Hot Club of Cowtown member offers Veteran's Day single
Monday, October 20, 2008 – Hot Club of Cowtown's Elana James is releasing a single inspired by the words of a U.S. army sergeant killed in Iraq in honor of Veteran's Day. The lyrics to Hey Beautiful came from a letter written by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Juan Campos (1979-2007) one of the last he wrote to his wife from Iraq.
James, who is regrouping the western swing band Hot Club after a hiatus, Campos' words in a New York Times article "Six of the Fallen, in Words They Sent Home," which appeared in March 2008 as part of excerpts from the e-mail messages, journals and web postings of 6 soldiers who died in Iraq since Jan. 1, 2007.
Hey Beautiful is the letter just as Campos wrote it (though it has been edited slightly for length. The Campos family was fully aware of James' project and gave their blessings, according to a spokesperson for James. The other members of Hot Club - White Smith and Jake Erwin - provided the backing music. The song will soon be available on the Hot Club of Cowtown web site, www.hotclubofcowtown.com.
CD reviews for Elana James
In 2007, Elana James released an acclaimed self-titled album. The singer, songwriter, and violinist - best known for her work with the Western swing/hot jazz trio Hot Club of Cowtown - strikes gold again with her new album. The disc is a collection of five new originals and several songs she has always loved from Bob Dylan (Hot Club opened for him on his 2006 North American minor league baseball stadium tour), Robert Hunter and Woody Guthrie.
James demonstrates her musical depth and breadth, ...
Elana James (nee Fremerman) has the kind of misfortune anyone would welcome. Her longtime trio, Hot Club of Cowtown, was touring with Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan when the band broke up. Soon, though, came offers to play on Nelson's next album and to tour with Dylan. Now comes her solo debut, and while the events of the last two years leave traces in James's music - most obviously with the inclusion here of a Dylan original, "One More Night"- the HCC sound lives in James's ...
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