Most artists don’t last for long in the music business. They either never get signed, or they’re only able to release a couple of singles, or maybe a few albums if they’re lucky and talented. But even talent doesn’t always mean you get to stick around — especially if you don’t have hit singles or sell a lot of records. Their dreams extinguished, these artists must then find jobs in the real world, or turn to a different aspect of the biz, like session gigs, production, or working for a label.

Longevity is usually reserved for your larger than life, attention-grabbing acts. Quiet and modest are traits which don’t normally pay the bills for an extended period of time. Which is why Over The Rhine are such an anomaly.

Over The Rhine formed in Ohio in 1989, naming themselves after a neighborhood in Cincinnati. Linford and Karin met in college — and eventually married in 1996 — and have been the only permanent members of the band. They independently released their first two albums before signing with I.R.S., but before Over The Rhine could enjoy the full term of their contract, I.R.S. was bought out and the new ownership dropped the band. Classic music biz tale.

After a couple more independent releases which showed promising sales, Over The Rhine was picked up by a label distributed by Virgin/EMI. Which brings us to 2003. Linford and Karin had an abundance of songs which they were attempting to narrow down for their next album, but deciding what to leave out proved more difficult than usual. It occurred to Linford that maybe they should release a double album.

It seemed a little crazy to Linford for a homegrown, rootsy, Americana type band to dabble in the 70s-style excess of a double album — that kind of territory felt more appropriate for The Stones, The Who, The Clash. Even Queen had never released a double album. So how could a married couple of singer-songwriters from Ohio with only a cult following attempt it?

But that’s just what they did. Released in August of 2003, the album Ohio (containing 21 songs in all) proved a huge critical success and found itself on a number of Best Of The Year lists. Over The Rhine didn’t become a household name, but now a wider audience of music geeks recognized them, and the band’s cult following grew. (Side 2 featured a song called “Cruel And Pretty,” which wasn’t a hit — except in my heart — but appeared on a number of mixes I made over the subsequent years.)

Somehow, Linford and Karin are still releasing music as Over The Rhine, more than 35 years after they first formed. Even without a hit song or a gold record. Just quietly making a living doing what they love, and hoping you love it, too.