The dB's are an American alternative rock and power pop group, who formed in New York City in 1978 and first came to prominence in the early 1980s.

[6] During 1977, Stamey played bass with Alex Chilton in New York,[7] and recorded "(I Thought) You Wanted to Know" with Television guitarist Richard Lloyd.

British label Albion Records released their first album Stands for Decibels in January 1981 to critical acclaim but negligible sales.

[11] While Holsapple was skilled in the composing of fairly conventional tunes such as "Big Brown Eyes" and "Bad Reputation," Stamey's songs, such as "Espionage" and "Tearjerkin'," tended to be somewhat more experimental and quirky.

Holder left the band to join the Individuals, and Eric Peterson was recruited on lead guitar after replacing temporary guitarist/keyboardist Harold Kelt.

"[16] In 2017, Holsapple said: "Somehow we've gone from great white hope to also-ran to godfathers of power pop, all without selling a whole lot of records.

Paris Avenue, issued in 1994 by Monkey Hill Records, was a posthumous album by the final line-up, based on demo tapes from the band's waning days.

In 1985, the Christmas Time holiday-themed mini-album was issued by Coyote Records, credited to "Chris Stamey Group with Special Guests the dB's".

[25] Bowery Ballroom in NYC hosted the dB's in January 2007,[26] and in February 2007, the band performed at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, North Carolina.