[1][2] The band was founded in the mid-2000s (decade) by guitarist Matthew E. White, one of the organizers of the Patchwork Collective, an arts group dedicated to creating a vital local music scene.
The band has collaborated with Chicago saxophonist Ken Vandermark and NYC-based slide trumpeter and composer Steven Bernstein (the latter captured on the 2010 recording "All is Gladness in the Kingdom").
[4] In 2011 White formed Spacebomb Records,[5] featuring members of Fight the Big Bull backing musicians including Washington-based indie folk-rocker Karl Blau and NYC jazz bass clarinetist Jason Stein.
The label's first release, Matthew E. White's "Big Inner" received international critical acclaim, including positive reviews in the NY Times and selection as "Artist of the Month" by Rolling Stone.
[6][7] White and Fight the Big Bull also provided the music for Duke University's 2011 tribute to Alan Lomax's "Sound of the South" field recordings in a concert featuring the band backing Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, Sharon Van Etten and members of Megafaun.