Old 97's

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The Old 97's (L-R: Philip Peeples, Ken Bethea, Murry Hammond, and Rhett Miller)

The Old 97's are an "alt-country" band originally based in Dallas, Texas. The group formed in 1993 and took their name from an old country song popularized by Johnny Cash, "Wreck of the Old 97." They describe themselves as a rock band with influences as varied as the Kinks, the Beatles, the Pixies, David Bowie, Johnny Cash, and Merle Haggard. The band often performs country standards made famous by the latter two musicians, and has interspersed a number of these on their half-dozen albums over the last decade. The band originally feuded with Ryan Adams of fellow alt-country band Whiskeytown, but both are on good terms today.

Initially a popular Dallas bar band, the Old 97's toured the country after releasing their first album, 1994's Hitchhike To Rhome. In Chicago, they caught the attention of Bloodshot Records and were signed to record their next album. 1996's Wreck Your Life, now lauded by many fans as the band's best work, brought them to the attention of Elektra Records, who hoped that alt-country could be a new post-grunge fad. Lead singer Rhett Miller later lived in New York City and Los Angeles. Many of the band's songs include local Texas references, with New York City often appearing as well.

The band has never reached the level of success expected of them by the music press and was one of the acts purged from Elektra after the merger of Time Warner and America Online. Their most successful single, 1999's "Murder (Or A Heart Attack)," was named one of the best songs of all time by Blender magazine, but "Nineteen," another single from the album, failed to chart. Their songs have appeared on the King of the Hill soundtrack and the tribute to The Knitters, Poor Little Knitter on the Road, as well as various television shows, such as Scrubs, in which their song "Question" was played at the end of season 2 episode 15 when Turk asks Carla to marry him in the park, after which J.D. runs around the picnic table they are on with sparklers. In a similar scene in the Ed (TV series) the song "Question" is also used when the main character Ed Stevens, the Bowling Alley Lawyer, asks his high-school crush, Carol Vessey, to marry him while in a park.

Rhett Miller has recorded three solo albums, with 2002's The Instigator receiving substantial airplay on alternative-oriented radio stations. He toured with Neil Finn in 2004, bringing him to the attention of many. Miller also recorded a version of Simon and Garfunkel's "Homeward Bound" for one of MasterCard's "Priceless" advertisements. Miller's second major commercial album, The Believer, was released in February 2006.

Most songs are written and sung by Miller, with bassist Murry Hammond picking up the vocals on one or two tracks per album. Hammond also handled a number of country covers, especially in the band's earlier years. The band's latest studio effort, 2004's Drag It Up, also includes a song written and sung by guitarist Ken Bethea.

The Old 97's have been heralded as a great live band, although they claim to never rehearse their act. They included five live songs as a bonus disc on Satellite Rides, and released a live double CD set recorded at historic Gruene Hall in 2005, Alive and Wired.

The Old 97's were featured in the 2006 movie The Break-Up, playing "Timebomb", "Salome", and "Melt Show." Nearly concurrently, Rhino Entertainment released Hit by a Train: The Best of Old 97's, an eighteen track compilation of songs from the band's beginnings through 2001, featuring liner notes and an essay by Robert Christgau. They are also featured performing on a Chili's commercial for Baby Back Ribs.