Hot Club Of Cowtown

An acoustic trio known as the Hot Club of Cowtown delivers a unique fusion of western swing in the vein of Bob Wills and continental jazz reminiscent of Django Reinhardt. Emerging during the closing years of the 1990s, they garnered broad recognition through frequent tours and multiple Ameripolitan Music Awards. Their discography encompasses numerous releases such as Tall Tales from 1999, Ghost Train in 2002, and Wild Kingdom issued in 2019, where they apply their lively approach to both classic standards and newly composed material.

Hailing originally from New York City, the ensemble began as a duo consisting of guitarist Whit Smith, born in Connecticut and raised in Massachusetts, alongside Elana James, née Frememan and originally from Kansas. Before their encounter, Smith received private instruction from Bill Connors and Richard Lieberson while directing his 13-member Western Caravan. James, holder of a B.A. in Comparative Religion from Barnard College, pursued classical violin studies at the Manhattan School of Music and explored Dhrupad North Indian classical music under Pandit Vidhur Malik, in addition to spending summers on Colorado horse ranches and performing fiddle with cowboy ensembles.

As Whit & Elana, they shifted to San Diego, spending a year performing on the streets to earn tips while refining their set list. Their next relocation took them to Austin toward the end of the 1990s, at which point they embraced the Hot Club of Cowtown name and collaborated with bassist/producer Billy Horton on projects including Swingin' Stampede from 1998 and Tall Tales the following year. Dev'lish Mary, their third album, appeared in 2000 and incorporated input from bassist Matt Weiner.

The configuration became fixed in 2001 upon the inclusion of bassist Jake Erwin from Tulsa, Oklahoma, whose slap-bass method combined with affinities for rockabilly and western swing further broadened their sonic palette. The trio then put out Ghost Train in 2002, featuring original works intermixed with traditional country and jazz numbers. Continental Stomp followed in 2003 as a live recording captured at Austin's renowned Continental Club.

A temporary split occurred in 2005, during which James produced a solo record and performed with Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, while Smith and Erwin persisted together in Whit Smith's Hot Jazz Caravan. Connections remained intact, leading to a reunion by 2007. After a 2009 compilation of highlights, the reformed Hot Club of Cowtown issued their sixth studio effort, Wishful Thinking. They honored Bob Wills the next year via What Makes Bob Holler before embarking on tour with Roxy Music.

Rendezvous in Rhythm, their eighth collection of western swing standards and gypsy jazz, came out in 2013. At the 2015 Ameripolitan Awards, they secured Western Swing Group of the Year, and Elana James claimed Western Swing Female of the Year. Midnight on the Trail in 2016 explored various cowboy ballads by Gene Autry, Cindy Walker, Johnny Mercer, among others. Marking their twentieth anniversary in 2017, they reissued the early cassette-only Western Clambake, which originated from their San Diego street performances. Wild Kingdom emerged in 2019, featuring drummer Damien Llanes as a guest.