The band was formed in 1989 by high school friends Contreras, drummer Mark Goldstein, bass guitarist Liz Teear and guitarist Steve Berman. They issued a number of independent releases before signing to Squirtgun Records for their 1997 album "All Hail Discordia". This recording was re-released by Squirtgun/Nettwerk. Bass guitarist Brendan Canning and guitarist Leslie Feist joined the band for their 1999 release Bless This Mess. Canning and Feist later left the band, and co-founded Broken Social Scene. In 2001, the band released an album, Good Morning Beautiful. In 2003, By Divine Right was one of the only Canadian bands to do a concert tour of China. From 2001 to 2004, the band's line up consisted of Contreras, Colleen Hixenbaugh, Brian Borcherdt, John Hall and Dylan Hudecki. In 2004, drummer John Hall was replaced by Cam Giroux, while Borcherdt and Hudecki both left the band. Hudecki was replaced by Darcy Rego and then Michael Small, both of The Meligrove Band, for tours of the United States, Canada and Britain, supporting Sweet Confusion. Filling in on drums for some dates was Loel Campbell of Wintersleep. After these tours, the band's line-up changed again, to Contreras, Hixenbaugh and Small with drummer Derek Downham, followed by a September 2006 show at the Drake Hotel that saw the band perform all new songs with Rego, Small and Jason Nunes under the By Divine Right name. By Divine Right's next live show was on December 31, 2007, at the Tranzac Club in Toronto, at which the band's new full-time line up of Contreras, Stew Heyduk and Mitch Perkins appeared together for the first time. In 2007, By Divine Right contributed a cover version of Rheostatics' "Shaved Head" to the tribute albumThe Secret Sessions, with a line-up consisting only of Contreras and Julien Beillard of the band Wooden Stars. In May 2008, By Divine Right opened a show for The Golden Dogs at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto with yet anothernew line up, consisting of Contreras, Heyduk and Darcy Rego returning on drums. In 2009, Mutant Message, the band's first album since 2004's Sweet Confusion, was released in Canada on the Toronto Arts imprint Hand Drawn Dracula. label The album has José Contreras, Stew Heyduk and Darcy Rego with guest vocals by Jason Nunes and Lily Frost. By Divine Right's first tours since 2005 followed, with a new drummer, David Joseph, and bass guitarist, Michael Milosh. Music videos were released for the songs "I Love a Girl", "Cupid in Oilskins" and "I Will Hook You Up". The band's line up changed again after these tours, with Dylan Hudecki and Darcy Rego each filling in before Geordie Dynes and Alysha Haugen joined in late 2010. In 2013, By Divine Right released its ninth album, Organized Accidents and, in 2016, its tenth, "Speak & Spell".
