Both albums sold well, and major labels began to take notice. The band’s 2007 albumless single,
"When it Rains", began to receive heavy rotation on the
CMT and
GAC television channels, prompting
Universal Records to sign The Eli Young band to their
Universal South (
Cross Canadian Ragweed,
Joe Nichols) imprint by the end of the year. In 2008, The Eli Young Band teamed up with legendary producer
Mike Wrucke to begin working on their major-label debut,
Jet Black and Jealous, which saw a September 2008 release. An immense success,
Jet Black & Jealous debuted at #5 on the
Billboard Top Country Albums chart and at #30 on the
Billboard 200 - not bad for a bunch of bored college kids from Denton.
Jet Black & Jealous has so far produced two singles,
"Always the Love Songs" and a re-release of their original hit
"When It Rains", both of which have made an impact on the
Billboard Hot Country Songs index. The Eli Young Band continues to tour in support of
Jet Black & Jealous, playing a number of major music festivals including
Austin City Limits and
Lollapalooza throughout 2008.
From Lastfm:With roots firmly planted in the fertile musical soil of Texas, the Eli Young Band is a little bit country and a helluva lot of guitar-driven rock & roll. Their Carnival Recording Company debut, Level, finds them poised to bust out of the Lone Star State and bring their brand of music to a wider audience, as they make inroads into neighboring states and the wider Nashville country scene.
The band was formed almost five years ago by Mike Eli who grew up just outside of Houston and James Young who hails from Irving, TX. After playing together as a duo they were later joined by drummer Chris Thompson of Colleyville, TX and bassist Jon Jones of Omaha, NE, who all met while students at the University of North Texas at Denton, about 50 miles north of Dallas/Forth Worth. After graduating the group decided to stay in Denton and to this day make their home in the town.
Late in 2003 producer Frank Liddell (Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, Chris Knight) attended a show at the Gypsy Tea Room where EYB was playing on the bill with Miranda Lambert. He was blown away by their live show and wound up signing them to Carnival Recording Company soon after. In April 2005 the Eli Young Band released Level, marking their debut on Carnival.
Level has drawn comparisons to The Jayhawks in the plaintive "When It Rains". The band members, all in their early 20s, have proven to be adept at blending their musical influences into a cohesive sound on this effort. You can hear the heartland rock of John Mellencamp in the autobiographical "Small Town Kid" and the crying-in-your-beer band on the road saga "Highways and Broken Hearts." There's the grinding blues of the Black Crowes in "Bring It on Home," and the romantic lament of "That's the Way" and "Everything Is You."
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From Wikipedia:Eli Young Band is an American country music band based in Denton, Texas. The band is composed of Mike Eli (vocals, guitar), James Young (guitar), Jon Jones (bass guitar), and Chris Thompson (drums). They released their self-titled debut album in 2002, followed by the Carnival records release Level in 2005. Their third album, Jet Black & Jealous, was released in 2008 by Universal South Records. A second major-label album, Life at Best, was released in 2011 by Republic Nashville; it includes their first #1 hit, "Crazy Girl".