Gary Louris
Encyclopedia
Gary Louris is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter of alternative country
and pop music. He was a founding member of the Minneapolis-based band The Jayhawks
, and their principal songwriter and vocalist after the departure of Mark Olson
; he is often credited with the band's subsequent move from folk-country toward a more progressive, poppier sound.
in 1973.
In 2011 The Jayhawks reunited and recorded a new album. The lineup consists of Mark Olson, Gary Louris, Marc Perlman, Karen Grotberg, and Tim O'Reagan, and, as Louris says, "Our goal is to make the best Jayhawks album that's ever been done". 18 songs had been recorded, 16 of them new, but only 12 will be on the record. The album, Mockingbird Time, was released September 20. The band toured in support.
; other members have included fellow Jayhawk Marc Perlman, Jeff Tweedy
of Wilco
, Dave Pirner
and Dan Murphy from Soul Asylum
, Kraig Johnson of Run Westy Run and Chris Mars of The Replacements.
In spring 2005, Louris and Olson toured together billed as "From the Jayhawks: An Evening with Mark Olson & Gary Louris, Together Again."
He co-wrote the Nickel Creek
song Jealous of the Moon with Chris Thile
in 2005, and it appeared on the Nickel Creek album Why Should the Fire Die?
. Louris is also a songwriter on the 2006 Dixie Chicks
album Taking the Long Way
.
Louris wrote and performed "Every Word," the theme song for the 2006 documentary Wordplay
.
In 2008, Louris released his first solo album called Vagabonds
. The album was produced by The Black Crowes
frontman Chris Robinson.
Of Vagabonds, Louris said in an interview: “It wasn’t my intention to recapture the ’70s or anything, that’s just what comes out when I sing,” Louris says. “Once we got the band together for the sessions, it actually reminded me of how the Jayhawks were when we started out. The music is new and exciting for them, and it was good for me to feed off of that.” Vagabonds was recorded in Laurel Canyon, which is famous for being the center of the 1970s' singer-songwriter scene.
Robinson has also produced a collaboration between Louris and his former Jayhawks bandmate Mark Olson. The album, called Ready for the Flood
, was released in November 2008 (January 2009 in the U.S.).
On touring Louris said: "Personally I'm not that into touring anymore. I found that I'm not in a band for that. The type of musician I am I'm not somebody that ad libs and creates. I'm more a recreator who when I tour I tend to recreate parts that I've written so touring and playing live is fun to me to a point."
Louris also uses a Martin 00-18V acoustic guitar.
Alternative country
Alternative country is a loosely defined sub-genre of country music, which includes acts that differ significantly in style from mainstream or pop country music...
and pop music. He was a founding member of the Minneapolis-based band The Jayhawks
Jayhawks (band)
The Jayhawks are an American alternative country and rock band that emerged from the Twin Cities music scene during the mid 1980s. Their country rock sound was influential on many bands who played the Twin Cities circuit during the 80s and 90s like Uncle Tupelo, The Gear Daddies and The Honeydogs...
, and their principal songwriter and vocalist after the departure of Mark Olson
Mark Olson (musician)
Mark Olson is an American musician. He is one of the founding members of acclaimed alternative country bands The Jayhawks and The Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers and a respected singer/songwriter in his own right....
; he is often credited with the band's subsequent move from folk-country toward a more progressive, poppier sound.
Early life
Gary Louris grew up in Toledo, Ohio, where he took piano lessons before becoming a guitarist as a teenager. He graduated from St. John's Jesuit High SchoolSt. John's Jesuit High School and Academy
St. John's Jesuit High School and Academy comprises two schools on the same campus: St. John's Jesuit High School and St. John's Jesuit Academy. It is located within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Toledo. Both are private, all-male Jesuit schools in Toledo, Ohio.-History:St. John's was founded...
in 1973.
1985–2005: The Jayhawks
The Jayhawks were formed in 1985 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Louris had formerly played guitar in a rockabilly band called Safety Last. On May 13, 2003 The Jayhawks returned to the Late Show with David Letterman where they performed their title track "Save it For a Rainy Day" off their "Rainy Day Music" CD. The Jayhawks recorded seven albums prior to going on indefinite hiatus in 2005.In 2011 The Jayhawks reunited and recorded a new album. The lineup consists of Mark Olson, Gary Louris, Marc Perlman, Karen Grotberg, and Tim O'Reagan, and, as Louris says, "Our goal is to make the best Jayhawks album that's ever been done". 18 songs had been recorded, 16 of them new, but only 12 will be on the record. The album, Mockingbird Time, was released September 20. The band toured in support.
2005 – present: Solo career
Louris is also a member of the intermittent Midwest musical collective/side-project Golden SmogGolden Smog
Golden Smog is a loosely connected group of musicians comprised, at various times, of members of Soul Asylum, The Replacements, Wilco, The Jayhawks, Run Westy Run, The Honeydogs and Big Star...
; other members have included fellow Jayhawk Marc Perlman, Jeff Tweedy
Jeff Tweedy
Jeffrey Scot "Jeff" Tweedy is an American songwriter, musician and leader of the band Wilco. Tweedy joined rockabilly band The Plebes with high school friend Jay Farrar in the early 1980s, but Tweedy's musical interests caused one of Farrar's brothers to quit...
of Wilco
Wilco
Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup has changed frequently, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John...
, Dave Pirner
Dave Pirner
David Anthony "Dave" Pirner is an American songwriter, singer, and producer best known for being the lead vocalist and frontman for the alternative rock/grunge band, Soul Asylum.-Biography:...
and Dan Murphy from Soul Asylum
Soul Asylum
Soul Asylum is an American alternative rock band that formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1983.The band originally formed in 1981 under the name Loud Fast Rules, with the original line-up consisting of Dan Murphy, Dave Pirner, Karl Mueller and Pat Morley. The latter was replaced by Grant Young in...
, Kraig Johnson of Run Westy Run and Chris Mars of The Replacements.
In spring 2005, Louris and Olson toured together billed as "From the Jayhawks: An Evening with Mark Olson & Gary Louris, Together Again."
He co-wrote the Nickel Creek
Nickel Creek
Nickel Creek was an American progressive acoustic music trio consisting of Chris Thile , Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins . The band was founded in 1989 and released 6 albums between 1993 and 2006...
song Jealous of the Moon with Chris Thile
Chris Thile
Christopher Scott Thile is an American musician, best known as the mandolinist and a singer for the progressive acoustic trio Nickel Creek. His current band is Punch Brothers whose most recent album is Antifogmatic...
in 2005, and it appeared on the Nickel Creek album Why Should the Fire Die?
Why Should the Fire Die?
In the time that Nickel Creek spent writing songs for Why Should the Fire Die?, numerous songs did not make the cut, and only fourteen were used in the final draft of the album. When discussing the album, Sean Watkins said that the band "did so much co-writing together and filtering...
. Louris is also a songwriter on the 2006 Dixie Chicks
Dixie Chicks
The Dixie Chicks are an American country band which has also successfully crossed over into other genres. The band is composed of founding members Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Erwin Robison, and lead singer Natalie Maines...
album Taking the Long Way
Taking the Long Way
-Public reception:On May 31, 2006, the album took three number one spots on the charts of Billboard magazine. It was number one on the Hot Country Albums, Top Digital Albums, and on the Billboard 200 chart, going Gold in its first week with 526,000 units sold....
.
Louris wrote and performed "Every Word," the theme song for the 2006 documentary Wordplay
Wordplay (film)
Wordplay is a 2006 documentary film directed by Patrick Creadon. It features Will Shortz, the editor of the New York Times crossword puzzle, crossword constructor Merl Reagle, and many other noted crossword solvers and constructors...
.
In 2008, Louris released his first solo album called Vagabonds
Vagabonds (Gary Louris album)
Vagabonds is an album by American singer/songwriter and former Jayhawks member Gary Louris, released in 2008.-Reception:Writing for Allmusic, critic Mark Deming praised the album, writing "Vagabonds manages to sound grand and organic at once, with the arrangements and production capturing a sense...
. The album was produced by The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in 1989. Their discography includes nine studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer George Drakoulias and released their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, the...
frontman Chris Robinson.
Of Vagabonds, Louris said in an interview: “It wasn’t my intention to recapture the ’70s or anything, that’s just what comes out when I sing,” Louris says. “Once we got the band together for the sessions, it actually reminded me of how the Jayhawks were when we started out. The music is new and exciting for them, and it was good for me to feed off of that.” Vagabonds was recorded in Laurel Canyon, which is famous for being the center of the 1970s' singer-songwriter scene.
Robinson has also produced a collaboration between Louris and his former Jayhawks bandmate Mark Olson. The album, called Ready for the Flood
Ready for the Flood
Ready for the Flood is an album by former Jayhawks bandmates Mark Olson and Gary Louris.-Reception:-Track listing:All songs by Mark Olson & Gary Louris#"Rose Society" – 3:12#"Bicycle" – 3:52#"Turn Your Pretty Name Around" – 4:51...
, was released in November 2008 (January 2009 in the U.S.).
On touring Louris said: "Personally I'm not that into touring anymore. I found that I'm not in a band for that. The type of musician I am I'm not somebody that ad libs and creates. I'm more a recreator who when I tour I tend to recreate parts that I've written so touring and playing live is fun to me to a point."
Equipment
A 1967 Gibson SG guitar – shown in the picture – reputed to have been formerly owned by lead guitarist John King of The Litter is now owned and frequently used by Gary Louris of the Jayhawks and Golden Smog. The Gibson SG guitar was owned from 1977–1986 by Kevin Waddick. Chris Osgood, at the time the guitarist of the legendary Suicide Commandos seminal punk trio, originally suggested that Kevin Waddick buy the guitar and then was the one who later informed Gary Louris that it was for sale.Louris also uses a Martin 00-18V acoustic guitar.
With The Jayhawks
- The JayhawksThe Jayhawks (album)The Jayhawks is a 1986 album by The Jayhawks. It is also known as the Bunkhouse Tapes.-History:Out of print for many years, the album was digitally remastered from reel-to-reel and reissued by Lost Highway Records on May 18, 2010...
(1986) also known as the Bunkhouse Tapes - Blue EarthBlue Earth (Jayhawks album)Blue Earth is an album by the American alternative country and rock band The Jayhawks, released in 1989.-History:After the local release of their debut album The Jayhawks, the band recorded a set of demos in order to attract a major label deal. Singer/guitarist Gary Louris was injured in a car...
(1989) - Hollywood Town HallHollywood Town HallHollywood Town Hall is a 1992 album by country rock revivalists The Jayhawks. It peaked at #11 on the Billboard Heatseekers and #192 on the Billboard 200...
(1992) - Tomorrow the Green GrassTomorrow the Green GrassTomorrow the Green Grass is an album by the American alternative country and rock band The Jayhawks, released in 1995. It peaked at number 92 on The Billboard 200 charts.-History:...
(1995) - Sound of LiesSound of LiesSound of Lies is a 1997 album released by Minneapolis music group Jayhawks. It peaked at #112 on the Billboard 200.With the departure of Mark Olson, Gary Louris becomes the principal songwriter for Sound of Lies with an occasional co-write with bassist Marc Perlman...
(1997) - SmileSmile (Jayhawks album)Smile is an album by the American alternative country and rock band The Jayhawks, released in 2000. It reached #129 on the Billboard 200 and #14 on Billboard's Top Internet Albums chart....
(2000) - Rainy Day MusicRainy Day MusicRainy Day Music is an album by the American alternative country and rock band The Jayhawks, released in 2003. It debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 51, selling 19,000 copies that week.-History:...
(2003) - Live From The Women's Club (volumes one and two)
- Mockingbird TimeMockingbird Time-Deluxe Edition:...
(2011)
With Golden Smog
- On Golden SmogOn Golden SmogOn Golden Smog was the debut EP from Golden Smog, released on December 11, 1992, the album consists entirely of cover songs. The album sleeve art was by the band's then-drummer, Chris Mars...
(1992) - Down By The Old MainstreamDown by the Old MainstreamDown by the Old Mainstream was Golden Smog's first full-length album, released in 1995. Its title is from a line in both the Wilco song, "Someday Soon" from the album, Being There, and from "Radio King," the last track on this album.-Track listing:...
(1996) - Weird TalesWeird Tales (album)Weird Tales is Golden Smog's second album, released in 1998. The title comes from the pulp magazine Weird Tales, the cover art being from the October 1933 issue, by Margaret Brundage.-Track listing:# "To Call My Own" – 3:31...
(1998) - Another Fine DayAnother Fine DayAnother Fine Day is Golden Smog's third full-length album. It was released on July 18, 2006.-Track listing:#"You Make It Easy" – 4:12#"Another Fine Day" – 4:18...
(2006) - Blood On The SlacksBlood on the SlacksBlood on the Slacks is the fourth full-length album by Golden Smog. It was released by Lost Highway Records on April 24, 2007, less than a year after their previous album, Another Fine Day...
(2007)
Solo
- VagabondsVagabonds (Gary Louris album)Vagabonds is an album by American singer/songwriter and former Jayhawks member Gary Louris, released in 2008.-Reception:Writing for Allmusic, critic Mark Deming praised the album, writing "Vagabonds manages to sound grand and organic at once, with the arrangements and production capturing a sense...
(2008) - Acoustic VagabondsAcoustic VagabondsAcoustic Vagabonds is an EP by American singer/songwriter and former Jayhawks member Gary Louris featuring six acoustic versions of tracks from his debut album Vagabonds...
(2008)