Americana singer/songwriter Chris Mills was born an Army brat, spending his formative years living in both the U.S. and Germany; as a teen he settled in southern Illinois, where he was exposed to the groundbreaking insurgent country sound of local heroes Uncle Tupelo. While in high school, Mills also fronted a speed metal band, but in the years to follow his music took an increasingly rootsy turn; upon signing to Chicago indie Sugar Free, he issued his debut EP Nobody's Favorite in 1997, followed in early 1998 by the full-length Every Night Fight for Your Life. Kiss It Goodbye arrived in mid-2000.