Twin/Tone Records

The Jayhawks

The Jayhawks formed in the winter of 1985, if not by accident, then at least in the most inauspicious of ways. Armed with two weeks of rehersals, no name and a temporary guitar player who was already halfway to Texas, they walked onto a stage somewhere in Minneapolis. They played ten songs that night in front of as many people. A little country, a little folk, some rockabilly. When they walked off that little stage they were still without a name, but they were no longer strangers

First they found an extremely talented, permanent singer/ guitarist. Then they found their name. Then they found their sound. And they worked on it. They became more aware of their different musical backgrounds and philosophies; they also became aware of their common urge to play soulful and honest music, no matter what the style. Each member exerted his own influence on their music to help shape it into songs that were both true to a genre but not really in it. It was a struggle, at times, to find that balance. But that's how The Jayhawks worked.

- from the 1990 Twin/Tone bio