Kelly Hogan

by Heather Phares
Equally comfortable with indie rock, traditional country, and jazz pop, Georgia-based singer/songwriter Kelly Hogan explored all of those directions and more in her career. As the singer/guitarist for the Jody Grind in the early '90s, Hogan made a name for herself and the band with her lovely, versatile voice. The group released two albums -- 1990's One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Treasure and 1992's Lefty's Deceiver -- before a car accident killed two of their members. After this loss, Hogan joined the arty garage rock revivalists the Rock*A*Teens, appearing on their 1996 self-titled debut EP; that year, she also released her first solo album, The Whistle Only Dogs Can Hear, which featured her own material alongside covers of Palace and Vic Chesnutt songs. After the release of the Rock*A*Teens' full-length debut Cry in 1997, Hogan left the group and began collaborating with alt-country and indie rock artists like Will Oldham and the Waco Brothers. In 2000 she released her second solo album and Bloodshot Records' debut Beneath the Country Underdog, which featured Jon Langford's Pine Valley Cosmonauts as her backing band, guest vocals by Edith Frost, and photography by Neko Case. A year later, she returned with Because It Feel Good, another eclectic set featuring performers like Andrew Bird and covers of songs by the Statler Brothers, Smog, Charlie Rich, and Randy Newman.