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Eli Young Band

The Eli Young Band has its beginnings in Denton, Texas, a college town with a thriving music scene. Frontman Mike Eli and guitarist James Young met during their freshman year at the University of North Texas in 1998, becoming fast friends due to their mutual love of music. Inspired by equal parts country and rock n’ roll - not to mention a dash of jazz - the duo began plying their trade in Denton’s bars and clubs as an acoustic duo called Eli & Young, eventually letting bassist Jon Jones and drummer Chris Thompson into the fold by 2000, forming what is now the Eli Young Band.

The foursome became a regular in the Denton music scene (known as the hometown for such diverse bands as Centro-Matic, Fishboy, and Brutal Justice) by 2001, eventually extending their touring range to Dallas, Austin, and Fort Worth - no easy task, considering the fact that the band members held down jobs and classes the whole time. Despite the stresses of rigorous touring, the Eli Young Band managed to stay together through its early years, setting aside their problems for the greater good. Their persistence paid off.

In 2003, The Eli Young Band opened a concert for then-unknown country songstress Miranda Lambert, a close friend of the band. Miranda - who would just months later jump on the fast track to superstardom following her performance on Country Music Television’s Nashville Star talent program - later on recommended the band to legendary country producer Frank Liddell, who signed the Eli Young Band to his Carnival Recording Co. (Craig Dillingham, Dan Colehour) label in early 2005. The Eli Young Band quickly became the hottest commodity on Carnival’s roster, producing two releases for the label, 2005’s Level and 2006’s Live at the Jolly Fox.