Ironically, one of the most roots-conscious alt country bands of the early 00s contained one of the era's biggest pop/jazz vocalists and emerged in New York City, in the form of the Little Willies. Fronted by Norah Jones (b. Geethali Norah Jones Shankar, 30 March 1979, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA; vocals/piano) and Richard Julian (b. 13 June 1967, Austin, Texas, USA; vocals/guitar), the band initially came together as a loose collective of friends who were part of the scene based around New York City's Lower East Side and the singer-songwriter haunt The Living Room. With Jim Campilongo (guitar) and Jones' rhythm section of Lee Alexander (bass) and Dan Rieser (drums), the band eventually built up a strong local following initially attributed to Jones' star power but ultimately centered on the strong musicianship and jubilant spirit of the band as a whole. Their self-titled 2006 debut was dominated by cover tunes, including songs by Hank Williams, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Townes Van Zandt, as well as a few songs penned by various band members. The album dented both the pop and country charts in the USA, and did respectable business, but owing to the busy individual careers of its members, the Little Willies ultimately retained the "side project" status under which it first began.

Listen to The Little Willies at Finetune.

• (2006)  The Little Willies

• I Gotta Get Drunk
• Roll On
• Love Me
• Roly Poly
• Best Of All Possible Worlds

• The Wreckers
• Norah Jones
• James Hunter
• Dixie Chicks
• Bob Dylan
• Willie Nelson
• Johnny Cash
• Van Morrison
• Coldplay
• Corinne Bailey Rae
• John Mayer
• The Allman Brothers Band
• Elvis Presley
• Rolling Stones
• Ryan Adams
• Counting Crows
• Carrie Underwood
• Grateful Dead
• Jack Johnson
• Simon & Garfunkel

• rockytop
• dgotchet
• rockmagic
• dharmanavy
• motomu