Hailing from Birmingham, Alabama, Allison and Catherine Pierce were home-schooled and encouraged in the arts from a young age by their musician father and painter mother. They quickly learned to play guitar and harmonize. They also became accomplished ballerinas, though by 1995 both had left dance to attend Auburn University and play music. Sony took interest in the duo's sound, and the Pierces moved to Nashville to record their self-titled debut album. Appearing in 2000, The Pierces was a slick blend of folk harmonizing and adult alternative textures. Unfortunately, the record quickly disappeared due to a lack of label support. Moving to New York City, the Pierces worked day jobs, continued writing songs, and performed acoustic shows at clubs and residences around town. The perseverance paid off in the form of a new record deal -- this time with Universal Music Group -- and the release of another album, 2005's Light of the Moon. Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge followed in 2007, and the Pierces made a cameo appearance on the All-American Rejects' third album, When the World Comes Down, in late 2008.
On June 8, 2010, the TV series Pretty Little Liars premiered on ABC Family (soon to rebrand as Freeform) and used the Pierces' song "Secret" from Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge as its theme music. The show was a hit that ran for seven seasons, ending in the summer of 2017. During that time, the Pierces released 2011's You I, produced by the Darktones, and their fifth studio album, 2014's Creation.
In 2015, the duo announced that they were going on hiatus to pursue other projects. Allison Pierce emerged two years later with her solo debut, Year of the Rabbit, on Sony Masterworks. Produced by Ethan Johns, it embraced a more relaxed alt-country sound. ~ Marcy Donelson & Johnny Loftus, Rovi