Little Village was an American/British rock band, formed in 1992 by Ry Cooder (guitar, vocal), John Hiatt (guitar, piano, vocal), Nick Lowe (bass, vocal) and Jim Keltner (drums). This group of musicians had previously worked together as a unit - albeit not under the Little Village name - recording the John Hiatt solo album, Bring The Family in 1987.
Upon reconvening in 1992, the group's name was initially (and jokingly) announced as Hiatus. It was soon changed to Little Village, in reference to the foul-mouthed in-studio diatribe by Sonny Boy Williamson II, on a Chess reissue album titled, Bummer Road. Little Village recorded their first and last album in mid 1992. The self-titled record featured a set of songs composed by all four group members. The songs were largely sung by Hiatt, although Lowe took lead on two songs and Cooder one.
Little Village met with lukewarm reviews and general commercial indifference. Nevertheless, the album was nominated in 1993 for a Grammy Award as Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or a Group. The album peaked at #23 in the UK Albums Chart.[2] The release of the album was followed by a number of concerts in the U.S. and Europe. Nevertheless, the group disbanded in late 1992.
