Biography

In 1993, Danny Black found a Hank Williams record left behind in the apartment he had just rented and everything started to make sense. He met Gina Black at a G. Love and the Special Sauce show at Lounge Ax. She promptly abandoned her classical bass training and they formed a rock band. Drummer James Emmenegger, culled from an Eagles cover band (we wish we were kidding about that), was known about town for his wide lapels, a drumming style that looks like he’s having a seizure, and rambunctious head banging at all Devil in a Woodpile shows. Rounding out the line up (for the first record) on rhythm guitar, sweet harmony vocals, and the occasional French maid outfit, was Nora O’Connor (Neko Case, Mavis Staples, Andrew Bird, New Pornographers). The Blacks burned bright for two albums (1998’s Dolly Horrorshow and 2000’s Just Like Home), then flamed out under their own volatility. In 2010, after a 10 year hiatus, the band reunited and returned with a digital-only EP, In Sickness and Health.