Daniel Cornell Howard entered the world in 1952 in San José, California, though certain accounts place his arrival instead in 1949 in Honolulu, Hawaii. During 1968 the guitarist Hurd teamed with bassist Frank Roeber to assemble a quartet that performed for classmates at a Cupertino high school. Following a single appearance the ensemble disbanded, only to regroup later under the name Ragg Brothers; the lineup now comprised Hurd, Roeber, his brother Drew Hurd on harmonica, Joel Crawford handling vocals, and Kim Muscatel on lead guitar. The musicians gigged intermittently, mixing a handful of originals with renditions of western swing.
By 1971 Hurd and Roeber had relocated to Berkeley, where they launched the El Rancho Cowboys alongside pianist Gary Dulleck, lead guitarist Lyle Pratt, and drummer Kim Winn. Personnel shifts notwithstanding, the group continued through 1973, taking on assorted one-nighters and supporting prominent acts. After a brief stint at an electronics facility, Hurd drew fresh impetus from sounds encountered in Texas and assembled another unit with Roeber and Crawford that he christened the Original Mondo Hotpants Orchestra. The ensemble lasted long enough to cut two EPs whose eight tracks consisted chiefly of original material. Rapid rotations of players and names ensued while the musicians worked clubs and concerts across the Midwest and Texas.
Toward the close of 1976 Hurd had assembled a group that neared his vision, prompting him to abandon the Mondo Hotpants moniker in favor of the Cornell Hurd Band, a designation afforded greater weight. Over the ensuing years membership fluctuated constantly, yet Hurd, his brother, Roeber, Patrick Hennessey, and Dave Clemes remained steady presences into the early 1980s, while guitarist Paul Skelton moved in and out repeatedly. Their itinerary expanded steadily and studio work increased. Remaining active into the early 2000s, the band appeared in France during midsummer 2005 with Skelton on guitar, Howard Kalish on fiddle, Blackie White on guitar, Scott Walls on steel guitar, Del Puschert on tenor saxophone, T. Jarrod Bonta on piano, Randy ‘The Badger’ Glines on bass, Lisa Pankratz on drums, and Danny Roy Young on rub board.
