Texas Lightning

Texas Lightning from Germany became the first country group ever to reach the Eurovision Song Contest finals. With tongue-in-cheek flair, they revived the classic honky-tonk sound and attitude for a contemporary audience by reinterpreting standards from Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline alongside less conventional picks such as "Highway to Hell" and "Like a Virgin." Australian-born frontwoman Miss Jane Comerford assembled the band alongside veteran German musicians Jonny "The Flame" Olsen on vocals and guitar, Markus "Fastfinger" Schmidt on guitar and banjo, Uwe "Friendly" Frenzel on double bass, and Olli "Ringofire" Dittrich on drums. Their initial show took place at Hamburg’s Knust club on December 23, 2000, after which they stayed a niche attraction until 2006, when the Comerford-penned "No No Never" secured victory in the German Eurovision selection round and propelled them to a 15th-place finish in the international final. Upon its commercial release, "No No Never" ascended to the top of the German charts and moved more than 300,000 units, lifting sales of the group’s debut album, Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch..., also issued in 2006. Three years afterward, Texas Lightning delivered their second full-length effort, Western Bound, in 2009.