The Blacks

Danny McDonough launched the insurgent country group the Blacks in Chicago during 1994. Previously a member of the psychedelic hard rock band Cornmother, he departed after encountering the sounds of Hank Williams, Tom Waits, and Louis Armstrong. McDonough then taught himself rudimentary drumming and trumpet playing before starting to compose material on a four-track recorder. Several months later he crossed paths with DePaul University symphonic music student and bassist Gina Black at a neighborhood show, and the pair performed together within days.

Gina soon withdrew from DePaul, prompting McDonough to take the surname Black as well; the duo initially performed as the Black Family and made their stage debut in late 1995. Following turnover among drummers, they added James Emmenegger and expanded to a quartet with guitarist Nora O'Connor. After hundreds of regional shows throughout the Midwest, the band—now simply called the Blacks—inked a deal with Bloodshot and released its Eric "Roscoe" Ambel-produced debut Dolly Horrorshow in 1998, followed by Just Like Home two years later.