Cowboy Junkies
Cowboy Junkies is a Canadian alternative country band formed in the early 1980s, consisting of siblings Margo and Michael Timmins, along with Peter Timmins and Alan Anton. Initially emerging from the Toronto music scene, the band gained significant recognition with their 1988 album, *The Trinity Session*, which was recorded in a church and became a hallmark of their distinctive sound. This album featured original tracks and notable covers, propelling the band to fame and leading to a deal with RCA Records. Over the years, Cowboy Junkies have released a variety of albums that explore different musical styles, including rock, blues, and folk influences, while receiving both acclaim and criticism for their evolution.
Their later works include *The Nomad Series*, a collection of four albums released between 2010 and 2012, which showcased a departure from their traditional approach and reflected personal and artistic growth. Throughout their career, the band has maintained a commitment to independent music production, even establishing their own label, Latent Records. With a legacy that includes critically acclaimed albums and a loyal fanbase, Cowboy Junkies continue to contribute to the music landscape with their introspective lyrics and unique sound.
Cowboy Junkies
Music group
Alan Anton
- Bassist
- Born: June 22, 1959
- Also known as: Alan Alizojvodic
Margo Timmins
- Singer
- Born: January 27, 1961
- Birthplace: Montreal, Quebac
Michael Timmins
- Guitarist
- Born: April 21, 1959
Peter Timmins
- Drummer
- Born: October 29, 1965
Michael Timmins
Occupation: Guitarist
Peter Timmins
Occupation: Drummer
Margo Timmins
Occupation: Singer
Alan Anton
Occupation: Bassist
Contribution: In 1985, guitarist Michael Timmins, drummer Peter Timmins, singer Margo Timmins, and bassist Alan Anton formed the band Cowboy Junkies. The Toronto-based band saw its popularity grow with the release of its 1988 album The Trinity Session. The band would go on to produce music across genres, including alternative rock, blues, jazz, and folk.
Background
Michael Timmins and Alan Anton (born Alan Alizojvodic) were both members of the Toronto-based band Hunger Project in 1979. Timmins played guitar and wrote songs and Anton played bass. After a brief stint in the United Kingdom, where the two men played in the instrumental band Germinal, they returned to Toronto in 1984. They met with Michael’s brother, Peter, who played drums, and their sister Margo, whom they recruited to sing. The band first played together in the garage of a house they were renting, and the garage became known as Studio 547.
Early Albums
Cowboy Junkies’ first album, Whites Off Earth Now!, was released in 1986 on the band’s own label, Latent Records, and was available only in Canada. The band recorded the album in the same garage in which it practiced, using only one microphone. Its next album, The Trinity Session, was recorded in Toronto’s Church of the Holy Trinity in one night using only one microphone. The album was released in 1988 and eventually went platinum. The album included both original Cowboy Junkies’ hits such as “Misguided Angel,” as well as covers of such hits as Patsy Cline’s “Walking after Midnight,” and The Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane”. The popularity of The Trinity Session led RCA Records to sign the band in the middle of 1988, and the album was rereleased under its new label on November 15, 1988. Two songs were added to the new album, “Blue Moon Revisited” and “Working on a Building.” Although these tracks were recorded during the original recording session, they were left off the first release of The Trinity Session. The band received such great acclaim from The Trinity Session that it toured for a year in 1989 and appeared on Saturday Night Live. Additionally, The Trinity Session received four out of five stars from Rolling Stone magazine.
After The Trinity Session
Cowboy Junkies released a follow-up album in 1990, The Caution Horses, and Black-Eyed Man in 1992, both of which charted on the Billboard Top 100. However, the band received some criticism for these two albums for deviating from their original style. In 1993, the band released Pale Sun, Crescent Moon. Critics responded positively to this album, which had more of a rock and blues feel. In 1995, the band fulfilled its contract with RCA and signed with Geffen Records before recording its next album.
Three years later, in 1996, the album Lay It Down was released featuring the hit single “A Common Disaster” and marking a return to the band’s earlier sound. In 1998, the band produced another album, Miles from Our Home. In 2001, Open became first album the band recorded completely on their own. Cowboy Junkies took a short break and didn’t release another album until 2004 when One Soul Now was released. In 2006, the book Cowboy Junkies XX, an art book that included watercolors by artist Enrique Martinez Celaya and mementos of the band’s journey taken from personal collections, was released as a tribute to band members’ twentieth anniversary together. In 2007, At the End of Paths Taken was released and featured all original material written by Michael Timmins and the band.
The Nomad Series
Between 2010 and 2012, the Cowboy Junkies released four albums that comprise TheNomad Series. The band intended each album to be a departure from their usual way of making music. The songs on the series’ first album, Remin Park (2010), were inspired by sounds and music Michael Timmins heard and recorded in the field while he and his family were in China to adopt two children. Eight months later, the band released Demons (2011), a tribute to singer/songwriter Vic Chesnutt. Chesnutt, who died in 2009, had been their friend and had contributed to their Trinity Session album. The third album, Sing in My Meadow (2011), was recorded in four days and is inspired by both the blues and psychedelic rock. The Wilderness (2012), the band’s last album in the series, marked a return to their signature sound. The Nomad Series was released as a four-volume box set and art book in 2012.
Principal Works
Whites Off Earth Now!, 1986
The Trinity Session, 1988
The Caution Horses, 1989
Black Eyed Man, 1992
Pale Sun, Crescent Moon, 1993
Lay It Down, 1996
Miles from Our Home, 1998
Waltz across America, 2000
Open, 2001
One Soul Now, 2004
Early 21st Century Blues, 2005
At the End of Paths Taken, 2007
The Nomad Series, 2010–12
Bibliography
Belcher, David. “Canadians Who Still Have Fun Being Somber.” New York Times. New York Times Co., 16 Feb. 2011. Web. 23 Aug. 2013.
Bream, Jon. “Cowboy Junkies’ Name Is First of Their Many Contradictions.” Star Tribune [Twin Cities] 12 Mar. 1989: Entertainment, n.p. Print.
Catlin, Roger. “Cowboy Junkies Turn Up the Sound.” Hartford Courant 22 Feb. 1994: Connecticut Living Section, n.p. Print.
Gaston, Peter. “Exclusive: Cowboy Junkies Cover Vic Chesnutt.” SPIN. SPIN, 14 Jan. 2011. Web. 23 Aug. 2013.
Huey, Steve. “Cowboy Junkies Artist Biography.” AllMusic. AllMusic, 2013. Web. 22 Aug. 2013.
Lynch, Bill. “Road Junkies: What 20 Years on the Road and in the Studio Have Taught the Cowboy Junkies.” Charleston Gazette [WV] 23 Sept. 2004: News, n.p. Print.
Shapiro, Michael. “Cowboy Junkies Ride High Blazing Independent Trail.” Press Democrat. PressDemocrat.com, 24 Apr. 2013. Web. 23 Aug. 2013.
Sullivan, Caroline. “Cowboy Junkies—Review. Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 28 Jan. 2013. Web. 23 Aug. 2013.
Timmins, Michael, and Margo Timmins. “Cowboy Junkies: To China and Back.” Interview by Scott Simon. NPR Music: Weekend Edition. NPR, 19 June 2010. Web. 23 Aug. 2013.