1996–1999: Early days Drive-By Truckers was cofounded by Patterson Hood (son of bassist
David Hood of the
Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section) and longtime friend, former roommate, and musical partner Mike Cooley in Athens, Georgia, in 1996. The two had played in various other bands including Adam's House Cat, which was chosen as a top-10 Best Unsigned Band by a
Musician contest in the late 1980s. Adam's House Cat recordings, entitled
Town Burned Down were released in September 2018 via ATO Records. After the demise of Adam's House Cat, Cooley and Hood performed as a duo under the name Virgil Kane. They eventually started a new band, Horsepussy, with bassist-vocalist Adam Howell (later to join DBT) and Aaron Bryant (brother of DBT webmaster Jenn Bryant) before splitting for a few years. During this split, Hood moved to Athens and began forming what would become Drive-By Truckers, "with the intent of luring Cooley back into the fold". The band's original lineup was fluid, but it most often included Hood, Cooley, and Howell, along with drummer Matt Lane, pedal steel player
John Neff, and mandolin player Barry Sell. They released their first album
Gangstabilly in 1998. With Hood and Cooley sometimes playing mandolin and banjo instead of guitar, and Howell playing double bass. After recording their first album, the band added a third guitarist/vocalist, Rob Malone. By the second album,
Pizza Deliverance, released in 1999, Howell had left, Malone switched to bass, and Sell had left the band. Neff was also listed as a guest rather than a member, although he plays on much of the album. Hood dominated the songwriting and lead vocals in these early records, but Cooley, Howell, and Malone also contributed songs, with Cooley's songwriting share increasing notably by the second album. Following their second release, Lane was replaced by drummer Brad Morgan, who had already filled in for Lane during some of the band's shows. Morgan went on to become the band's other constant member along with Hood and Cooley. With Neff also having declined to remain a full-time band contributor, Hood and Cooley were left as the only original members. The band then embarked on a nationwide tour as a four-piece band, resulting in a live album entitled ''
Alabama Ass Whuppin''' (released in 2000 by Second Heaven Records, re-released in 2002 by Terminus Records and again in 2013 on
ATO Records).
2000–2001: Southern Rock Opera After three years on the road, a tight-knit group of musicians had emerged. Malone had switched back to guitar, giving the band a three-member guitar army like
Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Earl Hicks, a friend who had previously been involved in the band's production, took over the bass slot. They then began work on 2001's double album,
Southern Rock Opera. The album weaves the history of Lynyrd Skynyrd into a narrative about a fictitious rock band called Betamax Guillotine, whose story unfolds within the context of the
South during the 1970s.
Southern Rock Opera was originally released independently on Drive-By Truckers' own Soul Dump Records on September 12, 2001, and garnered praise from fans and critics alike. To meet the new demand brought on by, among other things, a four-star review in
Rolling Stone,
Southern Rock Opera was reissued by
Mercury and
Lost Highway Records in July 2002. Soon after, Drive-By Truckers were named Band of the Year by
No Depression. While Drive-By Truckers were touring in support of
Southern Rock Opera, the band ran into a problem when they were left with only two guitarists (Cooley and Hood) following the departure of Rob Malone in late 2001. The band added fellow Alabamian guitarist and songwriter
Jason Isbell to their line-up as the band's third guitarist. During his five years with Drive-By Truckers, Isbell's compositions became as highly praised as those of Cooley and Hood.
2001–2006: With Jason Isbell After signing a new deal with
Austin-based record label
New West, Drive-By Truckers set about recording the follow-up to
Southern Rock Opera. The result was 2003's
Decoration Day, which like its predecessor, received much critical praise. It is another concept album, containing characters who are faced with hard decisions about marriage, incest, break-ups, revenge, murder, and suicide. The album features an eclectic mix of the band's newer rootsy, hard-rocking sound with some of their older alt-country sound. Former member John Neff returned as a guest to play pedal steel on about half the album, although he did not tour with the band for the album. After years of producing and playing with Drive-By Truckers, bassist Earl Hicks left the band on December 22, 2003. Hicks was immediately replaced by studio bassist
Shonna Tucker, then-wife of guitarist
Jason Isbell. Tucker had previously guested on
Decoration Day, playing
upright bass on the Cooley-penned track "Sounds Better in the Song". In 2004, Drive-By Truckers released yet another concept album entitled
The Dirty South, which further explored the mythology of the South, with songs focusing on
Sam Phillips and
Sun Records,
John Henry, and a three-song suite about Sheriff
Buford Pusser. With Cooley and Isbell each contributing 4 songs on the 14-song set, it was the band's first album for which Hood did not write the majority of songs. After touring throughout 2004 and 2005, Drive-By Truckers found their way to the Fidelitorium Recording Studio in
Forsyth County, North Carolina, during late 2005. These recording sessions, once again produced by David Barbe, resulted in the band's seventh
LP,
A Blessing and a Curse. Released on April 18, 2006,
A Blessing and a Curse showcased Drive-By Truckers' ability to branch out into new territory, and can be seen as the band's attempt at shaking labeling by critics, detractors, fans, and followers, particularly the
Southern rock label that has haunted the band since
Southern Rock Opera. The album sounds less like Lynyrd Skynyrd, and more closely resembles the bare-bones British rock of the early 1970s such as
The Rolling Stones and
Faces.
Tom Petty,
Blue Öyster Cult, and
Neil Young's influence on the band's sound is more prominent on this album, as well. On September 1, 2009, Drive-By Truckers released a collection of B-sides and rarities entitled
The Fine Print: A Collection of Oddities and Rarities which were recorded during the
Decoration Day and
Dirty South sessions. Though released after he left the band, the album includes two tracks written by Jason Isbell.
2006–2009: Changing lineup In 2006, Drive-By Truckers reunited, both on-stage and on-record, with Athens-based,
Savannah-born
pedal steel guitarist
John Neff. Neff had been featured on one song on
A Blessing and a Curse. During the next year, Neff began touring with the band as an unofficial sixth member. On April 5, 2007,
Jason Isbell announced that he was no longer a member of the band. The following day, Patterson Hood confirmed the break on the official site. In his letter to the fans, Hood described the parting of ways as "amicable" and expressed the hope that fans would continue to support Drive-By Truckers, as well as Isbell's solo efforts. In the same letter, Hood announced that Neff would become a full-time member, playing both
guitar and
pedal steel. Six years after Isbell's departure from the band, he revealed the reported "amicab[ility]" of the split was a charade and that he had been forced out. Because his excessive drinking and drug use had made Isbell unreliable, Hood had asked him to take a break from the band; upon Isbell's refusal, Cooley informed Isbell "that isn't going to work for us". Shortly after Isbell's departure, on April 20, 2007, Patterson Hood announced via the band's website that a longtime friend of the Hood family,
Spooner Oldham, would be joining the band playing keyboard for a string of acoustic performances called The Dirt Underneath Tour. This stripped-down tour set the writing mood and style for the band's next release, 2008's ''
Brighter Than Creation's Dark, a far more "swampy" and country record than its predecessor. Brighter Than Creation's Dark
went to number 37 on the Billboard'' 200 album chart and was billed as a gothic masterpiece. Spooner Oldham contributed to the recording of the album, and toured with the band in support of the record. The record boasted 19 tracks, clocked in at over 75 minutes (so the record's vinyl format was released as a double album), and features the first song contributions from bassist Shonna Tucker. Keyboardist/backing vocalist
Jay Gonzalez went on to tour with the band once Oldham stopped at the end of ''Brighter Than Creation's Dark''s Home Front Tour. On July 7, 2009, New West Records released the band's second official live album and DVD called
Live From Austin TX. Material from ''Brighter Than Creation's Dark'' made up the majority of the mostly acoustic set-list. This was the first official release featuring Jay Gonzalez as the official sixth band member. Hood later recalled this recording as "absolutely the best filmed performance our band has ever had".
2009–2011: Departing New West Records After being released from New West Records, the Drive-By Truckers entered the studio throughout periods of 2009 and emerged with two albums' worth of material. The songs were divided between
The Big To Do (2010) and the Drive-By Truckers "R&B Murder Album"
Go-Go Boots (2011).
The Big To-Do further brought media attention to the band, resulting in their highest chart success, appearances on the
Late Show with David Letterman and
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and a scheduled tour opening for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. they are the only musical act ever asked to play an encore on his show. As the band's contract with New West Records expired after
The Fine Print was released, the band signed and released
The Big To-Do and
Go-Go Boots on
ATO Records. On April 17, 2010, the band released a single penned by Mike Cooley to commemorate
Record Store Day. "Your Woman Is a Living Thing"/"Just Maybe" is the only record the Drive-By Truckers have released solely in a vinyl format. Digital downloads of the single can now be found on the band's website, as well as
Facebook. Based on the success of the single, the band decided to release a limited edition (2,500 copies) special 10-inch 45 with two new songs, "The Thanksgiving Filter"/"Used to Be a Cop", on Black Friday of 2010. Both songs also appear on the album
Go-Go Boots. New West Records released
Ugly Buildings, Whores, and Politicians: Greatest Hits 1998–2009 on August 2, 2011. The announcement was immediately met with mixed receptions by fans.
2011–2017: More lineup changes, English Oceans and American Band On December 5, 2011, Patterson Hood announced via Facebook that bassist Shonna Tucker had left the Drive-By Truckers. He did not cite any of Tucker's reasons for leaving the band and merely stated, "we all love and respect her and wish her all of the best in everything she sets out for." David Barbe replaced Tucker for their subsequent shows until Matt Patton of
The Dexateens joined the band for their spring 2012 tour. John Neff also departed on December 27, 2012; no third guitar replacement was announced, and all tours during 2013 consisted of Cooley and Hood on guitar with Gonzalez alternating between keyboard and guitar. Since that time, Gonzalez has continued to play both keyboards and guitar, allowing the band to duplicate their trademark three-guitar sound when necessary. During the Drive-By Truckers' 2013 New Year's Eve show at the 9:30 Club in
Washington, D.C., an expanded vinyl release of their first live album, ''
Alabama Ass Whuppin''' was announced to be released in 2013. On August 3, 2013, Hood's
Instagram account revealed the band had begun recording their next album at Chase Park Transduction in Athens. Released on March 4, 2014,
English Oceans showed that Gonzalez had become an official member of the band. Reduced to five members again, the band showcased a more simple and direct hard-rocking style on the album. The album debuted at number 16 on the
Billboard charts, which represented the best charting of their career. The band released no new studio album in 2015, but instead released a sprawling live album entitled ''It's Great to Be Alive''. The album was recorded over a three-night run at the Fillmore in
San Francisco, on November 20, 21 and 22, 2014. The band released their 11th album,
American Band, on September 30, 2016. The album featured the same line-up as
English Oceans, and featured the most politically oriented lyrics of the band's career. They announced a tour in support of the record, the Darkened Flags Tour, in June of the same year. In November 2017, they released the politically charged single "The Perilous Night", showing a continuation of their increased focus on protest songs.
2018–present: The Unraveling, The New OK and Welcome 2 Club XIII On September 11, 2018, the band shared a photo via their Instagram page alluding that they were currently working on their 12th studio album. The album, titled
The Unraveling, was released on January 31, 2020, making it the longest gap between studio albums for the band so far. On September 30, 2020, just eight months after the release of
The Unraveling, the band announced their thirteenth studio album,
The New OK. It was made available on all streaming platforms the following Friday. On April 12, 2022, the band announced their fourteenth studio album,
Welcome 2 Club XIII and released the album's title track as the first promotional single. The title derives from the venue where founding members Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley performed at the start of their careers. On March 21, 2024, Drive-By Truckers announced the "
Southern Rock Opera Revisited 2024 Tour" which will feature full-length live performances of that album in the summer and autumn of 2024 for, per the band, "very likely the last time." == Work with others ==