The band was founded in 1996 by Jared "Dirty J" Watson and vocalist/guitarist Dustin "Duddy B" Bushnell in Orange County, CA, drawing inspiration from the area's reggae and ska culture.

[4] The band's name stems from their older brothers and family calling them "dirty heads" when they were younger.

It included seven tracks, with an additional song "Gimmie The Mic", listed on the back cover as 'track number 77'.

The band retained ownership of their master recordings, which make up the bulk of Any Port in a Storm,[7] through the separation.

The band then connected with producers Steve Fox and Stan Frazier (drummer from Sugar Ray) to complete their debut album.

The album features appearances from Beatles collaborator Billy Preston, Peruvian jazz percussionist Alex Acuna, Grammy Award-nominated British reggae singer and DJ Tippa Irie, and Indie 103.1 reggae host Native Wayne.

The album was mixed by Beastie Boys producer Mario C,[8] and Lewis Richards of 17th Street Recording.

[10] The Dirty Heads have toured the U.S. frequently with bands such as O.A.R., 311, Pepper, Kottonmouth Kings, Unwritten Law, Matisyahu, and Sublime with Rome.

The band has also been featured in marketing campaigns for Etnies,[11] Rag Dynasty Shirts, and Vestal Watches.

Produced by Stan Frazier and Steve Fox, the song was originally written by Bushnell and Ramirez in about four hours.

On July 28, 2013, The Dirty Heads played their largest sold-out show to date in front of 8,500 hometown friends, family, and fans at the Orange County Fair's Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, California.

The emotional stop on their "Cabin by the Sea Tour" ended with a "thank you" from the band for Orange County's longtime support.

The Dirty Heads released an 11-track acoustic album, titled Home – Phantoms of Summer, on October 29, 2013.

Jared "Dirty J" Watson describes as "a 70s sci-fi kung fu Western car chase soundtrack."

Dirty Heads recorded their eighth studio full-length album, titled, Midnight Control, which was released via Better Noise Music on August 26, 2022.

It's the best album we've ever written, and I think that's due to the fact we have been through so much, done so much, and are comfortable as songwriters, producers, players and human beings.

Starting in 2017, Dirty Heads collaborated with Four Sons Brewing, a micro-brewing company in Huntington Beach, California to create a limited-edition "Session Ale" in a specially designed container featuring album cover art.