The group was initiated by
Jon Langford (also of the
Waco Brothers and
The Mekons) as a covers group, with both repertory and cast of backing members constantly shifting. The name was first used for Langford's 1995 album of
Johnny Cash cover songs. In 1998, Langford enlisted the help of a number of prominent alt-country musicians (including
Neko Case,
Alejandro Escovedo, and
Robbie Fulks) for a full-length tribute album to
Bob Wills. The PVC served next as the backing band for
Kelly Hogan's second album,
Beneath the Country Underdog; Hogan had provided vocals on the Wills tribute. Their next album, ''The Executioner's Last Songs'', was released in 2002 and is a collection of songs about death. Following this record's success, the group recorded two more albums of songs about death as benefits for the Illinois Coalition Against the Death Penalty. These albums featured such guests as
Steve Earle and
Mark Eitzel. The group rarely performs live, though it occasionally does special performances in the Chicago area. In 2007 the group appeared as backing band on
Chumbawamba member
Danbert Nobacon's solo album
The Library Book of the World, as well as playing live with Nobacon. Instead, the band played a number of Knox's songs accompanied by singer
Sally Timms. A second set had the band supporting a performance by
Rosie Flores. The Knox-Langford tour finally occurred in 2012, including performances at OTSFM and the
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival in
San Francisco, California. ==Discography==