The Jayhawks

Few bands carry the Twin Cities so clearly in their sound as The Jayhawks, the American alternative country and country rock group that emerged from Minneapolis in the mid-1980s. Gary Louris and Mark Olson wrote the songs, and their roots-leaning style influenced a local scene that later included Uncle Tupelo, the Gear Daddies and the Honeydogs. Across eleven studio albums, their story is one of departures and returns, with Olson stepping away twice.

Their early records were modest affairs: a debut on the small Bunkhouse label in 1986, then Blue Earth, a set of demos issued by Minneapolis's Twin Tone in 1989. A 1992 move to Def American brought Hollywood Town Hall and its single 'Waiting for the Sun', which widened their audience. Tomorrow the Green Grass followed in 1995 on the renamed American Recordings, and its lead track 'Blue' reached No. 33 on the Canadian Top 40, though sales in the US fell short. Sound of Lies (1997) moved the band away from its country roots, and Smile (2000), produced by Bob Ezrin, leaned towards pop. After reunions in 2011 and 2014, the band released Paging Mr. Proust in 2016, co-produced by Peter Buck and Tucker Martine, and Sanctuary Park in 2026.