The Wreckers were an American country music duo formed in 2005 by Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp, both of whom had solo recordings before the duo's foundation. In 2006, the duo released its debut album Stand Still, Look Pretty, which produced a number one single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs in its lead-off single "Leave the Pieces". The album accounted for a top 10 hit on the same chart in "My, Oh My" as well. After its release, both Branch and Harp returned to being solo singers. Harp has since had top 40 country success of her own with the single "Boy Like Me".
The Wreckers | |
|---|---|
 The Wreckers (Michelle Branch at center, Jessica Harp at right) performing in June 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | United States |
| Genres | Country |
| Years active | 2004–2007 |
| Labels | Maverick/Warner Bros. Nashville |
| Past members | Michelle Branch Jessica Harp |
Music career
editCareer success: Stand Still, Look Pretty
editIn 2005, Michelle Branch recruited her longtime friend and backing vocalist Jessica Harp on a new musical venture, incorporating elements from both Branch's pop-rock style and Harp's country style to form the Wreckers, a shortened form of "the Cass County Homewreckers," a band name idea from Branch's then husband, Teddy Landau. They were soon signed to Maverick Records.
The Wreckers' song "The Good Kind"—originally recorded by Harp—was featured on the hit teen television series One Tree Hill. They performed this song on the show on February 8, 2005. Later that month, the duo embarked on the nationwide One Tree Hill Tour alongside Gavin DeGraw, Tyler Hilton, and Bethany Joy Galeotti. Branch later expressed her dislike of going on tour without releasing an album first, and the Wreckers then attempted to release their debut album, Stand Still, Look Pretty.
The album was finally released in May 2006, led off by the single "Leave the Pieces", a number one country hit. It was followed by a heavy promotional radio campaign by the band which allowed it to make the top five on the country music albums chart in the United States, the top twenty on the Billboard 200, and the number one album on the United Kingdom Country Chart. This allowed them to have various live performances including one in Indianapolis, Indiana, at Monument Circle in August 2006, and on tour as Rascal Flatts's opening act during the summer of 2006, in addition to playing smaller club dates as headliners. "My, Oh My", was the second single from Stand Still, Look Pretty, and its video was filmed on the Wild West stage at Universal Studios Hollywood.
The band were nominated for "Vocal Duo of the Year" at the 40th Annual CMA Awards, but lost to Brooks & Dunn. In December 2006, they were nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal" for "Leave the Pieces."[1] Moreover, the band also released a cover of the country song "Strawberry Wine", originally sung by Deana Carter, and performed it live on the 2006 CMA Awards.[2]
Split-up and recording solo albums
editIn February 2008, it was announced the group had split to focus on their solo careers.[3] The duo has since stated that their next recording projects will be solo albums. Jessica Harp has stated that they will continue the Wreckers as a side project, but solo albums are what "feels right" for now. Harp released her first solo single, "Boy Like Me" from her debut album A Woman Needs, in March 2009. The single was a Top 30 hit on the charts, and was followed by the album's title track, which reached No. 56 after a short chart run. On March 16, 2010, Harp's album was digitally released following an announcement that she would retire from her recording career to focus on songwriting. Meanwhile, Branch released the single "Sooner or Later" in August 2009 and released her six-song EP Everything Comes and Goes on September 14, 2010.
Discography
edit| The Wreckers discography | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | 1 |
| Live albums | 1 |
| Singles | 5 |
| Video albums | 1 |
| Music videos | 4 |
Studio albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
Certifications (sales threshold) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [4] |
US [5] |
Sales | |||
| Stand Still, Look Pretty |
|
4 | 14 | US: 856,000[6] | |
Live albums
edit| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Way Back Home: Live at New York City |
|
Singles
editAs lead artist
edit| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Sales | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [8] |
US [9] |
US Pop [10] |
US Adult [11] |
AUS [12] |
CAN Country [13] | |||||
| 2006 | "Leave the Pieces" | 1 | 34 | 54 | 19 | 73 | 1 |
|
|
Stand Still, Look Pretty |
| "My, Oh My" | 9 | 87 | — | — | — | 6 | ||||
| 2007 | "Tennessee" | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||||
As featured artist
edit| Year | Single | Artist | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [9] |
US Pop [16] |
US AC [17] |
US Adult [11] |
CAN AC [18] |
CAN HAC [19] | ||||
| 2005 | "I'm Feeling You"[A] | Santana | 55 | 53 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | All That I Am |
- Notes
Other charted songs
edit| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Bub. [21] | |||
| 2005 | "The Good Kind" | 15 | Stand Stand Still, Look Pretty |
Music videos
edit| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | "I'm Feeling You" (with Santana) | |
| 2006 | "Leave the Pieces" | Trey Fanjoy |
| "My, Oh My" | Paul Boyd | |
| 2007 | "Tennessee" |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Organization | Category[22] | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Country Music Association | Vocal Duo of the Year | Nominated |
| Academy of Country Music | Top New Vocal Duo or Group | Nominated | |
| Academy of Country Music | Top Vocal Duo | Nominated | |
| 2007 | Grammy Awards | Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal — ("Leave the Pieces" ) | Nominated |
| Music Row Awards | Major Label Breakout Artist of the Year | Won | |
| R&R Readers' Poll | Best New Performer | Won | |
| Country Music Association | Vocal Duo of the Year | Nominated | |
| Academy of Country Music | Top New Vocal Duo or Group | Nominated | |
| 2008 | Country Music Association | Vocal Duo of the Year | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ "FOX Facts: Complete List of Grammy Award Nominations". Associated Press. December 7, 2006. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
- ^ "The Wreckers ~ "Strawberry Wine"". YouTube.
- ^ "The Wreckers Split". Contactmusic.com. February 1, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
- ^ "The Wreckers Chart History (Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- ^ "The Wreckers Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- ^ Tucker, Ken (2009-08-10). "Michelle Branch Steps Out Solo Again". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
- ^ "American album certifications – The Wreckers – Stand Still, Look Pretty". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ "The Wreckers Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- ^ a b "The Wreckers Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- ^ "The Wreckers | Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- ^ a b "The Wreckers Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 306.
- ^ "The Wreckers Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- ^ "American single certifications – The Wreckers – Leave the Pieces". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ Bjorke, Matt (November 11, 2019). "Top 30 Digital Country Singles: November 11, 2019". Rough Stock. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
- ^ "Santana - Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 6, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- ^ "The Wreckers Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- ^ Peak positions on Radio & Records Canada AC Top 30 chart: "Canada AC Top 30" (PDF). Radio & Records. February 24, 2006. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- ^ Peak positions on Radio & Records Canada Hot AC Top 30 chart: "Canada Hot AC Top 30" (PDF). Radio & Records. October 28, 2005. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- ^ "All That I Am - Santana | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- ^ "The Wreckers Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- ^ Awards and nominations of Michelle Branch Archived 2011-09-30 at the Wayback Machine