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Texas native Rhett Miller is perhaps best known as the frontman of the Dallas-based alt-country band the Old 97s, although he has also pursued a critically acclaimed solo career. Formed in 1993, the Old 97s built a devoted following with their brash blend of country and power pop influences, making a splash with 1995s Wreck Your Life, which won the group a brief stay on the roster of Elektra Records, a period kicked off with one of their finest hours, 1997s Too Far to Care. All four members also pursued side projects, but Millers solo career captured the most attention, with the literate songwriter training his eye on such subjects as fatherhood, sex, and love. Making his solo bow with 2002s The Instigator, most of Millers solo albums have been dominated by cool, melodic pop tunes with a drier and more confessional bent than his work with the band, though 2012s The Dreamer explored a middle ground between his pop and alt-country sensibilities, and the 2011 set The Interpreter: Live at Largo revealed hes a sure hand with other peoples songs.Strictly speaking, Miller launched his own career before the Old 97s were formed. He recorded his first solo album, a series of acoustic folk songs entitled Mythologies, in 1989. Future Old 97s bassist (and a solid songwriter in his own right) Murry Hammond produced the album, and their partnership later blossomed into a full-fledged band. While releasing a string of well-received albums with the Old 97s, Miller and Hammond also performed together as the Ranchero Brothers, a two-man acoustic duo that was originally launched as a means of testing new music for the Old 97s in front of a live audience. The Ranchero Brothers developed their own distinct following, although no albums resulted from the project.Taking time off from the Old 97s, Miller began recording his first major-label solo effort in February 2002, this time with the help of producer/multi-instrumentalist Jon Brion. The Instigator appeared nearly seven months later, followed by a tour with ex-Crowded House frontman Neil Finn in early 2003. Miller then returned to the studio with the Old 97s, squashing worried rumors that he planned to halt the bands career and focus on his solo efforts. He did, however, find time to balance the two projects, and his second solo release, The Believer, was issued by Verve in February 2006.
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