Weary Ramblers are nothing short of an Iowa-based super duo.
2025 Iowa Rock and Roll Association Hall of Fame inductee Chad Elliott is one of Iowa’s most prolific songwriters, with over 1,500 songs and 26 solo albums to boast. Multi-instrumentalist Kathryn Severing Fox is one of Iowa’s most prestigious violinists, having toured internationally with a fiddle troupe, performed with major acts like The Beach Boys, The Eagles and Pharell Williams, and recorded with George Benson. Their accomplishments as individuals would be the envy of any independent musician, yet somehow their musical union has proven to be even greater than the sum of their parts.
Fox, for all her accolades as an instrumentalist, is also an experienced songwriter, and released her own solo album, Sweet Beginnings, in September 2023. Elliott, whose accomplishments as a songwriter and lyricist are unquestionable, is also a very talented multi-instrumentalist, whose unique blend of Travis picking guitar and more modern percussive techniques, as well as harmonica playing, bring a fullness and energy to their live shows that might otherwise be missing since they don't have a full band. Audiences across the country seem to agree that nothing is lacking from a Weary Ramblers live show, and no one seems to be enjoying them more than the Weary Ramblers themselves.
Just this month, the duo won the “Best Duo/Group” category at the International Acoustic Music Awards (IAMA). Their self-titled debut album, Weary Ramblers, spent seven weeks atop the Contemporary Folk Album chart, according to the Roots Music Report. Their song “Pretty Lights of Denver” climbed all the way to #1 on the Folk, Contemporary Folk, and Iowa Song charts, while two others, “Sweet Hazel Green” and “Medicine Creek,” remain in the top ten. They recently released their first music video for their song “Hidden Road,” which features the voice of Iowa Folk icon Pieta Brown. The duo was also nominated for Iowa Music Awards in three categories, and their album was under consideration for a Grammy nomination. Even for two of Iowa’s most accomplished musicians the experience has been unique.
When you believe in something so much, you put it out in the world… you hope that people will be attracted to it, listen to it, and you never know.Chad Elliott
“When you believe in something so much, you put it out in the world… you hope that people will be attracted to it, listen to it, and you never know,” says Elliott. “After all these years of doing music, you’re kinda going ‘Man, I’ve had a lot of moments where I’ve been proud of a project but it didn’t take off for some reason or didn’t get to the right ears.' This one got lots of listens and has lots of people supporting it — it’s been like no other album I’ve ever put out.”
Fox adds, “The Roots Report is a major organization, DJs will submit to it and whoever has the most plays around the country and the world is how the rankings are decided.” She adds “A self-released album being number one above major heavy-hitters on big labels was really a nice feeling of ‘the hard work has paid off.’”
Their growing popularity has also resulted in an atmospheric change during their live shows. Speaking about a recent show at Middlebrook Mercantile, Fox says “It is powerful that he (Rick Mercantile) made sure to label that a ‘listening room’ and that fact that it was still a packed room, that was great.” Elliott adds “From when we’re sitting there alone writing a song, the spark of that to when it gets recorded, we play it live, and then now it's at a point where people have listened to the songs and they’re singing it back with us. That’s when you know there’s some new energy to this.”
The album’s biggest single, "Pretty Lights of Denver," showcases many of the strengths that make Elliott and Fox such an intriguing combination. The track opens with a soft piano part played in a rubato rhythm reminiscent of the melody from an old music box. After a few phrases, an orchestral swell intensifies the low level piano but refuses to dominate, instead using its higher register to lay the foundation for the intro’s final cadence. It’s worth mentioning that both the piano part AND the orchestra are the work of Fox herself, with a little help from upright bassist Stephy Graham.
“That intro was one that I have a voice memo of from the day we wrote the song,” Fox explains, “and then Chad, I remember, was like ‘Woo Oooo’ (imitates string parts) he’s singing this orchestra thing and I’m like ‘Oh, okay, this is going to be interesting because it’s rubato. Thankfully, it was all me because I know how I’m gonna phrase something.” The final product is jokingly referred to as the “Golden Bear Orchestra” amongst the band and their producer, Golden Bear Records’ Bryan Vanderpool.
Elliott adds, with a chuckle, “Usually when you want to get on the radio you do not do a long intro. And we’re like ‘We’re gonna make something beautiful… Kathryn, go make something beautiful.’”
As the final notes of the piano fade, the string section holds with a slight decrescendo, making room for Elliott’s rhythm guitar to establish what will become the main melody of the song’s verse. Elliott’s voice enters with the line “Oh how they sparkle, oh how they shimmer, the pretty lights of Denver in my rearview mirror.”
The duo even recorded and submitted a version of the song for NPR's 2025 Tiny Desk Contest.
Lyrics of a similar nature are peppered throughout the album, giving credence to the name Weary Ramblers. Many of the songs are either about or inspired by places that Elliott and Fox have traveled to and performed. Track names such as “Oh, Carolina,” “Tall Virginia Tree” and “Medicine Creek” all evoke the image of the places where they were composed, and help tell the tale of these two extraordinary musicians: Great friends and musical partners whose trust in each other allows for vulnerability to shine through in their music.
We have kinda the very same sense of humor and we also seem to be in sync with ideas. When we’re writing it’s like we read each other’s minds. It is comforting, honestly, to have found someone that you feel like you’re that kindred with.Kathryn Severing Fox
Lyrics like the “Medicine Creek” line “All my life I’ve been waitin’ on a friend to take me home,” or the “Tall Virginia Tree” opener “They say the branch is only strong as the fruit that it holds, so love won’t you hold me now” build into an album-wide motif. Lyrics about friendship, love, loneliness, insecurity and strength sneak their way into the imagery of the environment where they were felt. The slow country waltz of the track “Madelia” peaks with the line “Come, take my hand Madelia. We can watch it grow.” As a listener, you get the sense that these two are quite happy to watch their creation blossom together.
“She’s my best friend, ya know?” Elliott laughs. “Yeah, he’s my best friend,” says Fox with a smile. Elliott continues “We have kinda the very same sense of humor and we also seem to be in sync with ideas. When we’re writing it’s like we read each other’s minds.” Fox adds “It is comforting, honestly, to have found someone that you feel like you’re that kindred with.”
Perhaps the most experimental of the songs on the album is the mystical instrumental track “Montrose.” From the beginning the guitar and mandolin set the mood in a minor key, with the subtle shuffle of a shaker keeping time. Quickly the piano part enters, offering only a few notes expertly placed in the higher register, mixed with an almost windy-sounding reverb. After a short intro, the melody takes over. Elliott, still playing the rhythm part, layers the lead part over top so seamlessly that you might think it's two separate parts. Doubling the melody, Elliott and Fox sing in harmony, except this time there are no lyrics. The dual voices, layered on top of themselves to create the illusion of multiple voices singing in unison, act as another instrument. A chorus of “Dos and Dahs” establish a melodic theme as catchy as it is inventive. The lyrics never come, but for this song they're not necessary.
Fox explains, “Having something that’s wordless on a record that is largely full of words I think is a really great moment for the listener to be like ‘Okay, I can kind of rest that part of my listening for a second and just kind of float into the soundscape that’s being created.’”
Another bit of unexpected deviation from an otherwise country/folk heavy album is the Dixieland jazz feel of “Mend This Broken Heart.” The heavy beat of the drums, played by Vanderpool, sets off the New Orleans-inspired combo of Fox’s fiddle and the clarinet expertise of guest Aaron Ehrlich. The call and response style interplay between them presents a freeness not seen anywhere else on the album. The track also features a yodel-themed chorus, which may be a callback to Fox’s childhood.
“My mom was an opera singer, and I remember as a child my mom tried to yodel every now and then and it wasn’t exactly a strength of hers. Which was so funny to me, for someone who was such an accomplished singer.” Fox continues, “So I would make fun of her and she, to this day, will roll her eyes at me when I bring it up. And so I just thought it would be hilarious for us to throw yodeling into one of our songs.”
Despite their name and the realities of being road-worn independent musicians, these two have no intention of slowing down. When asked about the possibility of a second album, Fox responds “I still think it’s entirely possible that we’ll get one out by the end of this year.”
In the meantime, their self-titled debut is available on all streaming platforms and for purchase at wearyramblers.com. And for those seeking more, Fox’s album Sweet Beginnings and Elliott’s most recent solo effort Untested Wings are great places to start.