 After collaborating with Syd Straw on a cover version of the Ernest Tubb song "The T.B.is Whipping Me" (released in September 1994 on the "Red Hot + Country" compilation produced by the Red Hot Organization), Wilco began recording tracks for "A.M.", their first studio album, at Easley studio in June 1994.A demo tape from these recordings was sent to executives at Reprise Records, a subsidiary of Warner Brothers, and the label signed Tweedy to a contract.