Originating in the Minneapolis music scene, the Jayhawks have established themselves as one of the premier groups to rise for the alternative country scene of the 1980s. Gary Louris and Mark Olsen formed the core of the band and although Louris was not a founding member, he joined prior to their first record and began contributing songwriting on the groups second release.
The band’s first major release came in 1992 with Hollywood Town Hall. It was the Jayhawks first appearance on the national sales charts and critics loved the mix of nostalgic sounds fused with modern songwriting and great vocal harmonies. After the Jayhawk’s following album, Olsen left the group leaving Louris in charge. After two more records the band went on hiatus.
Mark Olsen and Gary Louris reunited the Jayhawks for a new record in 2011. Mockingbird Time was the first record from the group in almost ten years. Touring over the following two years led to renewed tension between Olsen and Louris with Olsen leaving the group again. It is just the most visible lineup change for a group that has undergone many of them over their career.
After many years of opioid addiction, Gary Louris finally chose to seek help. He had developed the addiction after receiving a prescription for the drugs. The group MusiCares, which offers assistance to musicians, paid most of the cost for him to attend Eric Clapton’s treatment center in Antigua.
“Opiates are very hard to come off of, those things stay in your system,” Louris said. “So they weaned me off.
