Jayhawks (band)

The Jayhawks are an American rock band, sometimes described as alt-country. They released six studio albums on the American Recordings label. As of mid-2005 they are both rumored to have disbanded, and not to have.

Related Topics:
Alt-country - American Recordings

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The band formed in 1985 in Minnesota with Mark Olson (acoustic guitar and vocals), Gary Louris (electric guitar and vocals), Marc Perlman (bass) and Thad Spencer (drums). They released a self-titled album in 1986 and the more popular Blue Earth in 1987. Their music at the time, written by Olson, showed a strong roots/country-rock influence.

Related Topics:
1985 - Gary Louris - 1986 - 1987

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On their 1992 release, Hollywood Town Hall, Louris co-wrote many of the tunes. Though Louris' fuzzy guitar was at the forefront, a clear folksy influence was also emerging in Olson's songwriting. The album was a hit, powered by the single "Waiting for the Sun", and it brought the Jayhawks a wider fanbase.

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Having added Karen Grotberg on the keyboards, the band toured extensively and went into the studio to produce Tomorrow the Green Grass in 1995, but the record's production had been very expensive and the album failed to sell as expected. Among the album's songs is "Miss Williams' Guitar" (a love song for Olson's flame, and now wife, the singer-songwriter Victoria Williams).

Related Topics:
1995 - Victoria Williams

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Olson left the band in 1995 to spend more time with Williams (with whom he would later form the Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers). The band (now with Tim O'Reagan on drums) continued to record as the Jayhawks, though no longer performed songs written by Olson. They released Sound of Lies in 1997 with Louris composing most of the songs and allowing all of his influences a share in the proceedings: The result mixed straight rock (the ironic "Big Star"), psychedelic, acoustic (the title track) and even some dub elements, taking the band far from its countryesque origins.

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Smile (2000), produced by Bob Ezrin, had more of a pop music feel, which was unpopular with some long-time fans. The New York Times positively reviewed the album but, in a nod to the band's lack of widespread recognition, titled the review "What if you made a classic and no one cared?" The song "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" appeared in a Ralph Lauren commercial.

Related Topics:
Bob Ezrin - Ralph Lauren

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Rainy Day Music (2003), the band's last album to date, was more stripped down and acoustic ("Tailspin," "Stumbling Through the Dark," "You Look So Young"). Ex-Long Ryder Stephen McCarthy joined the band as something between a sideman and a member, adding pedal steel, lap steel and banjo to the album, and electric guitar to subsequent live shows.

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In addition to their studio albums, the Jayhawks Live From the Women's Club, an all-acoustic live record sold only at concerts as an "Official Jayhawks Bootleg." It includes the original version of "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" called "Someone Will". A follow-up, "Live From the Women's Club 2," features a cover of Tim Hardin's "Reason To Believe" and a rendition of "Jennifer Save Me"

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from Golden Smog, the alt/country supergroup of which Louris was a founding member (and which Perlman later joined).

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Olson and Louris toured together in Spring 2005, billed as "From the Jayhawks: An Evening with Mark Olson & Gary Louris, Together Again."

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