The Drive-By Truckers are an alternative country/Southern rock band based in Athens, Georgia, though two of five current members (Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley) are originally from The Shoals region of northern Alabama, and the band strongly identifies with Alabama. The band currently consists of Mike Cooley (lead vocals, guitar, banjo), Patterson Hood (lead vocals, guitar), Brad Morgan (drums), Jay Gonzalez (keys, guitar, accordion, backing vocals), and Matt Patton (bass guitar, backing vocals). Like many alternative country acts, the Drive-By Truckers record in analog (using 2 inch, 16-track open-reel tape recorders). The band's constant touring has developed its dedicated following.
Early days
Drive-By Truckers was cofounded by Patterson Hood (son of bassist David Hood of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section) and longtime friend, former roommate, and musical partner Mike Cooley in Athens, Georgia, in 1996. The two had played in various other bands including Adam's House Cat which was chosen as a top-10 Best Unsigned Band by a Musician contest in the late 1980s. After the demise of Adam's House Cat, Cooley and Hood performed as a duo under the name Virgil Kane. They eventually started a new band, Horsepussy, with bassist/vocalist Adam Howell (later to join DBT) and Aaron Bryant (brother of DBT webmaster Jenn Bryant) before splitting for a few years. During this split, Hood moved to Athens and began forming what would become Drive-By Truckers, "with the intent of luring Cooley back into the fold."  The band's original lineup was fluid, but it most often included Hood, Cooley, and Howell, along with drummer Matt Lane, pedal steel player John Neff, and mandolin player Barry Sell. They released their first album Gangstabilly in 1998. With Hood and Cooley sometimes playing mandolin and banjo instead of guitar, and Howell playing double bass, the band's original sound had a strong alternative country aspect, albeit with some rock mixed in, as well. After recording their first album, the band added a third guitarist/vocalist, Rob Malone. By the second album, Pizza Deliverance, released in 1999, Howell had left, Malone switched to bass, and Sell had left the band, resulting in a somewhat more rock-oriented sound. Neff was also listed as a guest rather than a member, although he plays on much of the album. Hood dominated the songwriting and lead vocals in these early records, but Cooley, Howell, and Malone also contributed songs, with Cooley's songwriting share increasing notably by the second album.  Following their second release, Lane was replaced by drummer Brad Morgan, who had already filled in for Lane during some of the band's shows. Morgan went on to become the band's other constant member along with Hood and Cooley. With Neff also having declined to remain a full-time band contributor, Hood and Cooley were left as the only original members. The band then embarked on a nationwide tour as a four-piece band, resulting in a live album entitled Alabama Ass Whuppin' (released in 2000 by Second Heaven Records, re-released in 2002 by Terminus Records and again in 2013 on ATO Records). The resulting album showed a dramatic change in the band's sound, with a much harder-rocking presentation of the country-influenced songs from the first two albums.
How was the band formed?
cofounded by Patterson Hood (son of bassist David Hood of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section) and longtime friend, former roommate, and musical partner Mike Cooley
cofounded by Patterson Hood (son of bassist David Hood of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section) and longtime friend, former roommate, and musical partner Mike Cooley