Old 97's

Old 97's
The Old 97's performing at the Levitt Pavilion in central Arlington, Texas in 2013
Background information
Origin	Dallas, Texas, United States
Genres	Alternative country
Years active	1993–present
Labels	Big Iron, Idol, Bloodshot, Elektra, New West
Associated acts	Sleepy Heroes, Ranchero Brothers, Rhett Miller
Website	Old97s.com
Members	Rhett Miller Murry Hammond Ken Bethea Philip Peeples

The Old 97's are an American alternative country band from Dallas, Texas, United States. Formed in 1993, they have since released eleven studio albums, two full extended plays, shared split duty on another, and have one live album. Their most recent release is Graveyard Whistling. 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.

Initially a popular Dallas bar band, the Old 97's toured the country after releasing their first album, 1994's Hitchhike to Rhome 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 managers at 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 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 album Drag It Up also includes a song written and sung by guitarist Ken Bethea, "Coahuila."