Artist Information
With three No. 1 hits under their belt as well as a Grammy nomination and an Academy of Country Music Award for Song of the Year for their hit "Crazy Girl," the Eli Young Band have a sense of confidence and purpose.
It's been a long, steady rise for Jon Jones, Chris Thompson, lead vocalist Mike Eli and guitarist James Young, but the same four musicians have been together from the start and are now reaping the rewards. They began performing together in 2000 while attending North Texas State University and honed their skills on the Lone Star state's competitive music circuit by building a rabid fan base who appreciated their potent live shows and the edgy, passionate indie albums that preceded their major label ascension.
With the 2011 release of their debut album, Life at Best, the Eli Young Band scored their first No. 1 hit with "Crazy Girl." The double platinum single became the No. 1 most-played country song of the year on Billboard's 2011 year-end chart and earned them the ACM Award for Song of the Year. The band's next single, "Even If It Breaks Your Heart," became their second No. 1 and was certified platinum. It earned them Grammy nods for Best Duo/Group Performance and for Best Country Song as well as Single of the Year and Song of the Year nominations from both the CMA and ACM.
After years of paying dues and gaining experience, the Eli Young Band is at the top of their game. While they started playing in tiny clubs, they've graduated to packing out theaters and mid-size venues as a headliner. Their road dog reputation helped them to earn an opening slot playing stadiums on the Kenny Chesney tour. All those miles on the road and visits to 10,000 towns coalesce to make their new album the band's strongest effort yet. "At this point in our personal lives and in our career, we're all in really good places," Chris says.
The Eli Young Band has worked hard to get to this point and is enjoying their current success the same way they earned it — together. "We've surpassed the friend mark now and it's more like brothers. It's really kind of a blood bond between the four of us," Jones says. "We set out to do this as a career and made the commitment to each other a long time ago and here we are years later. None of us can imagine doing anything else."
