The formation of Lambchop began in 1986, when former schoolmates Kurt Wagner (vocals), Jim Watkins (guitar) and Marc Trovillion (bass) will form a group called Posterchild, in the American city of Nashville, Tennessee. In the early 1990s, the band had its line-up expanded and in 1993 it was renamed Lambchop.

With constant changes in its formation, the group has always been centered on the figure of Kurt Wagner. Although the group's music is almost always associated with alternative country, genres like post-rock and soul also influenced their work. Nixon, an album released in 2000, was one of Lambchop's most critically acclaimed albums.