Blue Mountain

Blue Mountain operates under the guidance of spouses Cary Hudson and Laurie Stirratt, a pair of roots rockers who borrowed the group’s title from a modest settlement near their Oxford, Mississippi base, the very locale where the musicians first absorbed the country, blues, and rock currents that molded their singular approach. The ensemble originated in 1993 when vocalist/guitarist Hudson and bassist Stirratt reunited after the dissolution of their prior project, the Los Angeles-based, punk-inspired Hilltops, whose sole LP, Big Black River, appeared before the band split; that earlier lineup had also featured Stirratt’s twin brother John, who subsequently joined Wilco.

Once back in Mississippi, the couple enlisted drummer Matt Brennan and commenced composing material while playing shows. A self-titled debut, tracked for roughly $1,000 and issued on their own Four Barrel Records imprint, led to a deal with the independent Roadrunner label, which released Dog Days in 1995; recorded largely live in the studio with incoming drummer Frank Coutch under producer Eric “Roscoe” Ambel, the album revisited several tracks from the initial release while traversing the band’s stylistic range, from country hoedowns and delicate acoustic pieces to a reading of the Skip James jam “Special Rider Blues.”

Blue Mountain reemerged in 1997 with the superb Homegrown, followed two years later by Tales of a Traveler and then Roots in early 2001. Marking a decade together, the group delivered the live overview Tonight It’s Now or Never in 2002.