Reeve Carney was raised in New York City, where he worked as a child actor and honed his skills on the piano and guitar. After relocating to Southern California, he befriended blues guitarist Jonny Lang and was soon asked to join Lang's touring band. Reeve toured with Lang from 2005 to 2007, playing backup guitar and often serving as the opening act. He also played various dates with his own group, Reeve Carney & the Revolving Band, and eventually formed the succinctly titled Carney with help from bassist Aiden Moore, drummer Jon Epcar, and brother Zane Carney on lead guitar.

Nothing Without You, the band's introductory EP, arrived in May 2008, and the group made its full-length debut two years later with the release of Mr. Green, Vol. 1. In the meantime, Reeve landed the lead role in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, a Broadway musical with songs written by U2 members Bono and the Edge. ~ Andrew Leahey