Mark Olson & Gary Louris are an American alternative country duo, formerly of the band The Jayhawks .

Olson and Louris formed The Jayhawks in Minneapolis in 1985 and together they released four acclaimed alternative country albums, The Jayhawks (1986), Blue Earth (1989), Hollywood Town Hall (1992), and Tomorrow the Green Grass (1995), before Olson left the band in 1996. While Olson formed a new band with wife Victoria Williams, The Creepdippers, Louris remained with The Jayhawks, releasing three more albums, Sound of Lies, Smile and Rainy Day Music.

Olson and Louris finally renewed their friendship and reunited after seven years in 2002 to collaborate on a track for Olson’s solo album, December’s Child. After The Jayhawks called it a day in 2005, Olson and Louris paired up once again with for two short tours in the winter of 2005 and the spring of 2006 leading to the recording on their first album together since Tomorrow the Green Grass, a largely acoustic, harmony-filled record called Ready For The Flood , produced by Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes, released in late 2008 in Europe and January 2009 in the US.