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Ottawa, Ontario, is a long way from Oxford, Miss., but for Mississippi roots-rock band Blue Mountain, that’s where it all ended in the fall of 2001.
Part of a Canadian festival bill, Blue Mountain’s final show provided a rather ignominious end to one of the most beloved Southern bands of the ’90s. The group, led by the husband-and-wife duo of Cary Hudson and Laurie Stirratt, had enjoyed a fruitful 10-year run filled with plenty of highs and successes.
But it had not come without a cost – including the loss of their longtime drummer, a split with their record label and, most devastatingly, the dissolution of Hudson’s and Stirratt’s marriage.
As they walked offstage that night, with the acrimony of a divorce and the dispiriting memory of the band’s finish still fresh, it seemed unlikely they would ever play together again.
But two years ago, after six years apart, Hudson and Stirratt had a musical rapprochement, and Blue Mountain has reunited – re-formed, to be more precise. Buoyed by the positive response to what were to have been a couple of one-off shows, the group decided to pick up where it left off.
The band performs Saturday at The Brass Rail in Fort Wayne.
Blue Mountain’s story dates back 20 years to an Oxford college cover band called the Hi-Tops, which featured Hudson and future Wilco founder John Stirratt. Stirratt’s twin sister, Laurie, eventually joined, and the group began playing its own songs as the Hilltops, releasing a pair of punk-flavored albums.
After a brief spell trying to make it in Los Angeles, Hudson and Laurie Stirratt – who were dating and would soon marry – returned to Oxford and formed the more blues- and country-oriented Blue Mountain.
After going through a series of drummers, they solidified with trapsman Frank Coutch, and the band became one of the stalwarts of the fertile late-’80s/early-’90s Oxford scene. The 1993 release of Blue Mountain’s self-titled debut launched them into the national spotlight.
Frequently touring with St. Louis band Uncle Tupelo (which, by this time, included Stirratt’s brother, John) and its offshoots Son Volt and Wilco, Blue Mountain was swept up in the burgeoning alternative country movement.
But cracks were beginning to show in Hudson’s and Stirratt’s marriage.
"If you think about it, Laurie and I had done the Hilltops for four years, then we did Blue Mountain, which lasted about 10 years. So you’re talking about 12 out of 14 years being on the road working really hard," Hudson says.
"Just being married to someone and working with them all the time and being on the road together – we were with each other 24/7. It’s almost impossible for anyone to do that," agrees Stirratt, 41. "We just busted our asses for years and years and years. And it just sort of took its toll on our relationship."
Adding further pressure to the delicate dynamic was the departure of Coutch, who decided to leave the band after recording the 2001 studio album "Roots," a collection of old folk and country ballads.
Hudson and Stirratt eventually split up personally but decided to carry on with the band, a difficult situation that became untenable as the months wore on.
The curtain closed on Blue Mountain officially in 2002 with the live-album swan song, "Tonight It’s Now or Never."
Although Hudson and Stirratt remained busy, as the years went by, each of them felt a longing for the unique musical dynamic they’d shared.
"I think we both missed being part of a real band," Stirratt says. "Just having that chemistry we had in Blue Mountain is a special thing. You don’t find that with everyone you play with."
It was with some trepidation that the group, with Coutch on drums, finally got together in May of 2007 to rehearse for the first time in nearly seven years. If they’d had any fears going in – about what it would sound like or how they would get along – all that was soon erased.
"After a few minutes, it was obvious it was still there. It almost felt like we’d just stepped back in time," Hudson says. "It sounded as good as it ever did, maybe even better."
Hudson is optimistic that the problems that sank Blue Mountain, particularly his relationship with Stirratt, won’t be repeated this time out.
"It’s a totally different situation now," Stirratt says. "But I think we’re all feeling pretty good that musically we’ve got a second chance."
