It’s a rare artist that can muster a decent career in music let alone three, but that is exactly what singer/guitarist Jeff Tweedy has managed to do. His nearly two decades as a recording artist has been a rollercoaster ride that includes co-founding Uncle Tupelo in 1987, through which he first became an icon of the Americana movement, and then when that group split in 1994 , moving solidly into the world of gold records and arena shows with his next group, Wilco.
Essentially the band was built out of the remaining four out of five members of Uncle Tupelo, who were left behind when Jay Farrar split to form Son Volt. While a band in name and in live performance, Wilco is clearly Tweedy’s project, with each of their six albums to date showing progressively more of his influence. A revolving door policy within the group’s lineup has since left bassist John Stirrat the lone survivor left today from the band’s early beginnings.
Within the same time frame, the prolific-to-a-fault Tweedy can be found on numerous side projects ranging from collaborations with British balladeer Billy Bragg to work with two further groups, Golden Smog and Loose Fur.
Meanwhile, Wilco found quick critical acclaim with their 1995 debut album, “AM,” though it was the 2002 release of “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” which put the band on the mainstream media’s radar. As seen in the documentary “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart,” the album was rejected by their label Reprise Records as uncommercial, resulting in a protracted court battle. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot would finally be released on Nonesuch Records, to massive success. Ironically, both the label that rejected the album and the label that eventually issued it were divisions of the same corporation.
The group has since gone from strength to strength, scoring a pair of Grammys in 2005 for their album “A Ghost is Born.” The scope of Tweedy’s work seems all the more impressive given that he joins a long list of troubled, somewhat sensitive singer-songwriters. It’s a situation that is likely to have existed for as long as there has been music. In modern history, from Hank Williams to Rick James and various levels in between, inner turmoil has often been found at the core of many great tunes, albums and bands. The scenario has apparently held true for Tweedy, whose addictive personality has seen him battle demons including prescription drugs and alcohol. It’s likely that same personality trait is also what keeps Tweedy so driven with his music.
While Wilco remains a going concern, Tweedy has more recently begun to focus on his solo career, building on momentum started in 2002 with the release of “Chelsea Walls.” Notably, the compilation album includes musical collaborations between Tweedy and Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche, a pairing that continues on Tweedy’s solo tours.
Tweedy’s current round of solo performances bring him to San Diego on Feb. 11 at the Spreckels Theatre, for a show that reportedly digs deep into his music catalog. Some fans might worry that these solo shows might spell a step towards the end of Wilco, and it is clear that pains seem to have been taken to prevent any of them from turning into a Wilco concert. Kotche will sit out both tour stops in San Francisco and Los Angeles, when Wilco guitarist Nels Cline will join in. Blurring the line a little bit more, Tweedy is touring between sessions for the next Wilco album.
Now heading into his 20th year as a recording artist, the one constant in Tweedy’s career is change. Whoever Tweedy chooses to back his music, it’s clear that he will continue at the forefront of American music as long as he cares to wield a guitar.
Jeff Tweedy performs at the Spreckels Theatre on Saturday, Feb. 11.