Jackopierce

Jackopierce ranked among the most active touring acts throughout the 1990s, bypassing major commercial attention while building a broad audience among university students through their agreeable blend of acoustic folk and pop. Guitarists and vocalists Jack O'Neill and Cary Pierce formed the duo in 1988 during their theater studies at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Their early work centered on uncomplicated vocal harmonies and acoustic guitars, which quickly attracted dedicated listeners throughout the Dallas region. The pair issued their self-titled debut on the independent Rhythmic Records label in 1991 and immediately launched an exhaustive series of live dates that expanded their reach to college audiences nationwide. Two further independent releases followed: the 1992 album Woman as Salvation, a favorite among supporters, and the partly new 1993 set Live From the Americas. An extensive national mailing list kept fans updated during the pre-Internet era. This independent approach secured a contract with A&M in 1994. T-Bone Burnett produced the resulting major-label debut Bringing on the Weather, layering additional instruments onto the core sound. The album sold more than 100,000 copies despite minimal mainstream coverage. O'Neill and Pierce then added bassist Clay Pendergrass and drummer Earl Darling as a permanent rhythm section. Their 1996 album Finest Hour adopted a fully amplified approach that departed from the longstanding acoustic style, yet it failed to reach a wider audience. In late 1997 the duo chose to disband, completing a national farewell tour and issuing the double-disc retrospective Decade, which mixed live recordings with unreleased material. Both members continued writing and recording independently, while O'Neill relocated to New York and joined the Bat Theater Company. In late 2002 Jackopierce reunited for additional performances that delighted their still-active supporters.