Albums: Level, Jet Black & Jealous, Life at Best

The band was formed by James Young and Mike Eli as an acoustic duo (Eli & Young) when they attended the University of North Texas. After Chris Thompson and Jon Jones joined the band, they dropped the ampersand and became Eli Young Band. They released their 2005 debut Level on Carnival Records and opened shows for Miranda Lambert.[2] National exposure on CMT and GAC helped the Eli Young Band begin to build a following well outside of their touring base.

They have sold as many as 2,000 tickets a night in multiple markets. In late 2006 the band released Eli Young Band Live At the Jolly Fox located in Huntsville, Texas. After signing a booking deal with Monterey Peninsula Artists Paradigm last fall, the band has continued expanding their reach on the road.

Early in 2007, the Eli Young Band signed a management deal with George Couri and C3 Management. Their plans include a rigorous tour schedule and key opening spots with Pat Green, Robert Earl Keen and Jack Ingram, as well as a spot on the 2007 Austin City Limits Music Festival. While touring, the band were also making songwriting a top priority, and made time for writing trips and retreats at the Young family ranch.

Energized with new songs, the band was ready to begin working on a new album late 2007. Working with producers Frank Liddell and Mike Wrucke (who have also produced for Lambert), the band took time off from touring to record at Omni Studios in Nashville. Their third album, Jet Black & Jealous, was released in 2008.

Its lead-off single, "When It Rains", spent more than thirty weeks on the country charts and peaked at #34. A second chart single, "Always the Love Songs" (co-written by David Lee Murphy and George Ducas), followed later in the same year, reaching a peak of #11. The band was nominated for an Academy of Country Music award as the Top New Vocal Group or Duo; an award that is based on the number of fan entries on the GAC website.

The band lost to Zac Brown Band. The band was then nominated for the 2010 Top New Vocal Group for the 45th ACM Awards, but lost to Gloriana.

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