven Records, re-released in 2002 by Terminus Records and again in 2013 on ATO Records).
2000–2001: Southern Rock Opera After three years on the road, a tight-knit group of musicians had emerged. Malone had switched back to guitar, giving the band a three-member guitar army like Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Earl Hicks, a friend who had previously been involved in the band's production, took over the bass slot. They then began work on 2001's double album, Southern Rock Opera.
The album weaves the history of Lynyrd Skynyrd into a narrative about a fictitious rock band called Betamax Guillotine, whose story unfolds within the context of the South during the 1970s. Southern Rock Opera was originally released independently on Drive-By Truckers' own Soul Dump Records on September 12, 2001, and garnered praise from fans and critics alike. To meet the new demand brought on by, among other things, a four-star review in Rolling Stone, Southern Rock Opera was reissued by Mercury and Lost Highway Records in July 2002. Soon after, Drive-By Truckers were named Band of the Year by No Depression.
While Drive-By Truckers were touring in support of Southern Rock Opera, the band ran into a problem when they were left with only two guitarists (Cooley and Hood) following the departure of Rob Malone in late 2001. The band added fellow Alabamian guitarist and songwriter Jason Isbell to their line-up as the band's third guitarist. During his five years with Drive-By Truckers, Isbell's compositions became as highly praised as those of Cooley and Hood.Weissman, B. (2011).
2001–2006: With Jason Isbell After signing a new deal with Austin-based record label New West, Drive-By Truckers set about recording the follow-up to Southern Rock Opera. The result was 2003's Decoration Day, which like its predecessor, received much critical praise. It is another concept album, containing characters who are faced with hard decisions about marriage, incest, break-ups, revenge, murder, and suicide. The album features an eclectic mix of the band's newer rootsy, hard-rocking sound with some of their older alt-country sound. Former member John Neff returned as a guest to play pedal steel on about half the album, although he did not tour with the band for the album.
After years of producing and playing with Drive-By Truckers, bassist Earl Hicks left the band on December 22, 2003. Hicks was immediately replaced by studio bassist Shonna Tucker, then-wife of guitarist Jason Isbell. Tucker had previously guested on Decoration Day, playing upright bass on the Cooley-penned track "Sounds Better in the Song".
In 2004, Drive-By Truckers released yet another concept album entitled The Dirty South, which further explored the mythology of the South, with songs focusing on Sam Phillips and Sun Records, John Henry, and a three-song suite about Sheriff Buford Pusser. With Cooley and Isbell each contributing 4 songs on the 14-song set, it was the band's first album for which Hood did not write the majority of songs.
After touring throughout 2004 and 2005, Drive-By Truckers found their way to the Fidelitorium Recording Studio in Forsyth County, North Carolina, during late 2005. These recording sessions, once again produced by David Barbe, resulted in the band's seventh LP, A Blessing and a Curse. Released on April 18, 2006, A Blessing and a Curse showcased Drive-By Truckers' ability to branch out into new territory, and can be seen as the band's attempt at shaking labeling by critics, detractors, fans, and followers, particularly the Southern rock label that has haunted the band since Southern Rock Opera. The album sounds less like Lynyrd Skynyrd, and more closely resembles the bare-bones British rock of the early 1970s such as The Rolling Stones and Faces. Tom Petty, Blue Öyster Cult, and Neil Young's influence on the band's sound is more prominent on this album, as well.Paste . Pastemagazine.com. Retrieved on October 8, 2012.
On September 1, 2009, Drive-By Truckers released a collection of B-sides and rarities entitled The Fine Print: A Collection of Oddities and Rarities which were recorded during the Decoration Day and Dirty South sessions. Though released after he left the band, the album includes two tracks written by Jason Isbell.
2006–2009: Changing lineup
In 2006, Drive-By Truckers reunited, both on-stage and on-record, with Athens-based, Savannah-born pedal steel guitarist John Neff. Neff had been featured on one song on A Blessing and a Curse. During the next year, Neff began touring with the band as an unofficial sixth member.
On April 5, 2007, Jason Isbell announced that he was no longer a member of the band. The following day, Patterson Hood confirmed the break on the official site. In his letter to the fans, Hood described the parting of ways as "amicable" and expressed the hope that fans would continue to support Drive-By Truckers, as well as Isbell's solo efforts. In the same letter, Hood announced that Neff would become a full-time member, playing both guitar and pedal steel. Six years after Isbell's departure from the band, he revealed the reported "amicab[ility]" of the split was a charade and that he had been forced out. Because his excessive drinking and drug use had made Isbell unreliable, Hood had asked him to take a break from the band; upon Isbell's refusal, Cooley informed Isbell "that isn't going to work for us".
Shortly after Isbell's departure, on April 20, 2007, Patterson Hood announced via the band's website that a longtime friend of the Hood family, Spooner Oldham, would be joining the band playing keyboard for a string of acoustic performances called The Dirt Underneath Tour. This stripped-down tour set the writing mood and style for the band's next release, 2008's Brighter Than Creation's Dark, a far more "swampy" and country record than its predecessor. Brighter Than Creation's Dark went to number 37 on the Billboard 200 album chart and was billed as a gothic masterpiece. Spooner Oldham contributed to the recording of the album, and toured with the band in support of the record. The record boasted 19 tracks, clocked in at over 75 minutes (so the record's vinyl format was released as a double album), and features the first song contributions from bassist Shonna Tucker. Keyboardist/backing vocalist Jay Gonzalez went on to tour with the band once Oldham stopped at the end of Brighter Than Creation's Darks Home Front Tour.
On July 7, 2009, New West Records released the band's second official live album and DVD called Live From Austin TX. Material from Brighter Than Creation's Dark made up the majority of the mostly acoustic set-list. This was the first official release featuring Jay Gonzalez as the official sixth band member. Hood later recalled this recording as "absolutely the best filmed performance our band has ever had".
2009–2011: Departing New West Records After being released from New West Records, the Drive-By Truckers entered the studio throughout periods of 2009 and emerged with two albums' worth of material. The songs were divided between The Big To Do (2010) and the Drive-By Truckers "R&B Murder Album" Go-Go Boots (2011). The Big To-Do further brought media attention to the band, resulting in their highest chart success, appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and a scheduled tour opening for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. During a performance on the Late Show with David Letterman in June 2011, the band played a cover of Eddie Hinton's song "Everybody Needs Love" and were asked by Letterman to play an encore. Along with John Hiatt, English band The Heavy and Alabama-based St. Paul and The Broken Bones, they are the only musical act ever asked to play an encore on his show. As the band's contract with New West Records expired after The Fine Print was released, the band signed and released The Big To-Do and Go-Go Boots on ATO Records.
On April 17, 2010, the band released a single penned by Mike Cooley to commemorate Record Store Day. "Your Woman Is a Living Thing"/"Just Maybe" is the only record the Drive-By Truckers have released solely in a vinyl format. Digital downloads of the single can now be found on the band's website, as well as Facebook. Based on the success of the single, the band decided to release a limited edition (2,500 copies) special 10-inch 45 with two new songs, "The Thanksgiving Filter"/"Used to Be a Cop", on Black Friday of 2010. Both songs also appear on the album Go-Go Boots.
New West Records released Ugly Buildings, Whores, and Politicians: Greatest Hits 1998–2009 on August 2, 2011. The announcement was immediately met with mixed receptions by fans.
2011–2017: More lineup changes, English Oceans and American Band