Having drummed for more than ten years across multiple rock groups, singer and songwriter John Howie set aside his percussion rig for a six-string acoustic guitar and a collection of sorrowful, whisky-soaked country ballads, thereby founding Two Dollar Pistols. Drawing from the vintage country-folk sound of the 1950s Sun Records period along with Merle Haggard and George Jones, Howie elected to remain in his native North Carolina instead of relocating to Nashville’s homogenized commercial country scene. Backed by guitarists Greg Hawks and John Prince, drummer Chris Phillips (also the percussionist for the Squirrel Nut Zippers), bassist Jack Campbell, fiddler Jon Kemppainen, and steel guitarist Steve Watson, the band’s relentless touring schedule ultimately secured a contract with Hep-Cat Records, which issued the debut album On Down the Track in 1997. The follow-up, Step Right Up, appeared the subsequent year on Yep Roc. An EP of duets recorded with Tift Merritt won strong fan support and led Howie to revise the lineup; guitarist Scott McCall, bassist Neal Spaulding, and drummer Mark Weaver came aboard and toured in support of the recording. This configuration remained intact until 2002, when the group tracked and released You Ruined Everything. Hands Up! appeared two years afterward.
