It's Jo And Danny

The duo known as It’s Jo And Danny emerged from the individual perseverance of Jo Bartlett, born 9 December 1968 in Guildford, Surrey, England, and Danny Hagan, born 15 November 1965 in England. Their romantic partnership paralleled their musical one, following earlier projects under the names Go! Service and Blue Train that drew interest from labels yet were overlooked in favor of prevailing Britpop groups during the 1990s. Eventually striking out independently, the pair established Double Snazzy as their own imprint and adopted their personal names for the act itself. Their 2000 debut album carried the self-mocking title Lank Haired Girl To Bearded Boy, drawn from a commentator’s remark in D.A. Pennebaker’s documentary Don’t Look Back about Bob Dylan’s audience. While the resulting sound rested on acoustic guitar, melodic strength, and gentle vocals with clear folk roots, it also wove in electronica and found sounds. Whimsical touches appeared throughout, notably in the instrumental “Arkle,” which referenced the horse that claimed the Gold Cup from 1964 to 1966. The entire collection was captured in eight and a half days on a £2,500 budget that was later settled through sales proceeds.

Links were frequently made to Belle And Sebastian, the Beta Band, and the Cocteau Twins, and the pair found themselves grouped by default with the so-called New Acoustic Movement, a label coined by the New Musical Express rather than a genuine collective. Still, the original songcraft and inventive details on the debut, together with the later releases Thugs Lounge and But We Have The Music, allowed Bartlett and Hagan to outlast transient trends and chart an independent course. Beyond their recordings as It’s Jo And Danny, the two also organize the yearly Green Man folk festival.