Blending time-honored country with deep currents of old-school soul, the Hacienda Brothers emerged from a partnership between two accomplished roots performers. Singer Chris Gaffney had already issued multiple recordings fronting the Cold Hard Facts and had joined Dave Alvin & the Guilty Men both on the road and in the studio, whereas guitarist and vocalist Dave Gonzalez had built his reputation as the chief songwriter and instrumentalist in the long-running blues-rockabilly outfit the Paladins. After years of friendship, the pair first shared a stage at an impromptu performance for a mutual acquaintance’s birthday celebration in 2002; Gonzalez, seeking an outlet for country material he could not play with the Paladins, suggested they pursue a more structured alliance.
Enlisting David Berzansky on pedal steel, Hank Maninger on bass, and Dale Daniel on drums, the pair took the name the Hacienda Brothers and established their operations in Tucson, AZ. Gonzalez, an avid collector of classic automobiles, bonded with another car enthusiast, Muscle Shoals architect Dan Penn, whose legendary production and songwriting credits span decades; Penn agreed to helm the duo’s first album and added two original compositions to the track list that surfaced on their self-titled 2005 debut. The follow-up, What’s Wrong with Right, arrived the next year.
