At age 13, Conor Oberst released his first album, Water, and began performing in clubs.
∙ Bright Eyes’ debut, A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997, featured tracks that Oberst felt weren’t a good fit for his previous band, Commander Venus.
∙ Their album I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning made Rolling Stone, Spin, and Time’s 2005 best-of lists.
∙ The band’s music has appeared in such TV series as Friday Night Lights, Grey’s Anatomy, and The Walking Dead.
∙ Oberst is a member of two supergroups: Better Oblivion Community Center (with Phoebe Bridgers) and Monsters of Folk (with Jim James, M. Ward, and Mike Mogis).
∙ Band members Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott composed the score for the award-winning film The Fault in Our Stars.
∙ In 2003, Oberst launched the indie record label Team Love, which is home to The Felice Brothers, Jenny Lewis, and Shudder to Think.