Born in Eugene, OR, singer/songwriter Mat Kearney began his musical career 400 miles south at the Chico branch of California State University, where he studied literature and played on the soccer team. Kearney's interesting blend of hip-hop and folk intrigued Inpop Records, which offered him the deal he'd been looking for and released his debut album, Bullet, in 2004. Kearney departed slightly from his rhymes and concentrated more on guitar work for his follow-up effort, Nothing Left to Lose. Released by Aware/Columbia Records in 2006, the album proved to be fairly popular, with three songs appearing in various episodes of Grey's Anatomy and two songs enjoying successful runs as singles. Kearney returned three years later with City of Black & White, supporting the album's release with a tour alongside Keane and the Helio Sequence.