Jackie-O Motherfucker began as a duo consisting of multi-instrumentalist Tom Greenwood and saxophonist Nester Bucket.
The group is a collective with a shifting membership that has included more than forty members drawn from the U.S. experimental scene.
[3] The group's first three albums were limited-run vinyl-only releases on now-defunct Portland label Imp Records.
[2] Their first widely distributed album, Fig.5, was released in 2000 and was followed by a series of recordings, including the more meandering Liberation[4] and the folk-oriented Flags for the Sacred Harp, which drew from traditional blues and gospel sources.
[5] By this point the group were enjoying a higher profile, including performances at the ATP festival curated by Sonic Youth and Thurston Moore[6] and a cover feature on The Wire.