Known for their sparse arrangements and haunting vocals, the Cowboy Junkies have based their
musical style on the belief that less is more. The band was formed in 1985 by guitarist Michael
Timmins and bassist Alan Anton. The duo had previously played together in Hunger Project and
the British experimental group Germinal before returning home to Toronto. Timmins recruited his
brother Peter to play drums, then went looking for a vocalist. He didn't have to look far, quickly
convincing his sister Margo to become the voice of the band. The Cowboy Junkies released their
debut album, Whites Off Earth Now!, in 1986 on their own Latent label. Showcasing influences
like Robert Johnson and Lightnin' Hopkins, the band toured the Southern and Southwestern U.S.
in support of the record, in the process soaking up the music of Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams
and Jimmie Rodgers. The results manifested in The Trinity Session (1988), the band's second
full-length album. Recorded with a single microphone in Toronto's Church of the Holy Trinity in
one 14-hour session, The Trinity Session featured several Cowboy Junkies originals alongside
Jennings, Williams and Patsy Cline covers. Most notably was a cover of the Velvet Underground
song "Sweet Jane," which received generous airplay on college and commercial radio stations.
Before long, the major labels came knocking and the Cowboy Junkies signed with RCA. The band
would release three albums on the label before moving to Geffen in 1995. Each record featured
the slow rhythms, stripped down productions and quiet, ghostly melodies that are the Junkies'
trademark. In 1996, the band released Lay It Down, which featured the modern rock hit "A
Common Disaster," and earned the band a gold record. In June 1998 the Cowboy Junkies
released Miles From Our Home, produced by John Leckie (Radiohead, The Verve). In contrast to
their previous records, the album featured a generally up-tempo feel and a fuller, more polished
sound. -Joe Hauler
Known for their sparse arrangements and haunting vocals, the Cowboy Junkies have based their
musical style on the belief that less is more. The band was formed in 1985 by guitarist Michael
Timmins and bassist Alan Anton. The duo had previously played together in Hunger Project and
the British experimental group Germinal before returning home to Toronto. Timmins recruited his
brother Peter to play drums, then went looking for a vocalist. He didn't have to look far, quickly
convincing his sister Margo to become the voice of the band. The Cowboy Junkies released their
debut album, Whites Off Earth Now!, in 1986 on their own Latent label. Showcasing influences
like Robert Johnson and Lightnin' Hopkins, the band toured the Southern and Southwestern U.S.
in support of the record, in the process soaking up the music of Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams
and Jimmie Rodgers. The results manifested in The Trinity Session (1988), the band's second
full-length album. Recorded with a single microphone in Toronto's Church of the Holy Trinity in
one 14-hour session, The Trinity Session featured several Cowboy Junkies originals alongside
Jennings, Williams and Patsy Cline covers. Most notably was a cover of the Velvet Underground
song "Sweet Jane," which received generous airplay on college and commercial radio stations.
Before long, the major labels came knocking and the Cowboy Junkies signed with RCA. The band
would release three albums on the label before moving to Geffen in 1995. Each record featured
the slow rhythms, stripped down productions and quiet, ghostly melodies that are the Junkies'
trademark. In 1996, the band released Lay It Down, which featured the modern rock hit "A
Common Disaster," and earned the band a gold record. In June 1998 the Cowboy Junkies
released Miles From Our Home, produced by John Leckie (Radiohead, The Verve). In contrast to
their previous records, the album featured a generally up-tempo feel and a fuller, more polished
sound. -Joe Hauler
