Reckless Kelly, an alternative country-rock band fronted by siblings Willy Braun on vocals and guitar together with Cody Braun on vocals, fiddle, mandolin, and harmonica, originated in Bend, Oregon and shifted its base to Austin, Texas in January 1997. The Braun brothers had already gained road experience alongside their father in the Western swing outfit Muzzie Braun & the Boys; they assembled Reckless Kelly with lead guitarist Casey Pollock, bassist Chris Schelske, and drummer Jay Nazz.
The group’s first album, Millican, surfaced in 1998. Two years afterward came both Acoustic: Live at Stubb’s and Day, at which point David Abeyta stepped in for Pollock on lead guitar. Under the Table and Above the Sun, issued in 2003, initiated the band’s partnership with the prominent Sugar Hill imprint and earned enthusiastic notices from critics along with endorsements from honky-tonk veteran Joe Ely, who voiced his admiration during interviews. Wicked Twisted Road arrived in 2005; the following year the live set Reckless Kelly Was Here documented material from every prior studio album plus three covers, conveying the ensemble’s onstage vitality. Yep Roc released Bulletproof in 2008 and Somewhere in Time in 2010 before the group concluded its arrangement with the label. Good Luck & True Love appeared in 2011 on the band’s own No Big Deal imprint, distributed by Red Eye, which also issued Long Night Moon in 2013. Sunset Motel, a return to simpler arrangements, marked the twentieth anniversary in 2016, and the live recording Bulletproof Live followed in 2019.
Seeking the first batch of fresh original songs in nearly five years, Willy Braun attempted a concept album that became American Jackpot; the remaining tracks that fell outside that framework were assembled as American Girls, and both projects were issued together as the double-LP American Jackpot/American Girls in May 2020.
