The Brooklyn Cowboys serves as the collective name for an ensemble assembled from veteran band members, sought-after studio musicians, and road-tested performers. Its origins trace to 1996, when singer/songwriter Walter Egan—already familiar to pop audiences and '70s devotees through his Top Ten single "Magnet & Steel"—joined forces with Fredrough Perry on several of Perry's recording projects. Their strong creative rapport prompted an impromptu suggestion from Perry that directly inspired the group's launch. Once respected steel guitarist Buddy Cage of the New Riders of the Purple Sage joined, the Brooklyn Cowboys hit the road with its country-rock sound across the Northeast and steadily cultivated a grassroots audience. Egan's relocation to Nashville in 1997 prompted a reconfiguration that brought in vocalist Brian Waldschlager, bassist Jeff "Stick" Davis of the Amazing Rhythm Aces, and keyboardist Michael Webb. Under the direction of producer Al Perkins, whose résumé includes the Flying Burrito Brothers and Gram Parsons, the band tracked its debut album Doin' Time on Planet Earth; the set featured Egan's co-written "Carolina Calypso," a song that had first appeared on Parsons's widely praised Grievous Angel. Critics responded enthusiastically, while European listeners drove the record to Top Ten positions on independent charts. Early in 2002 the Brooklyn Cowboys issued the mini-album The Other Man in Black: Tribute to Dale Earnhardt, then delivered its second full-length effort, Dodging Bullets.
