Arthur graduated from Firestone High School in 1990 and continued developing his music. In the early 1990s, Arthur relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, continuing to record home demos, playing local clubs and working as a guitar salesman at Clark Music Store. In 1996, Peter Gabriel's A&R associate Harvey Schwartz presented Gabriel with a demo of Arthur's first EP, "Cut and Blind". Gabriel and Schwartz arranged a live audition at "The Fez" nightclub in New York City, and Arthur flew up from Atlanta. The night was a success; not only was Lou Reed a guest in the audience, but within a few months Arthur was officially signed, making him the first American recording artist signed to Gabriel's label. Arthur recorded his debut album at Gabriel's Real World Studios in England with producer Markus Dravs (Björk, Coldplay, Arcade Fire). The debut album "Big City Secrets" was released worldwide in spring 1997, and Arthur joined Gabriel's WOMAD tour in Europe. "Big City Secrets" displayed Arthur's often angsty and emotionally wrought lyrics coupled with diverse instrumentation, which he himself described as "someone struggling to heal over experimental folk-rock", but went virtually unnoticed by the mainstream. Two years later, he recorded an EP called "Vacancy", which earned him a Grammy nomination in 2000 for best recording package. In April 2000, Arthur released his sophomore studio album "Come to Where I'm From", which was co-produced with T-Bone Burnett and Tchad Blake. The album exhibited a more polished and accessible sound, and received positive accolades from Pitchfork Media and "Entertainment Weekly". Arthur began playing for larger audiences, opening for Ben Harper and Gomez. During that same period, he released a promotional live album recorded at the Gypsy Tea Room bar in Dallas, Texas. After releasing a series of four EPs called "Junkyard Hearts", which were only available to purchase at his live shows, his third album, "Redemption's Son", came out in May 2002 in the UK. The American release was delayed until November 2002 since Arthur had been dropped by EMI in North America, having been picked up by Universal Music Group imprint Enjoy Records. The double album furthered the themes of emotional and spiritual dislocation found on "Come to Where I'm From", and was described by Allmusic reviewer Thom Jurek as a "sleeper hit." While on tour, Arthur regularly released recordings of his performances soon after each show. He also recorded an album with alternative rock side project Holding the Void, featuring himself on vocals and guitar, Pat Sansone on vocals and bass, and Rene Lopez on vocals and drums.