Guitarist Ryan Hedgecock and singer Maria McKee, half-sister of Love's Bryan MacLean, formed Lone Justice in 1982. One of the more promising bands of the L.A. rockabilly scene of the 1980's, it was inspired by Hedgecock and McKee's mutual affection for rockabilly and country music. Initially a strict cover band, the additions of veteran bassist Marvin Etzioni and Don Heffington, a former drummer in Emmylou Harris's Hot Band, prompted them to compose their own material. Cover of self-titled debut album. ... A heart, a symbol of love Love has many meanings in English, from something that gives a little pleasure (I loved that food) to something one would die for (patriotism, pairbonding). ... Emmylou Harris on the cover of her collection Profile Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is a country music singer, songwriter and musician from Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Harris graduated high school as class valedictorian and won a dramatic scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. ...

Soon, Lone Justice became a popular attraction and a local favorite. With the help of Linda Ronstadt, they were signed to Geffen Records and were soon hyped as the next-big-thing. Linda Ronstadt on the cover of her 2002 collection The Very Best of Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is an American singer. ...

Their self-titled debut appeared in 1985, followed by a tour in support of U2. Still, despite good press and media hype (Jimmy Guterman, then a critic at Rolling Stone, praised it as one of the best albums ever made), Lone Justice failed to sell; produced by the band's manager, Jimmy Iovine, it failed to connect with either country or rock audiences. Even with catchy singles like "Sweet, Sweet Baby" and "Ways To Be Wicked" (written by Tom Petty), the album didn't meet commercial expectations. Regardless, the Pazz & Jop Critics Poll for 1985 ranked it at #24, right behind Up On The Sun by the Meat Puppets and just ahead of Psychocandy by the Jesus and Mary Chain. Jimmy Iovine is the founder of Interscope Records. ... Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (born October 20, 1950 in Gainesville, Florida) is an American musician. ...

In the record's wake, Hedgecock, Etzioni, and Heffington all exited the band, leaving McKee to lead Lone Justice alone. After enlisting guitarist Shayne Fontayne, bassist Greg Sutton, drummer Rudy Richman, and keyboardist Bruce Brody, Lone Justice recorded their second LP, Shelter; Steve Van Zandt (aka Little Steven), formerly of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band (which he would later rejoin) was tapped as the producer. A blatant attempt at commercial success, it did not sell well despite a few catchy tracks like "I Found Love," "Wheels," "Dixie Storms," and the title track. Steven van Zandt (born November 22, 1950 in Boston, Massachusetts) is one of the founding members of Bruce Springsteens E-Street Band and plays guitar and mandolin. ... Bruce Springsteen on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. ...

Shortly after that record's release, McKee broke up the band for good and went on to a solo career. Heffington became a successful session drummer, while Etzioni recorded under the guise Marvin the Mandolin Man. After a decade removed from the music industry, Hedgecock returned in 1996 as half of the duo Parlor James. A posthumous Lone Justice retrospective, This World Is Not My Home, followed in early 1999, including a handful of excellent, early demo recordings that many consider to be representative of their full potential.

An inferior budget compilation was issued in 2003 as part of Universal Music's 20th Century Masters series.