Laura Benitez got her start in country music when she joined the Cottonpickers, a classic honky band from Oakland, CA, in 2004. In 2009 she decided the time was right to pull together her own band with all original material. She was lucky enough to secure the talents of Rockabilly, Cajun and Bluegrass heavyweight Mitch Polzak on guitar. She enlisted the multi-talented singer, songwriter and bandleader Rick Quisol on drums, and was also lucky enough to get the meaty sound of Blues veteran Vance Ehlers on bass. Together they have created a sound that harkens back to the golden age of honky tonk, with a modern edge that is energetic and unvarnished. The songwriting on her first album "For Duty of For Love", is inspired by country greats like Harlon Howard, Loretta Lynn and George Jones, and is tuneful, sassy, and straightforward. "For Duty or For Love" was released on Copperhead Records in December of 2010, and is available from the artist and at reverbnation.com/laurabenitez. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.