The Dirtbombs are an American garage rock band based in Detroit, Michigan, notable for blending diverse influences such as punk rock and soul, while featuring a dual bass guitar, dual drum and guitar lineup. The Dirtbombs were formed by Mick Collins (of the influential garage punk band The Gories) as a side project and started recording songs by 1995.

In the nearly two decades since its conception, The Dirtbombs has been home to many Detroit rock musicians, both in the studio and on the road. As of September 2008 the band's lineup consists of Collins on guitar, Troy Gregory on bass guitar, Ko Melina (formerly of Ko & The Knockouts) on a distorted "fuzz" baritone guitar and Ben Blackwell (owner of record label Cass Records) and Pat Pantano (formerly of the Come Ons) on the two drum sets.

Noted producer Jim Diamond played bass from 1997 until 2004 and during that time Diamond also recorded and co-produced the Dirtbombs output with Mick Collins at his Ghetto Recorders studio in Detroit. Troy Gregory (formerly of Flotsam and Jetsam, Prong, and lead singer of The Witches and Troy Gregory & The Stepsisters) has been playing bass for the band since June 2004, also constituting one of the longest runs of any Dirtbombs member: the four-year line-up of Collins, Pantano, Blackwell, Melina, and Gregory is the longest lasting Dirtbombs line-up to date. For a brief time in 2002, the band featured back-up singers Deanne Iovan (also formerly of the Come Ons) and future bass player Ko, in addition to five musicians.

Originally conceived as a "singles band", the Dirtbombs were to record only 7" records each in a radically different style. The band's first single, "High Octane Salvation", was released in 1996. The band released two singles in 1997, and also appeared on the Ghettoblaster Volume 1 compilation. They released another two singles in 1998.

Los Angeles-based independent label In The Red Records persuaded the Dirtbombs to record an LP. Collins decided that if the band were to record a full-length album they would treat it like a giant single, centering on one musical idea or genre. The full-length 1998 debut Horndog Fest is a mix of heavy garage punk and pop-inclined rock 'n roll. The songs "I Can't Stop Thinking About It", "Granny's Little Chicken", and "Shake Shivaree" remain live staples. "I Can't Stop Thinking About It" was used in a Buick commercial in 2007 and was later covered acoustically by the Romantics.

In 2000, the band released 2 singles, as well as a split single with The White Stripes. They also appeared on the X-Mas Surprise Package Volume 3 compilation, and backed Andre Williams on two songs on his "The Black Godfather" LP.

The Dirtbombs enjoyed a boost in recognition after the release of their second album, Ultraglide in Black, in 2001, a collection of nearly all soul, R&B, and Motown covers, with one original track - "Your Love Belongs Under A Rock". Around this time, a garage rock revival became vibrant in the American and European underground, led in part by fellow Detroit band the White Stripes, and the Dirtbombs were part of a multitude of Detroit bands that subsequently received attention from the music industry. Opening for the White Stripes (and with Jack White acknowledging the Gories as a major influence) brought the band increased publicity as well. In 2005, MSNBC.com listed Ultraglide on their list of the top albums of the past 20 years.

"Ode to a Black Man" was taken from the LP for a 2001 single. A five-song EP, Chariots of the Gods?, was also released that year, and the band appeared on the Jack White-produced Sympathetic Sounds of Detroit compilation that year as well.