Originating in the Chicago suburb of Lombard, Illinois, Plain White T's came together in 1997 when singer/guitarist Tom Higgenson, bassist Ken Fletcher, and drummer Dave Tirio started the group. They soon added guitarist Steve Mast and issued the self-released Come on Over in 2000, followed by the independent Stop in 2002. After that release, the lineup shifted markedly as Tirio switched to rhythm guitar, De'Mar Hamilton assumed drumming duties, Tim Lopez replaced Fletcher on bass, and Mike Retondo took Mast's guitar spot. Fearless Records then signed the band, later reissuing Stop before putting out All That We Needed in 2005.
Although the original version of "Hey There Delilah" appeared on All That We Needed, the song reached a wider audience only after the group recut it as a string-laden ballad for their 2007 Hollywood Records debut Every Second Counts. That track ascended to number one on Billboard's Hot 100, drove Every Second Counts to RIAA Gold status, and earned the band two Grammy nominations. Earlier and later recordings alike demonstrated that Plain White T's devoted equal attention to high-energy punk-influenced rock and melodic anthems, a balance that carried Big Bad World onto the Billboard 200 in 2008 and Wonders of the Younger onto the same chart in 2010 while generating further successes such as the adult-contemporary hit "1, 2, 3, 4," which reached number 34 on Billboard's Top 40, and the adult-contemporary single "Rhythm of Love."
Following a quieter stretch that included soundtrack placements and the 2013 EP Should've Gone to Bed, Higgenson and Tirio formed the side project That Lying Bitch to revisit their punk origins. The band then parted ways with Hollywood Records amid disagreements over the next album, American Nights, which Megaforce ultimately released in 2017. Their time with that label proved brief; Fearless welcomed them back and issued Parallel Universe in 2018. By October 2020 Tirio had exited, leaving Higgenson as the sole remaining founding member. Amid a 2021 cover of the holiday standard "Winter Wonderland," Higgenson and the current lineup issued the 2023 singles "Spaghetti Tattoo," "Happy," "Would You Even," and "Red Flags," all of which preceded the group's ninth studio album, the self-titled Plain White T's. Throughout these changes, Higgenson's signature croon continued to anchor the sound heard on American Nights, Parallel Universe, and Plain White T's.
