In the 1990s, their blues-infused brand of bravado, crudely recorded music made them one of the most popular and prominent bands within the underground garage rock scene.

Formed in Memphis, Tennessee, the band consisted of three members—Greg Cartwright, Jack Yarber, and Eric Friedl—who alternated between instruments on stage and in the studio, each member serving as vocalist, guitarist, and drummer, in turn.

As almost the entire album was written over the first weekend following the group's decision to play together, Yarber, who had been staying in New Orleans with former Compulsive Gamblers Drummer Rod Thomas hoping to continue with his former band in some form, felt the Oblivians had enough promise for him to return to Memphis.

[3] The name lasted for only one show, and after a short stint as the Gentlemen of Leisure, the group members eventually renamed their outfit the Oblivians.

[5] The band would go on to tour extensively in Europe, playing shows in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, England, and Sweden, before continuing on through Asia, supporting Guitar Wolf in Japan.

The Oblivians' final album was recorded in a single eight-hour session; Quintron traveled 16 hours roundtrip by bus from New Orleans to Memphis in order contribute a days worth of improvised percussion and organ accompaniments.

[7] Cartwright credited the dramatic shift in styles between ...Play Nine Songs and the rest of the Oblivians' catalogue as one of the reasons for the eventual breakup of the band, noting that the group had begun to stray from a musical aesthetic that all its members could agree upon.

Yarber has been the most prolific former Oblivian, contributing to a number of bands, including: Tav Falco's Panther Burns, Knaughty Knights, South Filthy, The Cool Jerks, The Limes, The Brand New Love Affairs, King Louie & His Loose Diamonds, the Natural Kicks and Harlan T. Bobo.

Cartwright also went on to produce and write much of the material for the album "Dangerous Game" by Mary Weiss of the Shangri-Las which was released by Norton Records in March 2007.

In 2008, Greg Cartwright announced via the Goner Records message board, that the Gories and the Oblivians would play reunion shows in Detroit, Memphis, and Europe in 2009.

On February 25, 2017 the Oblivians, the Craig Brown Band, Kelley Stoltz and the Mummies played a free concert to celebrate the opening of the pressing plant at the Third Man Records store in Detroit.