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{{Short description|US alternative country and Americana band}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist 
| name = The Handsome Family
| image = The_Handsome_Family.jpg
| caption = The Handsome Family performing live in 2008
| image_size =
| landscape = yes
| background = group_or_band
| origin = [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], [[United States|US]]
| Instruments =
| genre = {{Flatlist|
* [[Gothic country]]
* [[alternative country]]
}}
| years_active = 1993–present
| label = [[Loose Music|Loose]], Carrot Top, [[Scout Releases]]
| website = http://www.handsomefamily.com/
| current_members = Brett Sparks<br />Rennie Sparks
| past_members = Mike Werner
}}
'''The Handsome Family''' is an American music duo consisting of husband and wife Brett and Rennie Sparks formed in [[Chicago]], Illinois, and as of 2001 based in [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goodrich |first=Thomas |title=Handsome Family, The – New Mexico Music Commission |url=https://www.newmexicomusic.org/2015/10/07/handsome-family-the/ |access-date=2022-08-08 |language=en-US}}</ref> They are perhaps best known for their song "[[Far from Any Road]]" from the album ''[[Singing Bones]]'', which was used as the main title theme for the first season of the 2014 crime drama ''[[True Detective]]''. The band's tenth album, ''[[Unseen (The Handsome Family album)|Unseen]]'', was released in 2016.<ref name="Wall Street Journal 2016-07-13">{{cite news |last=Ayers |first=Mike |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2016/07/13/hear-the-handsome-familys-gold-from-their-upcoming-new-album-unseen/ |title=Hear the Handsome Family's 'Gold' From Their Upcoming New Album 'Unseen' (Exclusive) |work=Wall Street Journal (Speakeasy blog) |location=New York City |date=2016-07-13 |access-date=2016-07-14 }}</ref> The band's 11th studio album ''[[Hollow (album)|Hollow]]'', was released on September 8, 2023.<ref name="FolkRadioUK2023"/>

==History==
Husband-and-wife duo Brett Sparks (vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Rennie Sparks (bass, banjo, vocals) formed the band in 1993, along with drummer Mike Werner. The band would later revolve around Rennie, who writes the lyrics, and Brett, who writes the music.<ref>Doole, Kerry. [http://exclaim.ca/articles/multiarticlesub.aspx?csid1=132&csid2=4&fid1=38123 "For the Love of Handsome Family "] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120709192646/http://exclaim.ca/articles/multiarticlesub.aspx?csid1=132&csid2=4&fid1=38123 |date=2012-07-09 }}, ''[[Exclaim!]]'', May 2010.</ref> Guest musicians complete the band line-up for recordings and live work.<ref name="Strong">Strong, Martin C. (2003) "The Handsome Family", in ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, {{ISBN|1-84195-335-0}}.</ref>

Regarding the band name, Brett said in an interview: "It's just kind of a stupid name. We used to have this really obnoxious drummer, and he used to call me 'Handsome', that was his nickname for me, I think for sarcastic reasons... And he wanted to call it the Handsome Family... and we thought it was funny, too. We thought it was a good name."<ref>[http://www.triste.co.uk/handsome.htm The Handsome Family, The Triste Interview]. ''Triste''.</ref>

Brett is originally from [[Odessa, Texas|Odessa]], [[Texas]] and Rennie from [[Long Island]].<ref name="Layne">Layne, Joslyn "[{{AllMusic |class=artist |id=p200378| pure_url=yes}} The Handsome Family Biography]", ''[[AllMusic]]''</ref> The band toured extensively throughout both America and Europe in support of early releases ''[[Odessa (The Handsome Family album)|Odessa]]'' (1994) and ''[[Milk and Scissors]]'' (1996).<ref name="Strong" /> During that time, Brett suffered an emotional breakdown, resulting in his hospitalization and diagnosis of [[bipolar disorder]].<ref name= "Layne" />

They wrote their third full-length album, ''[[Through the Trees]]'', in the aftermath of these events, and included a song, "My Ghost", inspired by Brett's experiences in the psychiatric unit.<ref name="LATimes2014"/><ref>Lyrics to "My Ghost", [http://www.handsomefamily.com/Nlyrics.html Handsome Family.]</ref> They recorded the album in 1998, using [[Jeff Tweedy]]'s mobile studio,<ref name= "Strong" /> and brought the band to a wider audience. ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]'' named it the "Best New Country Album of the Year".<ref name="Layne" />

A growing following and raised profile allowed Brett and Rennie to give up their day jobs and work on the band full time. They toured America and Europe again in support of the 2000 album ''[[In the Air (The Handsome Family album)|In the Air]]''.<ref name="Layne" /> That year, Rennie's book of short stories, ''Evil'', was released by Chicago publisher Black Hole Press.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.avclub.com/review/rennie-sparks-ievili-6591|title=Review: Rennie Sparks: Evil|publisher=The A.V. Club|last=Klein|first=Joshua|date=2002-03-29|access-date=2015-04-19}}</ref> In 2001, they moved to [[Albuquerque, New Mexico|Albuquerque]], New Mexico, and released ''[[Twilight (The Handsome Family album)|Twilight]]'', with Allmusic opining that the album leads "the listener down a lovely yet dark trail few would dare tread twice".<ref>MacNeil, Jason "[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r555417|pure_url=yes}} ''Twilight'' Review]", ''[[AllMusic]]''</ref> In 2002, they released a live album, ''[[Live at Schuba's Tavern]]'', a recording from the ''In the Air'' tour from Chicago in December 2000.<ref name="Strong" /><ref name="Layne" />

The duo appeared in the 2003 documentary ''[[Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus]]'',<ref name=infoBox>{{cite news|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0389361/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt| date=2014 |access-date=May 15, 2014 |title=''Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus'' |publisher=IMDb}}</ref> as well as the soundtrack album released two years later.<ref name=meowgonSoundtrack>{{cite news|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/music-from-searching-for-the-wrong-eyed-jesus-mw0000208146| first=James | last= Christopher Monger |date=2014 |access-date=May 15, 2014 |title=''Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus'' |publisher=Allmusic}}
</ref>

They have subsequently released the albums ''[[Singing Bones]]'' (2003), ''[[Last Days of Wonder]]'' (2006), ''[[Honey Moon (The Handsome Family album)|Honey Moon]]'' (2009), ''[[Wilderness (The Handsome Family album)|Wilderness]]'' (2013), and ''[[Unseen (The Handsome Family album)|Unseen]]'' (2016) as well as the collections ''[[Smothered and Covered]]'' (2003) and ''Scattered'' (2010).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/171749-the-handsome-family-wilderness/|title=The Handsome Family: Wilderness|publisher=Popmatters.com|last=Arado|first=Matt|date=2013-05-10|access-date=2014-02-23}}</ref> Their latest album, ''[[Hollow (The Handsome Family album)|Hollow]]'', was released in September 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://americanahighways.org/2023/09/07/review-the-handsome-family-hollow/|title=REVIEW: The Handsome Family "Hollow"|publisher=americanahighways.org|last=Apice|first=John|date=2023-09-07|access-date=2023-11-04}}</ref>

The track "Far from Any Road", from the album ''[[Singing Bones]]'', was used as the main title theme song for HBO's 2014 crime drama ''[[True Detective]]'' by the show's music director, [[T Bone Burnett]]. ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'' included season one's opening sequence in their list of the "Ten of the Best" title sequences on television.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/how-patrick-clair-won-the-emmy-for-90-seconds-of-true-detective-20140818-104xuz.html |title=How Patrick Clair won the Emmy for 90 seconds of True Detective |first=Paul |last=Kalina |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |publisher=[[Fairfax Media]] |date=August 22, 2014 |access-date=January 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151105215333/http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/how-patrick-clair-won-the-emmy-for-90-seconds-of-true-detective-20140818-104xuz.html |archive-date=November 5, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> The song later appeared in an episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]'', and was used as intro music during [[Guns N' Roses]]' 2014 tour.<ref name="Layne"/>

The band's tenth album, ''[[Unseen (The Handsome Family album)|Unseen]]'', was released on September 16, 2016, the first new release on the band's own label Milk & Scissors Music<ref name="Wall Street Journal 2016-07-13"/> and through long-time label [[Loose Music|Loose]] in Europe. In a departure from recent prior albums, the main duo of Brett and Rennie Sparks were joined by three guest musicians: David Gutierrez (mandolin and dobro), Alex McMahon (guitar, baritone guitar, pedal steel), and Jason Toth (drums).<ref name=HFUnseen>{{cite web |url=http://www.handsomefamily.com/unseen.html |title=Unseen |author= |website=The Handsome Family |access-date=2020-07-31}}</ref>

The band's 11th studio album ''[[Hollow (album)|Hollow]]'', was released on September 8, 2023. The songs were written during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. The chorus of the album's lead single, "Joseph", was inspired by a nightmare of lyricist Rennie Sparks, who began talking in her sleep one night, shouting, "Come into the circle, Joseph. There’s no moon tonight!" Brett wrote the words down, and the duo fleshed out the song the next day.<ref name="FolkRadioUK2023">{{cite web |url=https://www.folkradio.co.uk/2023/05/the-handsome-family-joseph-new-album-hollow/ |title=Video Premiere: The Handsome Family – Joseph (from their new album 'Hollow') |last= Gallacher |first=Alex |date=2023-05-31 |website=[[Folk Radio UK]] |publisher= |access-date=2023-05-31}}</ref>

==Musical style==
The Handsome Family's music has been classified as [[gothic country]] or gothic [[Americana music|Americana]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://isthmus.com/arts/music/the-handsome-familys-gothic-country-gets-romantic/ |title=The Handsome Family's gothic country gets romantic |last=STEINHOFF |first=JESSICA |date=April 17, 2009 |publisher=Isthmus |access-date=2022-04-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.chicagomag.com/arts-culture/july-2013/q-a-with-the-handsome-family/ |title=Family Q&A |last=MCKEOUGH |first=KEVIN |date=July 22, 2013 |work=Chicago Magazine |access-date=2022-04-15}}</ref><ref name=Compton>{{cite web |url= https://buildingourownnashville.com/2016/09/16/the-handsome-family-unseen-album-review/ |title=The Handsome Family – Unseen – Album Review |last=Compton |first=Hannah |date=September 9, 2016 |publisher=Building Our Own Nashville|access-date=2022-04-15}}</ref><ref name=Plagenhoef>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/3729-singing-bones/ |title=Singing Bones The Handsome Family |last=Plagenhoef |first=Scott |date=November 11, 2003 |publisher=Pitchfork |access-date=2022-04-15}}</ref> [[alternative country]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/3727-live-at-schubas-tavern/ |title=The Handsome Family: Live at Schuba's Tavern Album Review |last=Dahlen |first=Chris |date=2002-10-20 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |language=en |access-date=2018-11-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last = Bahn | first = Christopher | title = Review: The Handsome Family, Last Days Of Wonder | work = [[The A.V. Club]] | date = 5 July 2006 | url = http://www.avclub.com/review/the-handsome-family-emlast-days-of-wonderem-8871 | accessdate = 28 April 2015 }}</ref><ref name=AM>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-handsome-family-mn0000072998/biography |title=Artist Biography |last=Layne |first=Joslyn |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=2022-04-15}}</ref> avant-country,<ref name=Plagenhoef/> [[country music|country]],<ref name=Cober-Lake/> [[country blues]],<ref name=Compton/> [[country rock]],<ref name=avclub/> [[gothic folk]],<ref name=Cober-Lake>{{cite web|url= https://www.popmatters.com/the-handsome-family-unseen-2495414282.html |title= The Handsome Family: Unseen |publisher=Popmatters.com|last=Cober-Lake|first=Justin|date=2016-10-04|access-date=2020-07-31}}</ref> [[roots rock]]<ref name=Plagenhoef/> and traditional country.<ref name=AM/> The Handsome Family's style is a blend of [[Country music|country]], [[Bluegrass music|bluegrass]], and [[murder ballad]]s.<ref name= "Layne" /> Early recordings have [[Rock music|rock]] elements, but these were less evident from 1996's ''Milk and Scissors'' onwards.<ref name= "Layne" /> The duo's penchant for a tongue-in-cheek, macabre approach has been noted by many critics; Andy Fyfe of ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]'' called them "Americana's ghostly [[Sonny & Cher]]."<ref name=Mojo>{{cite magazine |last=Fyfe |first=Andy |date=2016-09-16 |title=The Handsome Family: Unseen |magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]] }}</ref> A.V. Club reviewer Christopher Bahn compared their music to "a collaboration between [[Hank Williams]] and [[Edgar Allan Poe]]."<ref name=avclub>{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/the-handsome-family-wilderness-1798176805|title=The Handsome Family: Wilderness|publisher=[[The A.V. Club]]|last=Bahn|first=Christopher|date=2013-05-14|access-date=2013-07-08}}</ref>

Rennie's lyrics have a strong [[storytelling]] component, drawing on themes from [[Gothic fiction]], as well as [[American folk music]], and often involving macabre subjects as murders, suicides and ghosts. Some songs are also based on actual historical figures or events, including the lives and deaths of [[Amelia Earhart]] ("Amelia Earhart vs. the Dancing Bear", on ''[[Milk and Scissors]]''), [[Emily Shore]] ("Emily Shore 1819–1839", on ''Milk and Scissors''), [[Robert Wadlow]] ("The Giant of Illinois", on ''[[Through the Trees]]''), [[Natalie Wood]] ("Natalie Wood", an [[outtake]] from ''[[Twilight (The Handsome Family album)|Twilight]]'', which appears on ''[[Smothered and Covered]]''), and [[Nikola Tesla]] ("Tesla's Hotel Room", on ''[[Last Days of Wonder]]''). The title of ''Last Days of Wonder'' is a reference to [[Puritan]] scientist and witch-hunter [[Cotton Mather]]'s 1693 book ''[[Wonders of the Invisible World]]'', which Rennie found intriguing because of what she called its "madness brimming under the surface of things."<ref name = "avclub-interview">{{cite news | last = Bahn | first = Christopher | title = Interview: Brett and Rennie Sparks of The Handsome Family | work = A.V. Club | date = 8 February 2006 | url = http://www.avclub.com/article/interview-brett-and-rennie-sparks-of-the-handsome--16496 | access-date = 28 April 2015 }}</ref>

==Covers==
The Handsome Family's songs have been covered repeatedly by musician [[Andrew Bird]], including a full-length album of covers released in 2014, ''[[Things Are Really Great Here, Sort Of…]]''

[[Wilco]]’s Jeff Tweedy regularly performs "So Much Wine" in concert.<ref name="LATimes2014">{{cite news |last=Roberts |first=Randall |date=2014-02-27 |title='True Detective' music: 10 other great songs by the Handsome Family |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-xpm-2014-feb-27-la-et-ms-true-detective-music-ten-other-great-songs-by-the-handsome-family-20140226-story.html |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |location=[[Los Angeles]] |access-date=2023-06-01 }}</ref>

[[Sally Timms]] of [[the Mekons]] covered three Handsome Family songs—"The Sad Milkman", "Snowbird", and "Drunk By Noon"—on her 1999 album ''[[Cowboy Sally's Twilight Laments for Lost Buckaroos]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/cowboy-sallys-twilight-laments-for-lost-buckaroos-mw0000252847 |title=Cowboy Sally's Twilight Laments for Lost Buckaroos - Sally Timms |website=AllMusic |access-date=2023-06-01}}</ref>

In 2022, Bird also contributed to [[Phoebe Bridgers]]'s holiday cover of their song "So Much Wine" from ''[[In the Air (The Handsome Family album)|In the Air]]'' alongside Irish actor [[Paul Mescal]] and bandmates Marshall Vore and Harrison Whitford. The proceeds from sales of the cover, as with all of Bridgers's holiday covers, go to the Los Angeles LGBT Center.<ref name="Pitchfork2023">{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/phoebe-bridgers-covers-the-handsome-family-so-much-wine-listen/ |title=Phoebe Bridgers Covers the Handsome Family's "So Much Wine": Listen |last= Strauss |first=Matthew |date=2023-05-31 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |publisher= |access-date=2023-06-01}}</ref>

==Honors and awards==
In 2014, Chicago city alderman [[Robert Fioretti]] sponsored a resolution declaring September 5, 2014 as "Brett and Rennie Sparks Day" in Chicago "for their exceptional and distinctive talents and noteworthy artistic contributions".<ref name="Chicago2014">{{cite web |url=https://chicago.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=1907654&GUID=4C0229AE-358C-4ADC-8D2B-9F7AA001EAC9&Options=&Search= |title=Declaration of September 5, 2014 as "Brett and Rennie Sparks Day" in Chicago |last= |first= |date=2014-09-10 |website=City of Chicago, Office of the City Clerk |publisher= |access-date=2023-06-01}}</ref>

==Discography==
===Albums===
*''[[Odessa (The Handsome Family album)|Odessa]]'' (1994) Carrot Top / [[Scout Releases]]
*''[[Milk and Scissors]]'' (1996) Carrot Top / [[Scout Releases]]
*''[[Through the Trees]]'' (1998) Carrot Top / [[Loose Music|Loose]]
*''[[In the Air (The Handsome Family album)|In the Air]]'' (2000) Carrot Top / Loose
*''[[Twilight (The Handsome Family album)|Twilight]]'' (2001) Carrot Top / Loose
*''[[Singing Bones]]'' (2003) Carrot Top / Loose
*''[[Last Days of Wonder]]'' (2006) Carrot Top / Loose
*''[[Honey Moon (The Handsome Family album)|Honey Moon]]'' (2009) Carrot Top / Loose
*''[[Wilderness (The Handsome Family album)|Wilderness]]'' (2013) Carrot Top / Loose
*''[[Unseen (The Handsome Family album)|Unseen]]'' (2016) Milk & Scissors Music / Loose
*''[[Hollow (album)|Hollow]]'' (2023) Milk & Scissors Music

'''Compilations and live albums'''
*''[[Down in the Valley (album)|Down in the Valley]]'' (1999) Independent Records (Ireland-only release)
*''[[Live at Schuba's Tavern|Live at Schuba's [sic] Tavern]]'' (2002) Digital Club Network [The tavern is actually named ''[[2424 North Lincoln Avenue#Lincoln Hall|Schubas]]'', for the two Schuba brothers.]
*''[[Smothered and Covered]]'' (2002) Handsome Family Music
*''Scattered'' (2010) Handsome Family Music
* "Tower of Song" - ''Too Late to Pray: Defiant Chicago Roots'' (2019) [[Bloodshot Records]]<ref name=WTTW_25th>{{cite web |publisher=[[WTTW]] |title=Chicago's Bloodshot Records Celebrates 25th Anniversary |author=Vitali, Marc |date=November 7, 2019 |url=https://news.wttw.com/2019/11/07/chicago-s-bloodshot-records-celebrates-25th-anniversary |access-date=2019-11-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Too Late to Pray: Defiant Chicago Roots |work=Bloodshot Records |date=2019 |url=https://www.bloodshotrecords.com/album/too-late-to-pray |access-date=2019-11-26}}</ref>

===EPs===
*''[[Invisible Hands (EP)|Invisible Hands]]'' (1997) Carrot Top Records / [[Scout Releases]] (Vinyl-only release)
*'' In the Forest of Missing Airplanes'' (2007)

===Singles===
*"My Beautiful Bride" b/w "Destroy, Destroy" (1999) Magwheel <small>(7" split w/ [[Sackville (band)|Sackville]])</small>
*"Drunk by Noon" b/w "The Blizzard" (2008) Carrot Top Records
*"[[Far from Any Road]]" (2015)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{external links|date=May 2024}}
{{Commons category|The Handsome Family}}
*{{Official website|www.handsomefamily.com}}
*{{AllMusic}}
*{{Discogs artist}}
*{{MusicBrainz artist}}
*[http://www.bandega.com/band/view/the-handsome-family#interview 2009 The Handsome Family Interview at Bandega.com]
*[http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/multiarticlesub.aspx?csid1=132&csid2=4&fid1=38123 the Handsome Family article] May 2009
*[http://www.freewilliamsburg.com/february_2004/handsome-family.html Article]
*[http://www.gloriousnoise.com/links/2009/handsome_family_interview_hill.php Glorious Noise: interview]
*[http://cwas.hinah.com/interview/?id=106 Interview]
*[http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-764-the-handsome-family-sam-pollard WTF Pod with Marc Maron podcast episode interview]

{{The Handsome Family Band|state=expanded}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Handsome Family, The}}
[[Category:American alternative country groups]]
[[Category:Gothic country groups]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1993]]
[[Category:Musical groups from Chicago]]
[[Category:Mint Records artists]]
[[Category:1993 establishments in Illinois]]
[[Category:Musical groups from New Mexico]]
[[Category:Loose Music artists]]
[[Category:Family musical groups]]
[[Category:Married couples]]

The Handsome Family - Revision history

imported>Ser Amantio di Nicolao: /* top */ add {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}