Information AboutUncle Tupelo |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT UNCLE TUPELO | |
| 1990s music groups | |
| american musical groups | |
| american alt-country groups | |
| folk rock groups | |
| illinois musical groups | |
| st. louis music | |
Uncle Tupelo was an Alternative Country music group from Belleville , Illinois , active between 1987 and 1994. Jay Farrar , Jeff Tweedy , and Mike Heidorn formed the band after the lead singer of their previous band, The Primitives, left to attend college. The trio recorded three albums for Rockville Records , before signing with Sire Records and expanding to a five-piece. Shortly after the release of the band's major label debut album '' Anodyne '', Farrar announced his decision to leave the band due to a soured relationship with his co-songwriter Tweedy. Uncle Tupelo split on May 1 , 1994 , after completing a farewell tour. Following the breakup, Farrar formed Son Volt with Heidorn, while the remaining members continued as Wilco . Although Uncle Tupelo broke up before it achieved commercial success, the band is renowned for its impact on the alternative country music scene.1 The group's first album, '' No Depression '', became a byword for the genre and was widely influential. Uncle Tupelo's sound was unlike popular country music of the time, drawing inspiration from styles as diverse as the Hardcore Punk of The Minutemen and the country instrumentation and harmony of the Carter Family and Hank Williams . Farrar and Tweedy lyrics frequently referenced Middle America and the Working Class of Belleville. THE PLEBES AND THE PRIMITIVES Jay Farrar , along with his brothers Wade and Dade, played in an early 1980s garage band named The Plebes. Hailing from Belleville , Illinois , The Plebes sought to enter a battle-of-the-bands competition, but needed a fourth member to perform. They invited Jeff Tweedy , a high school friend of Jay Farrar, to join the band and play with them for the show.Kot 2004. p. 17 Despite a lack of skill with his instrument, Tweedy played an important role in the band by booking early gigs. While The Plebes had been playing music in a Rockabilly style, Tweedy wanted to play Punk Rock like the music that he originally heard the group perform. This caused tensions between Tweedy and Dade Farrar, and Farrar left the band only two months after Tweedy joined.Kot 2004. p. 18 Before leaving the band in 1984, Dade Farrar introduced its members to Mike Heidorn , the younger brother of his girlfriend; Heidorn then joined the group.Heidorn, Mike (2003). ''No Depression'' re-issue liner notes. Legacy Recordings. The Plebes then decided to change its name to The Primitives, a reference to a 1965 song by psychedelic rock group The Groupies .The band was also known as "The Primatives" due to a misprint on their business cards Due to the unpopularity of punk rock in the St. Louis area, The Primitives began to play Blues -orientated garage rock at fast tempos. They performed regularly at a wedding hall in Millstadt, Illinois , where Tweedy's mother Jo Ann would collect the cover fee.Kot 2004. p. 19 Wade Farrar was the lead singer of the band, but his commitment to Southern Illinois University and an attempted enlistment in the United States Army meant he was only able to dedicate a small amount of time to the group. Also, Heidorn broke his collarbone during a concert in 1986, which caused the band to go on hiatus. Jay Farrar and Tweedy continued to write songs and perform at Heidorn's house while he recovered, and by 1987 they had restarted the group.Kot 2004. p. 22 The Primitives temporarily added Tony Mayr as a bassist so that Tweedy could play guitar, but a month later the band decided to keep Tweedy on bass and remain a three-piece. To avoid confusion with a successful British band also named The Primitives , they decided to change their name once again, to Uncle Tupelo.2 Although they performed only 1960s cover songs as The Primitives, the trio decided to take a new approach and write their own music under their new name.3 HISTORY Early career The Primitives renamed itself Uncle Tupelo after a character in a cartoon drawn by Chuck Wagner, a friend of the band's members. The name was created by combining two randomly chosen words from the dictionary; inspired by the name, Wagner drew a picture of an old, fat Elvis .Kot 2004. p. 23 The trio recorded a four-song demo tape, which won them supporting roles at the concerts of artists such as Johnny Thunders and Warren Zevon . Tweedy met Tony Margherita while Moonlighting as a record clerk in St. Louis. After attending a pair of the band's concerts, Margherita offered to become its manager.Kot 2004. p. 25–26 Uncle Tupelo began to play regular shows at Cicero's Basement—a bar close to the campus of Washington University . Bands playing in a similar style, including Brian Henneman 's Chicken Truck, often played at the venue, which by late 1988 was considered to have been the origin of a new music scene.Kot 2004. p. 29–30 The band temporarily expanded to a four-piece with the addition of the guitarist Alex Mutrux, but soon reverted back to a trio. |
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