Ellis shares her birthday with Meloy, and produces much of the Decemberists' album and promotional artwork. On February 24, 2006, Carson Ellis, Meloy's wife, gave birth to a son, Henry 'Hank' Meloy. His work with The Decemberists thus far entails seven studio albums, eight EPs, thirteen singles, two compilations, and a live album. Since its formation, Meloy has served as the band's singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter. Meloy had met multi-instrumentalist Chris Funk, who was a fan of Tarkio, at a solo show prior to meeting Conlee and Query.

The Decemberists formed in 2000 after Meloy met Nate Query, who introduced him to keyboardist Jenny Conlee, and the three scored a silent film together. He later reflected in an interview with The Montanan that this experience helped to develop his musical style in the long run: ''When I was in that position, with nobody to appeal to or scare away, I thought, ‘I might as well do whatever I want to do'.And that created a new thing.'' There, Meloy worked in a pizza parlor to pay rent while starting his musicianship anew by performing at various open mics, sometimes with no one listening except for the bartender. Soon after graduation, he left Tarkio and moved to Portland with the hope of establishing himself among the city's music scene. Both were indie/folk/alternative country bands. While in high school, Meloy was in the band Happy Cactus, and when in college, in Missoula, he was the lead singer and songwriter for Tarkio. He attended the University of Oregon in Eugene for two years, studying English and theatre, before returning to Montana and enrolling in the creative writing program at the University of Montana in Missoula, where he graduated in 1998.

Wildwood meloy