In 1994, singer-songwriter Jeff Tweedy formed the legendary Chicago indie rock band Wilco. The band formed after the breakup of Uncle Tupelo, pioneers of alternative country in the late 80s and early 90s. Guitarist Jay Bennett joined the group following the release of the band’s debut album, A.M., in 1995. Bennett contributed to the songwriting process of the band’s next three albums before being dismissed from the group in 2001.
Jeff Tweedy took on lead guitar duties for the band’s fifth album, A Ghost Is Born, in 2004. By then, the band had brought on a new drummer, Glenn Kotche, in 2001. Additionally, Mikael Jorgensen was added on keyboards in 2003, and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone in 2004. Guitarist Nels Cline was added in 2004 as well, following the completion of A Ghost Is Born. This completed their six-member lineup, which has been Wilco for the past 22 years. Bassist John Stirratt and singer-songwriter Jeff Tweedy are the only remaining original members.
Nels Cline’s career dates back to the 1980s, when he emerged as an avant-garde guitarist. By 2004, after releasing three solo jazz records, Cline was struggling to make ends meet.
The phone call that changed everything
Cline told Guitar World in April 2026, “I was so poor and had stopped the day job thing. I was trying not to have a day job after 18 years of day jobs, and I was pushing 50 years old at this point. I thought, ‘I think I might have to get a job again.’”
The times had changed, and technological advances limited Cline’s options. “I thought, like, okay, I’ve never had a job that had a computer cash register.” Cline added, “I never had to clock in. I always had bookstore and record store jobs. Sold Christmas trees one time. I thought, ‘What am I going to do?’ I’m almost 50 years old. My jobs have never had any kind of normal parameters as far as how to do them, like clocking in, you know. Use a computer, cash register, whatever, wear the uniform. I don’t know what. But I thought, maybe Starbucks. They’ll take someone with no experience, and I can just learn how to do it. And that’s when Jeff called.”
Nels Cline chuckles when he says, “It sounds apocryphal, but it’s actually a true story.” Cline adds that he had only $200 left after paying rent, so he considered applying to Starbucks when he got a life-changing call. “I knew the music was not going to be predictable, that the stylistic parameters were pretty vast, and I knew that I liked Jeff’s songwriting and everybody in the band. Jeff sent me an unmastered version of A Ghost Is Born. It started with ‘At Least That’s What You Said’. When I heard that song, I was like, “Oh yeah, I can get with this.”
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