Patterson Hood

Biography

Patterson David Hood, born March 24, 1964, in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, began writing songs at age eight and played guitar in a local rock band by 14. Son of renowned Muscle Shoals bassist David Hood, he attended the University of North Alabama, where he formed Adam's House Cat in 1985 with Mike Cooley, winning Musician Magazine's Best Unsigned Band competition in 1988, though commercial success eluded them until their album's 1998 release[1][6][8]. After the band's split, Hood and Cooley relocated to Athens, Georgia, forming Drive-By Truckers in 1996, blending country and rock influences in albums like 1998's Gangstabilly[1].

Hood's solo career includes Killers and Stars (2004, New West Records), Murdering Oscar (And Other Love Songs) (2009, Ruth St. Records), Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance (2012, ATO Records), and Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams (2025, ATO Records), the latter produced with Chris Funk of The Decemberists and featuring guests like Waxahatchee, Wednesday, and Lydia Loveless[1][4][5]. In 2012, he formed Patterson Hood and the Downtown 13 with Mike Mills (R.E.M.), John Bell and Todd Nance (Widespread Panic), and others to record 'After It's Gone' protesting a Wal-Mart in Athens[1]. His style draws from alt-country and Americana, often exploring Southern life, politics, and personal history[1][2][3].

Hood appeared in the 2020 film The Dark Divide and has lived in Portland, Oregon, since 2013, integrating into its music scene while maintaining Drive-By Truckers' legacy of narrative-driven Southern rock[1][5].

Fun Facts

• Formed Patterson Hood and the Downtown 13 in 2012 specifically to record 'After It's Gone,' a protest single against a Wal-Mart in Athens, Georgia, featuring members from R.E.M. and Widespread Panic[1].
• Wrote the song 'Airplane Screams' at age 20 and worked it up with Adam's House Cat but never performed it live until revisiting it decades later[5].
• His 2025 album Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams includes songs composed on piano, marking a departure from Drive-By Truckers' sound, inspired by childhood memories and a North Alabama natural disaster[4][5].
• Had a small acting role in the 2020 film The Dark Divide[1].

Associated Acts

• Drive‐By Truckers - lead vocals, original (1996–present)
• Drive‐By Truckers - mandolin, original (1996–present)
• Drive‐By Truckers - guitar, original (1996–present)
• Patterson Hood & Craig Finn

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• David Hood - father and renowned Muscle Shoals session bassist (influenced early musical environment) [1960s-1980s]

Key Collaborators

• Mike Cooley - co-founder and longtime musical partner (Adam's House Cat, Drive-By Truckers albums) [1985-present]
• Chris Funk - producer and friend (Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams) [2020s]
• Mike Mills - bandmate in supergroup (Patterson Hood and the Downtown 13 ('After It's Gone')) [2012]
• Jay Gonzalez, Brad Morgan, John Neff, David Barbe - Drive-By Truckers members in supergroup (Patterson Hood and the Downtown 13) [2012]
• Waxahatchee, Wednesday, Lydia Loveless - guest artists (Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams) [2025]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. The Forks of Cypress (feat. Waxahatchee) (Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams)
2. Goddamn Lonely Love - Live (Live at the Shoals Theatre)
3. The Forks of Cypress (Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams)
4. Cover Me Up - Live (Live at the Shoals Theatre)
5. Come Back Little Star (Heat Lightning Rumbles In The Distance)
6. Outfit - Live (Live at the Shoals Theatre)
7. Leaving Time (Heat Lightning Rumbles In The Distance)
8. A Werewolf And A Girl (feat. Lydia Loveless) (Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams)
9. The Van Pelt Parties (feat. Wednesday) (Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams)
10. The Forks of Cypress

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #alternative-country, #southern-rock