![]() ![]() Co-founder Patterson Hood recalls that he met Isbell through Dick Cooper, a mutual friend from Muscle Shoals. The band operates out of Athens, Georgia, where Isbell lived while with the band. In 2001, at age 22, Isbell joined the Drive-By Truckers while they toured in support of their album Southern Rock Opera. Drive-By Truckers Isbell performing with the Drive-By Truckers in Auburn, Alabama, in 2005 Isbell also recorded pieces of his solo albums at FAME Studios, as well as the Drive-By Truckers' The Dirty South. He worked with FAME for 15 years, through his solo album Southeastern. Isbell submitted demos and eventually got a publishing deal with FAME Studios of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, when he was 21. It took a while, but once he finally got up the nerve to tell them he played, they would have him sit in with them, which resulted in friendship and mentorship. Isbell would go watch David Hood and others perform. By this time, Patterson Hood and his future Drive-By Truckers co-founder, Mike Cooley, were older and had moved out of town. He got to know session bassist David Hood, father of Drive-By Truckers co-founder Patterson Hood, because David Hood was in the Florence, Alabama area and played around town on Friday and Saturday nights in local restaurants and bars. When Isbell was a teenager, many musicians took him under their wing. In September 2023, after discussions with the University of Memphis about his career experience, he was awarded his Bachelors Degree in English. He dropped out, being short one credit, to go on tour. Isbell attended the University of Memphis, studying English and creative writing. They played at the Grand Ole Opry when Isbell was 16. Isbell started playing in a garage band and a country cover band when he was 14 or 15 years old with his friend, songwriter Chris Tompkins. Isbell spent his childhood attending both the Pentecostal church and the stricter Church of Christ, which permitted only singing without musical instruments. Isbell's paternal grandfather, who came from a musical family, was a Pentecostal preacher and played guitar in church. Isbell's family would get together and play music every week, sometimes twice a week. In high school, he played trumpet and French horn. They enjoyed gospel music, bluegrass music, and the Grand Ole Opry. His grandfather and uncle taught him to play various instruments, including the mandolin when he was six years old, as it was easier for him to grip as a small child. His grandparents lived on a farm down the road next to the school that Isbell attended they looked after him while his parents were at work. Isbell's parents divorced, and he has two much younger half-siblings. Isbell's mother was only 17 years old (and his father 19 years old) when he was born and is the subject of a song, "Children of Children". ![]() Isbell was born in Green Hill, Alabama, two miles (3 km) from the Alabama/ Tennessee state line, the son of interior designer Angela Hill Barnett and house painter Mike Isbell. ![]() His most recent album with his band The 400 Unit, Weathervanes, was released in June 2023. Outside of music, Isbell has appeared in roles in the television series Squidbillies and Billions, as well as the films Deadwood: The Movie and Killers of the Flower Moon. He is known for his solo career, his work with the band The 400 Unit, and as a member of Drive-By Truckers for six years, from 2001 to 2007. “For good” can mean both that his search for meaning is over and that his self-destructive tendencies have now been squelched as he aims toward creating something positive.Michael Jason Isbell ( / ˈ ɪ z b ʊ l/ born February 1, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. She will cover him in the moment for warmth and, in the bigger picture, for protection from all the demons that once ensnared him. ![]() It all leads to the lines in the chorus which speak volumes about the nature of a loving relationship: “Cover me up and know you’re enough/ To use me for good.” Notice the subtle way that Isbell pulls double-meanings out of this seemingly simple exhortation. Hence the chorus when he sings, “Girl leave your boots by the bed we ain’t leaving this room/ Till someone needs medical help or the magnolias bloom.” In between the harrowing recollections and the winking one-liners comes clear-eyed, hard-earned sentiment: “But home was a dream, one I’d never seen till you came along.” Another trademark of Isbell’s work that can be found in “Cover Me Up” is his ability to slip sly humor into even the most intense moments. ![]()
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