Cowboy Junkies

  • Toronto, Canada
    hometown
  • Rock
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  • 1986
    started
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About Cowboy Junkies

Official Site: latentrecordings.com | facebook.com/cowboyjunkies


Although it didn't originally have anything to do with their sound, the Cowboy Junkies' name wound up seeming pretty accurate: their music was grounded in traditional country, blues, and folk, yet drifted along in a sleepy, narcotic haze that clearly bore the stamp of the Velvet Underground. The vast majority of their songs were spare and quiet, taken at lethargic tempos and filled with languid guitars and detached, ethereal vocals courtesy of Margo Timmins. Over the late '80s and '90s, the group recorded a succession of critically acclaimed albums that found favor in the alternative rock community.

The Cowboy Junkies were founded by guitarist/songwriter Michael Timmins and bassist Alan Anton (born Alan Alizojvodic), who first played together in a Toronto-based band called the Hunger Project in 1979. They later moved to the U.K. and played with an avant-garde instrumental outfit called Germinal, but eventually grew weary of the group's style and returned to Toronto in 1984. They started jamming with Timmins' brother Peter on drums, and in 1985 they recruited a vocalist in sister Margo, at the time a social worker who'd never sung publicly before. Dubbing themselves the Cowboy Junkies simply because the name had a ring to it, they formed their own independent label, Latent, and released their debut album, Whites Off Earth Now!!, in 1986. Featuring only one original song, the album was recorded using only one microphone, and although it was initially available only in Canada, it helped them land a major-label deal with RCA. Their first widespread release was 1988's The Trinity Session, which was recorded inside Toronto's Church of the Holy Trinity in the span of one night -- again using only one microphone. The Trinity Session became a cult hit, earning rave reviews from critics and substantial college radio airplay for tracks like "Misguided Angel" and their cover of "Sweet Jane."

Now an underground sensation, the Cowboy Junkies decided to concentrate more on Michael Timmins' original material for the bigger-budget follow-up, 1989's The Caution Horses. The album didn't cause quite as much of a stir, although it helped maintain their cult fan base. Released in 1992, the even more countrified Black Eyed Man found Timmins settling more comfortably into his songwriting voice, which set the stage for 1993's Pale Sun, Crescent Moon. Hailed as their finest effort since The Trinity Session, the record bore more influence from rock and blues, and returned the Junkies to critics' darling status. However, it also proved to be their final album of new material for RCA. As the band left for Geffen, RCA issued the two-disc live compilation 200 More Miles and the best-of Studio. Meanwhile, the Junkies debuted for Geffen in 1996 with Lay It Down, a relatively high-volume effort compared to their shimmering early work.

Following 1998's Miles from Our Home, the Cowboy Junkies parted ways with Geffen and revived their own Latent label. Their first release was the 2000 live album Waltz Across America, which was initially available only through the band's website. They followed it a year later with an album of all-new material, Open. One Soul Now followed in 2004. In 2005, the group released Early 21st Century Blues, a collection of covers -- and two originals -- that dealt with "war, violence, fear, greed, ignorance and loss." Recorded in just five days, it harked back to The Trinity Session. Later that year, the band was featured on the Beatles tribute album This Bird Has Flown, which was produced by Jim Sampas and featured various artists including the Donnas and Dar Williams.

Meanwhile, the band was busy collaborating with visual artist Enrique Martinez Celaya on a commemorative art book. Released in 2006, Cowboy Junkies XX was a retrospective piece intended to celebrate the band's 20th anniversary. It featured original watercolors by Celaya, handwritten song lyrics, and photographs gathered from the bandmembers' personal collections. The band released a new album called At the End of Paths Taken in the spring of 2007, followed several years later by the announcement of the so-called Nomad Series, an 18-month cycle that aimed to produce four albums built around common (but separate) narratives. Renmin Park: The Nomad Series, Vol. 1 was released in 2010. Following closely on its heels was 2011's Demons: The Nomad Series, Vol. 2, a covers album featuring songs originally written by the late Vic Chesnutt, the band's longtime friend and occasional tourmate. The third volume, Sing in My Meadow, released later in 2011, featured a live, garage rock sound, while the fourth, The Wilderness, which appeared early in 2012, featured new songs and completed the ambitious Nomad Series project. A box-set featuring all-four Nomad Series albums, plus a disc of extras, also followed in 2012. ~ Steve Huey & Steve Leggett, Rovi

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Music

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  • Miles From Our Home
    cowboy-junkies
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    Miles From Our Home
  • 2859
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    • Sweet Jane
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g2/7/3/7/9/6/884369737.mp3
    • Misguided Angel
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g2/0/2/6/2/5/884452620.mp3
    • Blue Moon Revisited (Song For Elvis)
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g2/1/8/5/2/5/884452581.mp3
    • I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g2/4/0/8/9/6/884369804.mp3
    • Anniversary Song
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/0/6/0/4/7/105374060.mp3
    • Sweet Jane
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/5/3/2/5/6/105365235.mp3

Photos

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  • Cowboy Junkies
    Richard Belland

News

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  • Cowboy Junkies
    Cowboy Junkies Plot New Album, Tour
    www.billboard.com
    , play them live quite a bit and then we kind of figure out how we want to approach them in the studio. And we either approach them very slowly or ver...
    Read More
  • Cowboy Junkies
    Cowboy Junkies Plot New Album, Tour
    www.billboard.com
    , play them live quite a bit and then we kind of figure out how we want to approach them in the studio. And we either approach them very slowly or ver...
    Read More
  • Cowboy Junkies
    Listen: Cowboy Junkies Cover Vic Chesnutt's "See You Around"
    American Songwriter
    collaborator Vic Chesnutt. One of our favorite tracks from Demons is "See You Around," which was the closing song on Chesnutt's 1996 Capitol Records d...
    Read More
  • Cowboy Junkies
    Cowboy Junkies Ready Vic Chesnutt Tribute Album
    American Songwriter
    was spring's critically-acclaimed Renmin Park). Read our interview with the Junkies about the Series, and recording Demons, here. Says band member Mic...
    Read More
  • Cowboy Junkies
    Cowboy Junkies to Release Album of Vic Chesnutt Songs
    www.jambands.com
    , bouts of self loathing, joy, despair and, sometimes, resolution. Vic keeps the listener slightly off balance at all times, but more often than not, ...
    Read More
  • Cowboy Junkies
    Cowboy Junkies Announce New Album, Tour
    Paste
    Cowboy Junkies announced today the release of The Wilderness, the final album in their "Nomad Series." It will be the band's fourth album in 18 months...
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  • Cowboy Junkies
    Cowboy Junkies Getting Back To 'The Folk Vibe' on 'The Wilderness' | Billboard.com
    www.billboard.com
    As Cowboy Junkies prepare to wrap up their four-album Nomad Series with the March 27 release of "The Wilderness," guitarist and chief songwriter Micha...
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Discography

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  • The Wilderness: The Nomad Series, Vol. 4 (2012)
    Cowboy Junkies
    The Wilderness: The Nomad Series, Vol. 4 (2012)
    Razor & Tie
  • Interview Picture Disc (2012)
    Cowboy Junkies
    Interview Picture Disc (2012)
    JDC Records
  • Sing in My Meadow: The Nomad Series, Vol. 3 (2011)
    Cowboy Junkies
    Sing in My Meadow: The Nomad Series, Vol. 3 (2011)
    Diverse Records
  • Demons: The Nomad Series, Vol. 2 (2011)
    Cowboy Junkies
    Demons: The Nomad Series, Vol. 2 (2011)
    Razor & Tie
  • Renmin Park: The Nomad Series, Vol. 1 (2010)
    Cowboy Junkies
    Renmin Park: The Nomad Series, Vol. 1 (2010)
    Razor & Tie
  • Trinity Revisited (2007)
    Cowboy Junkies
    Trinity Revisited (2007)
  • At the End of Paths Taken (2007)
    Cowboy Junkies
    At the End of Paths Taken (2007)
    Latent/Zoë
  • Long Journey Home (2006)
    Cowboy Junkies
    Long Journey Home (2006)
    Zoe
  • Early 21st Century Blues (2005)
    Cowboy Junkies
    Early 21st Century Blues (2005)
    Universal Distribution
  • Open Road (2005)
    Cowboy Junkies
    Open Road (2005)
    Latent/Zoë
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