After recording under this name, the band moved to the United States in 1999 and renamed themselves to Emerson Drive.

After DreamWorks closed, Emerson Drive signed with Midas Records Nashville for the 2006 album Countrified, which produced their only American number-one single in "Moments".

Emerson Drive was formed under the name of 12 Gauge in February 1995 when Brad Mates entered a talent contest at his local high school in Grande Prairie, Alberta.

Through the contest, Mates met fiddler Pat Allingham, bass player Steven Swager and keyboardist Chris Hartman.

In 1996, the group entered a local Battle of the Bands contest and won the opportunity to write and record their EP Open Season.

In 1996, 12 Gauge began work on their first studio album and independently released, Until You Walk the Tracks in 1997.

Through 1997 and 1998, the group toured Canada to support their album and charted two songs, including the top 40 single, "Some Trains Never Come", which peaked at No.

By this time, Switzer had left the group and drummer Remi Barre had been replaced by Derrick Kuzemchuk.

The song became a hit for the group on the Billboard Hot Country Single & Tracks chart in 2002, peaking at No.

[citation needed] Reviews of Emerson Drive were favorable,[9][10] and the band toured in support of it, playing several solo concerts and festivals, and opening for Keith Urban, Brad Paisley and Brooks and Dunn.

Beginning in August 2002, the band went through member changes with the departure of bassist Jeff Loberg, who exited the group to focus on his songwriting.

In late 2005, Keith Follesé and Brad Allen signed the band to their new label, Midas Records Nashville and the band began working on Emerson Drive's third album; Alabama's Teddy Gentry and veteran Nashville musician and songwriter Josh Leo were brought in to produce.

"Moments" was nominated as Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards.

Bassist Patrick Bourque resigned from the band in August 2007 and, the following month, took his own life, at age 30.

In October of that year, they accompanied Porter Wagoner, Trent Tomlinson, The Whites, Ricky Skaggs and Carrie Underwood in concert at the Grand Ole Opry.

[28] Producer and Alabama bassist Teddy Gentry was quoted as calling Emerson Drive “possibly the best band I’ve heard in years, as far as playing live on stage.”.

[30] In November 2008, they released their first new single, "Belongs to You",[31] on Midas and new label Valory Music Group, which began to promote the band in mid-2008.

As the band was embroiled in a dispute with Midas, this left them without a USA-based label and Believe was not released in the United States at the time.

[34] Despite this, the group achieved three more top ten hits in Canada with "Believe," "I Love This Road," and "The Extra Mile".

[36][37][38] In 2009, Emerson Drive was nominated as by the Canadian Country Music Association Awards as Group of the Year.

[40] Open Road Recordings released the band's greatest hits album, Decade of Drive, on February 8, 2011, in Canada.

Emerson Drive's first EP album, Tilt-a-Whirl, was released on April 14, 2015, on Universal Music Canada.

[51] In 2023, Emerson Drive independently released the single "Break Us", while announcing they would embark on their final tour in 2024.