The Jayhawks

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Minneapolis, United States (1985 – present)

Led by the gifted songwriting, impeccable playing, and honeyed harmonies of vocalists/guitarists Gary Louris and Mark Olson, the Jayhawks’ shimmering blend of country, folk, and bar band rock made them one of the most widely acclaimed artists to emerge from the alternative country scene. The group sprung up in 1985 out of the fertile Minneapolis, Minnesota, musical community, where Olson had been playing standup bass in a rockabilly band called Stagger Lee until his desire to write and perform his own country-folk material prompted him to begin a solo career. He enlisted Marc Perlman, the guitarist for a local band called the Neglecters, whom Olson then convinced to take up the bass; after the addition of drummer Norm Rogers, the group first played in front of a crowd of less than a dozen people. One of those patrons, however, was Gary Louris, a veteran of the local bands Safety Last and Schnauzer; after the show, he and Olson began talking, and by the end of the evening Louris, a guitarist famed locally for his innovative, pedal steel-like sound, had become a member of the group, eventually named the Jayhawks.

Drawing on influences like Gram Parsons, the Louvin Brothers, Tim Hardin, and Nashville Skyline-era Bob Dylan, the Jayhawks quickly became a local favorite, honing their sound in Twin Cities clubs before releasing their eponymous debut in 1986. Issued in a pressing of just a few thousand copies, the album was well received by those who heard it; a major recording deal did not follow, however, so the band continued to polish their craft live, with more and more of their songs bearing writing credits belonging to both Olson and Louris.

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Popular tags: alt-country, americana, rock, country, alt country  See more

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• Tomorrow The Green Grass
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• Music From The North Country: The Jayhawks…
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• Hollywood Town Hall
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• Mockingbird Time
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1		Blue			503
2		Save It For A Rainy Day			393
3		Waiting For The Sun			324
4		I'd Run Away			187
5		All the Right Reasons			156
6		Bad Time			138
7		I'm Gonna Make You Love Me			134
7		She Walks In So Many Ways			134
9		Miss Williams' Guitar			131
10		Hide Your Colors			99
10		Over My Shoulder			99
12		Two Angels			91
12		Crowded In The Wings			91
14		Two Hearts			90
15		Clouds			84

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