The Hacienda Brothers

The Hacienda Brothers released their final record in 2008, right after their bandleader and dear friend Chris Gaffney had unexpectedly passed away. The band was at the height of its career, having been nominated at the end of 2007 for the Americana Music Awards “Group of the Year” category. The Hacienda Brothers had put out four records in the span of four years and they were rolling with momentum, but that all came to a crashing halt with the loss of Gaffney. This tragedy also struck the roots music community very hard and a tribute album produced by Dave Alvin followed in 2009.

What his fans didn’t realize, was that there were seven unreleased studio tracks remaining, which not only highlighted the amazing voice of Chris Gaffney but also the tightness and musical proficiency of the Hacienda Brothers Band. Recorded in early 2005, these outstanding tracks were produced by guitarist and founding member Dave Gonzalez. The band, which also featured Dave Berzansky on steel, Hank Maninger on bass and Dale Daniel on drums, had gone into the studio fresh off their first year of touring. They had decided to lay down some songs that were written and recorded by their heroes, such as Hank Cochran’s “Don’t Touch Me” sung by Tammy Wynette, Johnny Paycheck’s “Or Is It Love” and “Bayou Bum,” plus Bobby Bare’s “Leavin’ Town” and Lynn Anderson’s “Yes Virginia” both sung by Waylon Jennings. The Hacienda Brothers put their own indelible stamp on these classics and although they were never released, they became staples of their live shows.

Western Soul, the band’s final album released in 2019, now showcases these long-lost studio tracks along with the band’s original demos, some rough mixes and a few alternate takes. The album is sixteen cuts comprised of either new songs or versions of songs that have never been released before. The four demos represented here, all in their original form, were the songs that were sent to the legendary producer Dan Penn back in 2003. Upon receiving the songs, he immediately told the guys that he heard a sound coming out of the Tucson sessions that he dubbed Western Soul. It was these first demos that got Penn excited enough to get in his Lincoln Town Car and drive from Nashville to Tucson Arizona to produce the band’s first two records.

This year Dave Gonzalez and the band are reuniting to perform a few special shows to honor their friend and bandmate Chris Gaffney. They will be performing songs off the latest record and from their previous four releases. Western Soul is being distributed by Lux Records out of San Diego, for more info go to www.LuxRecordsUSA.com or HaciendaBrothers.com

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