About this user
From Answers.com: The late 1990s and early 2000s saw the proliferation of a new kind of roots music performer—the multi-talented collector and historian. These knowledgeable enthusiasts have promoted their musical passions by forming bands and recording for like-minded small roots labels. Often the performers expend large amounts of time for very low wages, just for the pride of keeping their preferred genre alive. Once in a great while, an act of this type will develop a steadfast cult following. Such is the case with California-born Cari Lee Merritt who, along with her band the Saddle-ites, had earned a growing reputation as one of the Northwest's best neo-traditional performers.
Her style encompassed the rowdy hillbilly of The Maddox Brothers and Rose and the effervescent rockabilly of Bob & Lucille, with overtones of 1950s R&B. The group's cowboy-era attire has led some to believe that Merritt and company are merely a nostalgia act, but their artistic intentions are remarkably pure and serious.
Cari Lee and her California based group released their debut album, "Red Barn Baby" on the Spanish indie record label, El Toro Records, in 2002. The band went on to share bills with acts like; Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Social Distortion, and members of Bob Wills' Texas Playboys. Cari Lee worked under the musical direction of the Grammy Award winning bluegrass singer-songwriter, Peter Rowan for the stage production 'The Mad. Bros. & Rose: A Hillbilly Revue" in which she portrayed the legendary Rose Maddox of The Maddox Brothers and Rose. The band played festivals and venues across American and Europe including, The Grand Ole Opry, The Fillmore Auditorium, and the Shoreline Amphitheater before the band dispersed to pursue other interests in 2008.
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The band's final album, "Brought To You via Saddle-ite", was released in 2007.
