Cowboy Mouth

Cowboy Mouth emerged in the early 1990s as a loose alliance of veteran rock musicians whose earlier careers had touched on new wave and alternative circles yet who still chased mainstream AOR success. After alternative rock had already crossed into the commercial mainstream, the collective blended AOR hooks with alternative and roots-rock elements across several independent recordings before securing a contract with MCA Records in 1996. Although sustaining a major-label foothold proved difficult, the group kept issuing new material throughout the 2000s and beyond via an assortment of independent and boutique imprints.

Paul Sanchez, who handled vocals and guitar, had already issued solo work prior to linking up with Fred LeBlanc on vocals and drums. Together they launched the short-lived Backbeats; once that project dissolved, Sanchez relocated to New York and resumed solo performances. Returning to New Orleans in 1988, he accepted LeBlanc’s invitation to join a fresh ensemble after LeBlanc’s stint with Dash Rip Rock had ended. The pair soon began jamming with Griffith, who supplied lead guitar and vocals and had recently exited the Red Rockers, the new wave outfit that scored a hit with “China.” The three musicians cycled through several bassists until 1993, when Rob Savoy, previously the frontman of the Bluerunners, became a permanent member. Their debut album, Mouthing Off, appeared late that year on the independent Viceroy label, followed in 1995 by It Means Escape on Monkey Hill.

Audience growth by 1995 attracted major-label interest, leading Cowboy Mouth to sign with MCA early the next year. They tracked their major-label debut, Are You with Me?, under producer Michael Wanchic amid that year’s Mardi Gras celebrations; the album surfaced in summer 1996 and yielded a hit with the older track “Jenny Says,” which the band revived for the release. The subsequent spring brought Live on Monkey Hill, while Mercyland arrived twelve months later. Both All You Need Is Live and Easy reached stores in 2000. Sluggish sales prompted Atlantic to drop the band after Easy, yet Cowboy Mouth—undaunted despite bassist Rob Savoy’s exit—delivered the intense Uh-Oh on the independent Bayside imprint the following year. Eleven Thirty issued Voodoo Shoppe in 2005, and Fearless appeared three years afterward, spotlighting an energetic tribute to television personality Kelly Ripa. Three more years elapsed before the band returned with Mardi Gras, an EP paying homage to their New Orleans hometown, the Big Easy.