Jeff Tweedy

Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and guitarist Jeff Tweedy, best known as the leader of the Chicago rock band Wilco, embarks on a North American tour this summer, backed by a newly-formed band. The band features Tweedy’s 18-year old son Spencer Tweedy (The Blisters, Mavis Staples) on drums, Jim Elkington (The Horse’s Ha, Eleventh Dream Day) on additional guitars, Darin Gray (On Fillmore, Brise-Glace) on bass and Liam Cunningham (Marrow) on keyboards. More about Jeff: (born August 25, 1967 in Belleville, Illinois, United States) is an American songwriter, musician and leader of the band Wilco. Tweedy joined rockabilly band The Plebes with high school friend Jay Farrar in the early 1980s, but Tweedy's musical interests caused one of Farrar's brothers to quit. The Plebes changed their name to The Primitives in 1984, and subsequently to Uncle Tupelo. Uncle Tupelo garnered enough support to earn a record deal and to tour nationally. After releasing four albums, conflicts between Tweedy and Farrar caused the band to break up in 1994. In 1994, Tweedy formed Wilco with John Stirratt, Max Johnston, and Ken Coomer. Wilco has released six albums and found commercial success with their albums Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, A Ghost Is Born, and Sky Blue Sky. The band also released two collaboration albums with Billy Bragg and one with The Minus 5. Jeff Tweedy has been the recipient of two Grammy Awards, including Best Alternative Album for A Ghost Is Born. Tweedy has also participated in a number of side groups including Golden Smog and Loose Fur, has released a book of poems, and has released a DVD of solo performances. He was originally influenced by punk and country music, but has recently reflected more experimental themes in his music. Tweedy has been afflicted with migraine headaches since childhood. Treatment for the migraines led to a dependency on painkillers, for which he underwent successful rehab in 2004. Tweedy also has been open about the fact that he suffers from clinical depression and panic attacks. Jeff Tweedy has been prone to chronic migraines throughout his entire life, forcing him to miss forty days of elementary school in one year.[33][57] These chronic migraines caused Tweedy to become dependent on painkillers.[citation needed] While he attempted to regulate his use of painkillers, he was never able to stop their use for more than five weeks. Tweedy attributes this to comorbidity with major depressive disorder and severe panic attacks.[58] In 2004, he entered a dual diagnosis rehabilitation clinic in order to receive treatment for an addiction to prescription painkillers.[59][60] Tweedy quit smoking the next year; John Stirratt claimed afterward that this significantly improved the focus of the band.[61] Jeff Tweedy is married to former talent booking agent Sue Miller. Tweedy first met Miller when he was trying to get Uncle Tupelo booked at Cubby Bear, where Miller worked. Miller opened a club in Chicago named Lounge Ax in 1989, and booked Uncle Tupelo for sixteen shows over four years. Miller and Tweedy began dating in 1991 and they were married on August 9, 1995.[62] The Tweedy's have two children: Spencer Tweedy (born December 16, 1995) and Sam Tweedy (born December 22, 1999).[33] Spencer has been the drummer for pre-teen rock band The Blisters since December 2003. Spencer has also recently formed a new band called Tully Monster with friends Hayden Holbert and Henry Mosher. The band has played major events such as Lollapalooza, which Jeff and Wilco headlined, and also at the opening of Millennium Park in Chicago.[63] On December 16, 2008 Spencer Tweedy joined Wilco on stage at Madison Square Garden to play drums on their song "The Late Greats," while opening for Neil Young. Before the song, the entire crowd sang Happy Birthday to Spencer Tweedy, as it was his 13th birthday.