Originally known as The Choirboys, then The Queerboys, billed as The London Quireboys in the United States and Canada, settling at last with their current name.

[1] Vocalist Jonathan Gray (commonly referred to as just 'Spike') moved from Newcastle upon Tyne to London when he was 17 years old and met guitarist Guy Bailey in a bar.

[4] The band's drummer Paul Hornby soon left to join Dogs D'Amour, which contained future friends of the Quireboys, he was replaced by Nick Connell (known as Cozy).

[3] On 28 March 1986, the Queerboys appeared with Bernie Torme and the Moho Pack at what was Klub Foot at the Clarendon Hotel, Hammersmith.

[3] Sharon Osbourne was appointed as manager and the Quireboys were signed to EMI for the release of their debut album, A Bit of What You Fancy.

[3] By 1990, the Quireboys had fired Ginger (who went on to form the Wildhearts), who they replaced with former Cradle Snatchers / Feline Groove guitarist Guy Griffin.

[3] The debut album was produced by Jim Cregan and George Tutko at Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles, California.

[3] A Bit of What You Fancy drew positive reviews and was compared favourably to British rock names such as Rod Stewart and Faces.

"[9] In March 2013, the Quireboys played aboard the Monsters of Rock Cruise, along with bands such as Cinderella, Tesla, Kix, and Queensrÿche.

The February 2022 Monsters of Rock Cruise included the Quireboys as a five-piece, with Griffin covering vocal duties, after "a last-minute nonappearance" from Spike.

[20] In May 2022, Spike announced that he was reuniting with original members Guy Bailey and Nigel Mogg to write and record new music using the Quireboys name.

[21][22] He later announced an upcoming concert in London featuring Quireboys members Chris Johnstone and Rudy Richman, due to take place in December 2022.

[30] In an announcement, Spike revealed that he and Bailey had written songs for a new Quireboys album featuring bandmates Chris Johnstone, Nigel Mogg and Rudy Richman.

[32] The album release will coincide with a UK tour in May 2024, with guitarist Luke Morley from Thunder performing in place of Guy Bailey.

[33] On 2 September 2024, the dispute ended when Griffin's lineup announced that they had adopted a new band name, Black Eyed Sons, and retitled their upcoming album to Cowboys in Pinstriped Suits, due for release on 28 January 2025.