The Jayhawks

The Jayhawks took shape in Minneapolis in 1985 around singer-guitarists Mark Olson and Gary Louris, bassist Marc Perlman, and drummer Norm Rogers, all of whom had worked in the city’s club circuit. Their self-titled debut, later known as the Bunkhouse album, appeared independently in 1986 and introduced their blend of country, folk, and guitar-driven rock. After releasing Blue Earth through Twin/Tone Records in 1989, they were signed to Def American by producer and A&R executive George Drakoulias, who had heard the album playing during a telephone call to the label. Drakoulias produced Hollywood Town Hall in 1992, which included “Waiting for the Sun,” before the expanded lineup—with Karen Grotberg on keyboards and vocals—recorded Tomorrow the Green Grass in 1995. Featuring “Blue,” the album became the final Jayhawks studio project of that period with Olson, who departed later in 1995. Louris subsequently led the band through the more experimental Sound of Lies in 1997, featuring “Big Star,” and reunited with producer Bob Ezrin for the pop-oriented Smile in 2000. The acoustic and folk-rock elements of Rainy Day Music followed in 2003, producing “Save It for a Rainy Day,” before the band entered a period of inactivity. The mid-1990s lineup reunited for concerts in 2008, while the career-spanning compilation Music from the North Country: The Jayhawks Anthology arrived in 2009. Olson participated in the reunion album Mockingbird Time in 2011 but departed again after its accompanying tours. Louris, Perlman, Grotberg, and drummer-vocalist Tim O’Reagan resumed activity in 2014 and recorded Paging Mr. Proust in 2016 with producers Peter Buck and Tucker Martine. The Jayhawks then served as the backing band on Ray Davies’ Americana in 2017 and Our Country: Americana Act II in 2018. Their own Back Roads and Abandoned Motels followed in 2018, revisiting songs Louris had written with or for other performers. The more collaborative XOXO arrived in 2020, with every member contributing lead vocals and songwriting and “This Forgotten Town” serving as its first single. In 2026, the band released the archival live collection 2 Meter Sessions, drawn from Dutch performances recorded in 1997 and 2000. They then reunited with Ezrin for their twelfth studio album, Sanctuary Park, released through Sham/Thirty Tigers in August 2026 and preceded by “Keeping Our Heads Above Water” and “American Midnight.”