Jeff Tweedy

A major figure in the alternative country and rock communities since the early '90s, Jeff Tweedy was a member of the pioneering Americana band Uncle Tupelo before finding greater success as the founder of Wilco. The Illinois native teamed with Jay Farrar while in high school, eventually forming Uncle Tupelo in the late '80s; its heady combination of punk and country was a key influence on the alt-country scene for three years before internal tensions drove the duo apart in 1994. Tweedy then formed Wilco, which initially struggled to find its footing before embracing a wide array of sounds and influences, from '60s pop to improvisational art rock. Wilco's rise to the top of the American rock music scene was fraught with turmoil: Tweedy's mercurial tastes and struggles over the band's direction threatened to capsize the group, but by the 2002 release of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Wilco was firmly cemented as one of the most successful and creative rock acts in the country. Throughout his lengthy career, Tweedy's introspective lyrics and restless creativity underscored his status as one of pop music's most prolific and freethinking hitmakers.