Revisiting The Jayhawks and, more specifically, Gary Louris was a bit of an eye-opener for your humble Austin Music Minute hostess. The Minneapolis-based songwriter has far more on his resume than some fans may realize.
For starters, Louris’ first band wasn’t The Jayhawks. That was predated by his time with Minneapolis indie band Safety Last in the early ’80s, before he co-founded The Jayhawks with Mark Olson in 1985. During that time, he also performed with Golden Smog, known to be a supergroup of sorts that included members of Soul Asylum, Wilco, The Replacements and Big Star.
In addition, as if there had to be more, Louris has shared his songwriting, performing and production talents with a variety of diverse musical artists, including The Black Crowes, The Dixie Chicks, Lucinda Williams, Carrie Rodriguez, Tift Merritt, and The Wallflowers, to toss out just a few names here and there. Plus, being on stage with Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash is also something beyond noteworthy. Louris has practically done it all.
