The name of the band is taken from a mangled phone number from Hee Haw comedian Junior Samples' car salesman skit.
The band was nominated three times for the Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, in 1996 ("Cherokee Boogie"), 1997 ("Wild One") and 1999 ("Honky Tonk Song").
[5] Before moving to Nashville and forming BR5-49, Chuck Mead played in a band called Homestead Grays, a roots-rock outfit based in his hometown of Lawrence, Kansas.
[2] Gary Bennett, meanwhile fronted an informal band that played at Robert's Western Wear, a clothing store in Nashville, Tennessee, when he met Mead at a nearby bar.
They assumed the name BR5-49 (from the telephone number of a used car dealer in a running Junior Samples comedy sketch on the television series Hee Haw),[1] and began playing for tips at Robert's.
[6] The band's first release for the label was an extended play entitled Live at Robert's, which comprised originals and cover songs.
[2] Despite minimal support from country radio,[1] the album's lead-off single "Cherokee Boogie" (a cover of a Moon Mullican song) reached No.
The band also toured with The Mavericks, Junior Brown, and The Black Crowes and played on the PBS music program Austin City Limits in 1997.
Since 2013 the band has been on hiatus, with Chuck Mead working solo with Mark Miller playing bass, and Don Herron touring with Bob Dylan.
In October 2010 Raucous Records released Bennett's follow up album My Ol' Guitar co-produced by Kenny Vaughan and including several BR549 re-recordings.
Former bassist Geoff Firebaugh founded a rockabilly band named Hillbilly Casino that are a crowd favorite in downtown Nashville on lower Broadway.
Mark Miller was a founding member of The Ex-Husbands, formed in New York City in 1993 with lead singer Anders Thomsen and drummer Michael Smith.
"[9] Steve Huey of AllMusic described their sound and appearance as "unabashedly retro", as the band's members dressed in "old, budget-friendly clothes".