Biography
John Stirratt earned his widest recognition serving as bassist behind Jeff Tweedy, the frontman of the widely praised Wilco, yet he also fronted several groups of his own, above all the roots rock cult favorites the Hilltops and the classicist pop outfit the Autumn Defense. Born in New Orleans during November 1967, Stirratt grew up in Mandeville, Louisiana. The child of a Dixieland banjo player, he began on banjo himself before switching to guitar and assembling his first band, the U2 covers trio Fallout, for a high-school battle-of-the-bands contest. A later covers group called Rain drew steady local crowds, and while enrolled at the University of Mississippi Stirratt started the Hilltops alongside his twin sister Laurie, singer/guitarist Cary Hudson, and drummer Hank Sossaman. Their first LP, Holler, arrived in 1989 and secured the Hilltops a place inside the emerging alternative country-rock community that also featured the Jayhawks and Uncle Tupelo, the latter a frequent touring companion.
Following a second album, 1991’s Big Black River, the Hilltops broke up once Laurie Stirratt and Cary Hudson moved to Los Angeles and started Blue Mountain; John Stirratt then settled in New Orleans, briefly playing with Cajun rockers the Bluerunners before releasing a self-titled set of demos under the name the Gimmecaps in 1992. That autumn he received a call from Uncle Tupelo manager Tony Margherita offering him the role of guitar tech for the trio’s forthcoming European tour; when bassist Jeff Tweedy chose to switch to guitar during the recording of the band’s final album, 1993’s Anodyne, Stirratt ended up handling bass on most of the finished record and joined the subsequent tour. Uncle Tupelo split in mid-1994, and after Tweedy relocated to Chicago to form Wilco he asked Stirratt to join on bass—Stirratt also contributed his ballad “It’s Just That Simple” to the group’s 1995 debut LP, A.M. Alongside fellow Wilco members Jay Bennett, Ken Coomer, and Max Johnston he launched the side project Courtesy Move, which cut an unfinished album in early 1996. (Stirratt likewise took part in a collective effort titled Rock & Roll Summer Camp 98 alongside the members of Blue Mountain and additional musicians.)
Through releases such as 1996’s Being There and 1999’s Summer Teeth, Wilco shifted away from its Americana origins toward an increasingly distinctive and experimental strain of pop, thereby becoming one of the most critically acclaimed American bands of its era. Stirratt nevertheless kept writing original material and in 1998 teamed with multi-instrumentalist and college friend Pat Sansone under the name the Autumn Defense, a duo drawing from the Baroque pop of the late ’60s. Working at Daniel Lanois’ Kingsway studio in New Orleans, the pair completed their debut album, The Green Hour, which appeared on Stirratt’s own Broadmoor imprint in early 2001; because he was simultaneously occupied with Wilco’s landmark Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, the Autumn Defense managed only a handful of shows to mark the record’s release. The follow-up, Circles, came out on the Arena Rock label in late 2003 and received support from a U.S. tour the next spring. The Autumn Defense also supplied the soundtrack for indie filmmaker Enid Zentelis’ Evergreen, and after Laurie Stirratt moved to Chicago in 2002 the twins began performing as a duo, cutting a country-folk collection slated for spring 2004 release.
Following a second album, 1991’s Big Black River, the Hilltops broke up once Laurie Stirratt and Cary Hudson moved to Los Angeles and started Blue Mountain; John Stirratt then settled in New Orleans, briefly playing with Cajun rockers the Bluerunners before releasing a self-titled set of demos under the name the Gimmecaps in 1992. That autumn he received a call from Uncle Tupelo manager Tony Margherita offering him the role of guitar tech for the trio’s forthcoming European tour; when bassist Jeff Tweedy chose to switch to guitar during the recording of the band’s final album, 1993’s Anodyne, Stirratt ended up handling bass on most of the finished record and joined the subsequent tour. Uncle Tupelo split in mid-1994, and after Tweedy relocated to Chicago to form Wilco he asked Stirratt to join on bass—Stirratt also contributed his ballad “It’s Just That Simple” to the group’s 1995 debut LP, A.M. Alongside fellow Wilco members Jay Bennett, Ken Coomer, and Max Johnston he launched the side project Courtesy Move, which cut an unfinished album in early 1996. (Stirratt likewise took part in a collective effort titled Rock & Roll Summer Camp 98 alongside the members of Blue Mountain and additional musicians.)
Through releases such as 1996’s Being There and 1999’s Summer Teeth, Wilco shifted away from its Americana origins toward an increasingly distinctive and experimental strain of pop, thereby becoming one of the most critically acclaimed American bands of its era. Stirratt nevertheless kept writing original material and in 1998 teamed with multi-instrumentalist and college friend Pat Sansone under the name the Autumn Defense, a duo drawing from the Baroque pop of the late ’60s. Working at Daniel Lanois’ Kingsway studio in New Orleans, the pair completed their debut album, The Green Hour, which appeared on Stirratt’s own Broadmoor imprint in early 2001; because he was simultaneously occupied with Wilco’s landmark Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, the Autumn Defense managed only a handful of shows to mark the record’s release. The follow-up, Circles, came out on the Arena Rock label in late 2003 and received support from a U.S. tour the next spring. The Autumn Defense also supplied the soundtrack for indie filmmaker Enid Zentelis’ Evergreen, and after Laurie Stirratt moved to Chicago in 2002 the twins began performing as a duo, cutting a country-folk collection slated for spring 2004 release.
Albums
