Initially called Dogbreath, then The Impediments, before finally settling on The Replacements, the band came together when Westerberg heard half-brothers Bob (guitar) and Tommy Stinson (bass) and drummer Chris Mars rehearsing. Westerberg quit his Rush covers band and The Replacements. heroically drunken gigs quickly became a fixture on the Minneapolis-St Paul live scene, despite their bassist being just 12 years old.

Debut album Sorry Ma Forgot To Take Out The Trash appeared on local label Twin/Tone in 1981, followed by the Stink EP a year later. Both were characterised by short, aggressive punk bursts, although there was already noticeably more melody present than in the work of their hardcore contemporaries.

With 1983's Hootenanny, the band expanded their palette, taking in elements of country, blues and folk, but it was Let It Be, released the following year, that first showcased their talent to full effect. Featuring Peter Buck on guitar on opener I Will Dare and including Westerberg.s most heartfelt lyrics yet on the likes of Answering Machine and Unsatisfied, Let It Be was a tour de force that brought the band to the attention of the major labels.

By the time of 1985.s Tim . another powerful collection, featuring their genuinely chilling boozer.s ballad Here Comes A Regular and produced by Tommy Ramone . they had signed to Sire records. However, all was not well, and Bob Stinson left the band shortly afterwards, with his substance abuse cited as the reason. Pleased To Meet Me (1987) was recorded as a trio, with Westerberg on guitar, before Slim Dunlap joined as Stinson's replacement. By this time, the band's punk roots had been left far behind, with the poppy Alex Chilton . their tribute to Big Star's frontman . their most commercial track to date. Yet the album stalled at Number 131 in the USA.

After the commercial failure of Pleased To Meet Me, Don't Tell A Soul (1989) was an unashamed attempt to break the charts and seemingly made for radio, yet it too failed to sell. By this time, Westerberg had started recording solo tracks with a variety of session musicians, yet this became The Replacements. final album, 1990's All Shook Down, and the band ground to a halt the following year.

After the band split, Westerberg embarked on a solo career proper, but so far he has failed to even match The Replacements. success. Tommy Stinson is currently a member of Guns N.Roses, but his half-brother Bob was less fortunate: he died in 1995, aged just 35, after years of abuse.