The Cowboy Junkies is a Canadian alt-country/alternative rock band with a jazz twist , formed by three siblings from the Timmins entertainment family. The group formed in Toronto in 1985. The band's name was simply a random choice as they approached their first ever gig, but it has come to perfectly represent their sound. (Some sources may credit Townes Van Zandt's song "Cowboy Junkies Lament" as the source of the band's name, but that song was written especially for Cowboy Junkies several years after they coined the name.)