Uncle Tupelo

Uncle Tupelo was an alternative country music group from Belleville, Illinois, active from 1987 to 1994. Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy, and Mike Heidorn formed the band after the lead singer of their previous band, The Primitives, left to attend college. The trio recorded three albums for Rockville Records before signing with Sire Records and expanding to a five-piece. Shortly after the release of the band's major-label debut album Anodyne, Farrar announced he was leaving the band due to a soured relationship with Tweedy. Uncle Tupelo split on May 1, 1994, after completing a farewell tour. Farrar then formed Son Volt with Heidorn, while the remaining members continued as Wilco.

Although Uncle Tupelo broke up before it achieved commercial success, the band is renowned for its impact on the alternative country music scene. The group's first album, No Depression, became a byword for the genre and was widely influential. Uncle Tupelo's sound was unlike popular country music of the time, drawing inspiration from styles as diverse as the hardcore punk of Minutemen and the country instrumentation and harmony of the Carter Family and Hank Williams. Farrar and Tweedy's lyrics frequently referred to Middle America and the working class of Belleville.