The band's first release came with 1995's
Denver, a 7" single released on band member Fat Mike's record label
Fat Wreck Chords, featuring two
John Denver covers. The band released four more singles in 1996 and 1997, each on a different label and named after the artist covered on that particular release, as well as some compilation appearances. Their first full-length album,
Have a Ball, was released July 29, 1997, and is still their best-selling record. Each album by the band has a different theme:
Have a Ball focuses on classic 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s songs by singer/songwriters like
Elton John,
Neil Diamond, and John Denver;
Are a Drag consists entirely of
show tunes,
Blow in the Wind of '60s classics, and
Take a Break of
contemporary R&B songs (by artists such as
Boyz II Men,
Lionel Richie, and
Vanessa L. Williams). Their fifth album, ''
Ruin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah (recorded live at a bar mitzvah), consists of pop music from the 1960s through the 1980s by artists such as REO Speedwagon, Styx and The Beatles, as well as traditional songs like "Hava Nagila". The compilation album Have Another Ball'' features '60s–'80s classics. The band entered the studio on April 3, 2006, to work on their sixth album,
Love Their Country, which was released on October 17, 2006. The theme of this album is
country and western, and includes covers of tracks by
Dixie Chicks,
Garth Brooks,
Hank Williams, Sr. and
Johnny Cash. Prior to the release of the album, Fat Wreck Chords released a digital label sampler,
iFloyd which included "
(Ghost) Riders in the Sky" by the band. In late 2006,
Fat Wreck Chords released another digital label sampler,
Christmas Bonus, containing a previously unreleased cover of
Steve Goodman's "
City of New Orleans". In August 2006 Me First and the Gimme Gimmes were scheduled to play three dates at
PNC Park after
Pirates games, but after they got booed on the first night, the next two nights were cancelled. They were to play along with fireworks during the post-game "Skyblast" shows. On December 5, 2007, Fat Wreck Chords released a flash MP3 holiday bonus sampler called
Hanuk-Comp containing "The Boxer", originally released on the 1997
Garf single. There is also a downloadable podcast that features commentary from Fat Mike and Floyd during breaks between songs in which the next album is revealed. The compilation
Have Another Ball was released on July 8, 2008; it comprises all the
B-sides from the
Have a Ball singles, plus covers of "Sodomy" (from
Hair) and Diana Ross's "
Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)". Fat Wreck Chords released
Go Down Under on February 1, 2011, featuring covers of five songs by Australian artists. On September 13, 2011 (in anticipation of a tour of Japan) Fat Wreck Chords released a five-song EP,
Sing in Japanese. In a
Reddit AMA on January 28, 2014, Fat Mike revealed the next album theme would be "Divas". Featuring covers of
Barbra Streisand,
Christina Aguilera and
Lady Gaga,
Are We Not Men? We Are Diva! was released on May 13, 2014, on Fat Wreck Chords. On November 30, 2018, they released a cover of "
Santa Baby". On June 7, 2019, Chris Shiflett took part in a Reddit AMA. When asked about The Gimmes he revealed he is "No longer involved", although he did not specify exactly when he left the band. He noted that "When the Gimmes decided to start releasing songs that I didn't play on it was time for me to leave", adding in another comment that it was "on bad terms". In May 2021, the band announced a livestream event called
Saturday Night Special. The lineup for the show was Spike Slawson, Joey Cape,
Scott Shiflett,
CJ Ramone, and Pinch, with Fat Mike making a guest appearance. In July 2023, the Gimmes "gave away" and performed at a
quinceañera in
Las Vegas. Few details have been shared but this is rumored to be for a new album, following up from their previous live album where they play a bar mitzvah. As of September 2023 it has been confirmed by Spike that this event was recorded by Fat Wreck Chords for an upcoming release, via an interview with him on 91X San Diego radio station. On April 9, 2024, the band confirmed the album will be released on June 14, 2024, and be called "Me First and The Gimme Gimmes Blow it ... at Madison's Quinceañera." It also released the first single from the album, a cover of
ABBA's "Dancing Queen." ==Members==