Album Notes

The WorkHouse Poets have been together in one form or another for the last 40 years, when James Manganello, and Larry Elrod began playing acoustic folk, hillbilly, and roots music together. Shortly thereafter, James's brother-in-law, Mike Doubrava, joined them on bass. They began playing local clubs in their hometowns of Los Gatos, and Hollister, Ca, and gradually a distinct sound emerged, with influences such as Hank Williams, Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie and Gram Parsons. Throughout their musical growth, one common theme ran through their music, the sights and sounds of American roots music, and a search for songs that were moving musically, and literate in scope. Eventually, James and Larry began to create their own songs, with their own unique perspective, reflecting the people, the sights and the sounds, that populate the heartland of the United States. As the band began to create their own songs, they were joined by Gary Linnert on drums, and Jimmy "Flaco" Foley, on piano, organ, accordion, and guitar. They have continued to grow musically, with Manganello and Elrod singing lead vocals on their respective self penned tunes, with Doubrava and Foley adding soulful vocal harmonies. The WorkHouse Poets have recently expanded both their sound and horizons with the addition of Stu Wilson's virtuoso violin.