- Country and electro-pop band formed in 2005 from Greeneville Tennessee. Members of the group are siblings Kimberly Perry (lead vocals, guitar), Reid Perry (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Neil Perry (mandolin, banjo, backing vocals). All three members contribute to songwriting.
- Growing up in Mobile Alabama and Jackson Mississippi, the trio sang together at home. When Kimberly was 15 years old, she fronted her own band, and her 10 and 8 year old brothers acted as roadies. Eventually, the brothers formed their own band, calling themselves the Mobile Music Machines, and they performed as the opening act for their sister’s band. By 2005, they decided to form their own group, calling themselves The Band Perry – Kimberly was 21, Reid was 17, and Neil was 15. They toured as part of the New Faces of Country tour that year.
- In 2008, they were discovered by Garth Brooks’ manager, who liked Kimberly’s fiery vocals. He took them to the studio to work on a demo. The demo led to a recording contract in 2009, and their debut single, Hip to My Heart, was released that year. It peaked at #20 on the Country chart. Their follow-up reached #1 on the Country chart and #14 on the Hot 100 chart – If I Die Young. The song remained on the Hot 100 chart for 53 weeks, and it took 33 weeks to peak – the slowest climb into the top 15 of the chart ever.
- With the success of their first 2 singles, an EP was released in April 2010, and in October, their debut album was released, the self-titled The Band Perry. It peaked at #2 on the Country album chart and at #4 on the Billboard 200 album chart, and was certified platinum. Three more songs from the album were country hits – All Your Life reached #1, You Lie peaked at #2 and Postcard From Paris reached #6.
- Their follow-up album, Pioneer, was released in 2013. It generated 4 more top 10 country hits, with Better Dig Two and Done reaching #1 on the Country Airplay chart and Don’t Let Me Be Lonely peaking at #2. In 2014, The Band Perry contributed a cover of Gentle On My Mind for the documentary film Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me – Campbell won 2 Grammy awards for his version of the song in 1968. The Band Perry’s version was released as a single, and it won a Grammy award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.
- In 2015, the group made a decision to move their music toward a pop sound, and away from traditional country music – to the disdain of their record label and their country music fans. They had difficulty finding producers that understood their new vision. Two singles were released in 2015 and 2016 – Live Forever and Comeback Kid. These country pop-rock songs bombed. During this time, 2 albums that were announced were scrapped, as the band was not able to get the sound that they or their record company wanted. A third single, a power-pop song (with a tinge of country) titled Stay In the Dark, also went nowhere.
- In 2018, still looking for guidance in their desire to crossover to pop, they reconnected with legendary music producer Rick Rubin. Rubin initially worked with them on the Pioneer album, but he was replaced early in the production process of that album. Rubin encouraged them to produce their own music. They started their own record company, and a 5 song EP titled Coordinates was released in September 2018, with Rubin given credit as executive producer. The EP sounded much different than anything they had done previously – traditional instruments were replaced digital sounds. In 2019, they released a single, The Good Life, and it’s clear that country music was in their rear view mirror – the song is total electro-pop. The song is a catharsis for Kimberly following her divorce.
- Stay tuned to the metamorphosis of The Band Perry – it’s one of the most radical changes I’ve ever heard in music. It will be interesting to see if they go back to their roots – where they are in 2019 couldn’t be farther from where they were at the beginning of the 10s. Want to see how much they’ve changed? Watch both videos below.