The Wreckers

This article is about the country music group, The Wreckers. For other uses, see The Wreckers (disambiguation).

Template:Infobox musical artist 2 The Wreckers are a Grammy nominated country duo formed in 2004 by singer-songwriters Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp.

History

The Wreckers were formed when Michelle Branch recruited her longtime friend and backing vocalist Jessica Harp — who, at the time, was en route to signing a record deal of her own — on a new musical venture, incorporating elements from both Branch's pop-rock style and Harp's classical style to form a unique-sounding amalgamation. Thus, The Wreckers (a shortened form of the second band name given to the girls by Michelle's husband Teddy Landau, "The Cass County Homewreckers") were formed, and signed to Maverick Records. Soon, their song "The Good Kind" — originally recorded solely by Harp — was featured on the hit teen soap opera One Tree Hill. They performed this song on the show on February 8, 2005. Later that month, the duo embarked on the month-long, nation-wide One Tree Hill Tour alongside Gavin DeGraw, Tyler Hilton, and Bethany Joy Lenz. Branch later expressed her dislike of going on tour without releasing an album first, and The Wreckers then attempted to release their debut album, Stand Still, Look Pretty. However, the album faced several delays.

On December 4, 2005, Branch closed down The Wreckers' message board, saying that she was fed up with fans' negativity. The message read as follows:

"What I am most frustrated at, I suppose, is ... I pay money to keep this website up so all of you "fans" can talk about our music. Why would I want to spend the money so the majority of you can sit around and bitch about us?"

The message boards were reopened in September and can be found at http://board.thewreckers.com/

Stand Still, Look Pretty was finally released in May 2006, followed by a heavy promotional radio campaign by the band. It made the top 5 in the country music charts in the United States (also making the pop top 20). Though the market for country music is generally smaller in the UK compared to the United States, the album reached Number One on the country charts on that side of the Atlantic. They performed in Indianapolis, Indiana at Monument Circle on April 2 as part of the Final Four celebration. The Wreckers went on tour as Rascal Flatts opening act during the summer of 2006, in addition to playing smaller club dates as headliners. "My, Oh My", was the second single from Stand Still, Look Pretty, and its Wild West-themed video was filmed on the Wild West stage at Universal Studios. They were nominated for vocal duo of the year at 40th Annual CMA Awards, but lost to Brooks & Dunn. They had announced plans to tour with Keith Urban in 2007, but Urban's recent entrance into treatment for alcohol rehabilitation has left these plans in doubt.

In December 2006, The Wreckers were nominated for a Grammy for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for Leave the Pieces.

On January 24, 2007, they sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" during the 2007 NHL All-Star Game. They also performed during the 2nd intermission.

Discography

Albums

Stand Still, Look Pretty Released: May 23 2006 (U.S.) Chart positions: #14 U.S., #4 U.S. Country, #1 U.K. Country RIAA certification: Gold U.S. sales: 616,761 "The Good Kind" (promo only) "Leave the Pieces" "My, Oh My"

Singles

Year	Single	U.S. Hot 100 Singles	U.S. Country Singles
2005	I'm Feeling You	55	-
2006	Leave The Pieces	34	#1
2006	My, Oh My	94	10

Videography

• 2005: I'm Feeling You (Carlos Santana Feat. The Wreckers)
• 2006: Leave The Pieces
• 2006: My, Oh My

References

• "The Wreckers - Artist Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved August 25 2006.

External links

• The Wreckers
• Template:MySpace
• Jessica Harp
• Michelle Branch
• Feature story and reviews of The Wreckers at Country Standard Time
• CD Review The Wreckers – Stand Still Look Pretty