During the early '80s, guitarist/vocalist Chris Stamey and keyboardist/guitarist/vocalist Peter Holsapple led the dB's, one of the premier jangle-pop bands of the American pop underground. Stamey left the group in 1983, but Holsapple led the band until its final album, 1987's The Sound of Music. Four years after the dB's broke up, Holsapple and Stamey reunited to record an album that was in the vein of their previous collaborations. Released in 1991, Mavericks -- the only album they ever released as a duo -- received good reviews but didn't sell well. After the release of Mavericks, Stamey returned to his solo career and Holsapple formed the Continental Drifters with his wife Susan Cowsill. In 1994, Holsapple re-formed the dB's and the group released Paris Avenue later in the year.