by Stephen Thomas ErlewineAs one of the founding members of the Los Angeles punk band X, John Doe was one of the most influential figures in American alternative rock during the early 80s, but when he launched a solo career in the early 90s, he decided to pursue a rootsy, country-rock direction instead of continuing with punk. Xs latter-day albums exhibited a rockabilly and country influence, but it wasnt until Does 1990 debut, Meet John Doe, that he recorded a pure country album.Meet John Doe was recorded during a hiatus in Xs career. Following the release of the 1988 live album Live at the Whisky a Go-Go the band temporarily parted ways. Initially, Doe concentrated on the acting career he began in 1986 with Oliver Stones Salvador, appearing in Road House and the Jerry Lee Lewis biopic Great Balls of Fire in 1989. The following year, Meet John Doe was released on DGC to positive reviews, yet it didnt appeal to an audience outside of Xs cult, peaking at 193 on the pop charts. Later in 1992, X began playing live again and Does solo musical career went on hiatus, although he continued to act in movies like Pure Country, Liquid Dreams, Roadside Prophets, Wyatt Earp, and Georgia.Following Xs 1993 reunion album, Hey Zeus!, Doe signed a solo contract with Rhino/Forward. In summer 1995, Doe released Kissingsohard, a harder and punkier album than his debut. A few months after its release, X released the live semi-acoustic set Unclogged, which would turn out to be their final album. The band split up a year later, but their original lineup (with Billy Zoom on guitar) reunited for a series of live shows in 1998 and toured periodically. Doe continued to focus on his solo career when not occupied with X or his acting career: Freedom Is... was released by the SpinArt label in 2000, the semi-acoustic Dim Stars, Bright Sky appeared on Artists Direct in 2002, and the subtle but aggressive Forever Hasnt Happened Yet arrived via Yep Roc in 2005. It was that same label that reissued Does 1998 KRS EP For the Rest of Us under the name For the Best of Us, the new version containing five additional songs that had been recorded during the same sessions. Doe stayed with Yep Roc for his next album as well, 2007s A Year in the Wilderness.