Lead singer and guitarist Owen Roberts grew up listening to everything from Gordon Lightfoot and James Taylor to Hank Williams Sr. and Led Zeppelin. He played in country, folk and rock bands around Windsor, Chatham and Wallaceburg, before moving to Alberta in the 1980s, where he appeared mainly as a solo performer. When he returned to Ontario in the 1990s, he formed The Mudcats with long-time musical collaborator Lonnie Aarssen of Kingston.

Owen and Len Kahn formed the GMOs in 1999, and co-wrote the band's trademark song, "Over 30 Million Served."