Formation and debut releases (1998–2000) My Morning Jacket was formed in Louisville, Kentucky in 1998 by singer-songwriter
Jim James. James created the group as an outlet for acoustic songs he had developed on his own that his band at the time, Month of Sundays, could not use. The group's first lineup included his cousin, Johnny Quaid (guitar), Tom Blankenship (bass), and J. Glenn on drums, all formerly of
Shelbyville-based
emo-punk band Winter Death Club. The band's name stems from James, who once found a discarded coat with the emblazoned letters MMJ. The band's debut album,
The Tennessee Fire, was released in May 1999. It was mildly successful in the U.S., though it became a surprise hit internationally, particularly in the
Netherlands and
Belgium. Soon, the group launched a European tour, where it received high marks from Dutch and Belgian press; the group also appeared in the Dutch documentary,
This is NOT America. Danny Cash joined the band as keyboardist in 2000. Patrick Hallahan, James' childhood best friend, replaced Guetig. In the early 2000s, the band toured heavily, often supporting bands such as
Guided by Voices,
Doves, and
Foo Fighters. The album was noticeable for a break from James' heavily
reverbed vocals, and featured experimentation with dub,
reggae and
psychedelic rock.
Shift in sound (2008–2013) The band's next release,
Evil Urges, marked a considerable shift in their sound, and it received polarizing reactions from fans and critics. Many songs on the album developed on 90-minute walks James would embark on in Louisville. Its lyrics centered on a relationship that fell apart shortly before recording. In 2010, My Morning Jacket took up residency at New York's Terminal 5 on October 18, 19, 21, 22 and 23, performing one of its five studio releases each night along with additional material from the relevant period. According to the September 16, 2010 issue of
Rolling Stone, My Morning Jacket started working on its next LP. "We've got five songs done," says front man Jim James. "It'll probably be out next spring." James co-produced the record with
The Decemberists collaborator
Tucker Martine in an old church in My Morning Jacket's hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. "We're trying to do everything but the strings live," said James. "There's something old and dirty-sounding about it." The band's sixth album
Circuital was released on May 31, 2011. The band toured for two years in support of
Circuital. In 2013, it embarked on a tour alongside
Wilco and
Bob Dylan that left band members disappointed, as they had falsely been told Dylan desired to work with them. The band's next album,
The Waterfall, was mainly recorded at a hilltop mansion above
Stinson Beach in
Marin County, California. which produced a largely idyllic recording process.
The Waterfall was released in May 2015, debuting number 11 on the
Billboard 200 in the U.S., with 33,000 copies sold in its first week. In December 2015,
The Waterfall was nominated for the
Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album. The sessions for
The Waterfall were fruitful, producing over 24 completed songs, enough to fill two albums. MMJ took most of 2018 and the early part of 2019 off from touring, but regrouped for select shows in August 2019. James described the shows as among his favorite recent MMJ performances and says the group worked through some of their personal issues in advance of the shows. The members of My Morning Jacket admitted that they were not sure if they were ever going to reunite for a period of time during their extended break.
The Waterfall II was released on July 10, 2020. The band contributed a cover of the Metallica song "
Nothing Else Matters" to the charity tribute album
The Metallica Blacklist, released in September 2021. The band's ninth studio album, the self-titled
My Morning Jacket, was released on October 22, 2021. Its first single, "Regularly Scheduled Programming", debuted on August 24 along with an accompanying music video. In March 2024, the band announced that they would do an East Coast tour with
Nathaniel Rateliff that fall. While on tour, the band released a single titled "Aren’t We One?" which they performed live on tour and would be part of an upcoming album. ==Band members==