. . . are a Western Swing pocket orchestra that is enlivening Cowboy and Western Music with infectious joy and high spirits. With a repertoire that draws from the rich tapestry of traditional American music, this four-piece ensemble embraces the worlds of swing, cowboy ballads, blues, Tin Pan Alley, honky-tonk, string band music, polka and just about any traditional style under the sun.  

       The Saddle Cats have at their heart the suave, elegant artistry of Bobby Black, whose steel guitar poetics have inspired generations of musicians and fans. A revered figure in the music world whose roots go straight back to the honky-tonk era of Hank Williams and Lefty Frizell, Bobby was a key figure in the rediscovery of Western Swing in the 1960s and '70s. His membership in such bands as Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen and Asleep at the Wheel was decisive in introducing the sound of Western Swing to a new generation of listeners. 

       Bobby is joined by fiddler and vocalist Richard Chon (Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks, the Sons of the San Joaquin and a veteran of the Bakersfield honky tonk scene). Together, Bobby and Richard form the nucleus of a Western Swing combo that uncannily recreates the textures and drive of the Western Swing bands of the golden era. 

       The driving rhythm of guitarist Gordon Clegg and the eloquent, rock-solid foundations laid by bassist Bing Nathan support and energize this sleek, silver-toned cowboy outfit, whose repertoire runs from rustic Texas breakdowns to the sophisticated swing concoctions of Benny Goodman and Count Basie, from the high-driving California swing of Bob Wills’ Tiffany Transcriptions and Tex Williams to their own stylish originals.

                      Bobby Black, steel guitar