Old 97's

alternative country · country rock · power pop

Old 97's are an alt-country band from Dallas, Texas, formed in 1992 by Rhett Miller on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Murry Hammond on bass, Ken Bethea on lead guitar and Philip Peeples on drums, a lineup that has stayed intact ever since. The name comes from the ballad of the Wreck of the Old 97, a 1903 train disaster, and the band built its reputation in the bars of Dallas's Deep Ellum district in the early 1990s. Their debut, Hitchhike to Rhome, appeared on Big Iron in 1994, followed by Wreck Your Life on the Chicago independent Bloodshot in 1995, which made them one of the defining acts of the decade's alt-country movement. Elektra signed them for Too Far to Care in 1997 and Satellite Rides in 2001, records on which the band leaned steadily further toward power pop; Miller has described the result as loud folk, sitting between country rock, indie rock and Americana. Most Messed Up, released by ATO in 2014, remains their best-charting album at number 30 on the Billboard 200. Their thirteenth studio record, American Primitive, arrived on ATO in 2024, produced by Tucker Martine with contributions from Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Scott McCaughey of the Minus 5, and framed by Miller as a deliberate de-evolution toward rawer rock and roll. Their songs have turned up in the film The Break-Up and in television including Scrubs and Veronica Mars, and the band appeared on screen in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Miller also maintains a long-running solo career alongside the group. In September 2025 Old 97's received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 24th Americana Music Honors and Awards at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, where Miller credited Waylon Jennings as an early supporter of the band.

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Where they play in Tennessee

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