Award-winning Iowa Americana duo, Weary Ramblers bring years of experience to the stage with Chad Elliott on guitar and harmonica and Kathryn Severing Fox on fiddle, mandolin and more. Iowa Public Radio said, “Weary Ramblers are nothing short of an Iowa-based super duo.”
Weary Ramblers were named the 2026 International Blues Challenge winners. In addition the duo was chosen as the International Acoustic Music Awards’ overall grand prize winner and received the Josie Music Award for “Americana Song of the Year,” both in 2025.
Winners of the 2026 International Blues Challenge!
Winners of the 2025 Josie Music Awards “Americana Song of the Year (Duo/Group/Collab)”!
Overall Grand Prize Winners of the 22nd annual International Acoustic Music Awards, as well as winners in “Best Country/Bluegrass” category & finalists for “Best Group/Duo”!
Winners of the 2025 Iowa Blues Challenge in the solo/duo category!
Finalists in the Indie Acoustic Project’s “Best Albums of 2024-2025” (Americana)!
Indie Acoustic Project “Songs of Note 2024-2025” winners!
Winners of 21st annual International Acoustic Music Awards in “Best Group/Duo” category!
2026 Global Music Awards Silver Medal Winners in “Americana” & “Duo” categories!
2026 European International Music Awards Gold Medal Winners for “Best Americana Album,” “Best Americana Duo,” “Best Americana Single” & Best Americana Single Lyrics”!
2026 Intercontinental Music Awards Finalists in “American Roots,” “Country” & “Folk” categories!
2026 World Songwriting Awards Finalists for “Best Folk Song”!
2025 MCMO Nominees for “Entertainer of the Year” & “Acoustic Act of the Year”!
Semi-finalists in the 2025 International Songwriting Competition!
Semi-finalists in the 2024 International Songwriting Competition!
Semi-finalists in the 2025 Unsigned Only Music Awards!
Nominees for 2025 Josie Music Awards for “Duo of the Year - Americana” & “Music Video of the Year (Performance Focused/Duo-Group)”!
Nominees for 2026 ISSA Awards for “Band of the Year,” “Single of the Year (Memphis, You & Me)”, “Vocal Duo of the Year” & “Music Video of the Year” (Thousand Tears)!
“Driftwood” #1 on Contemporary Folk Album chart for 5 weeks and #1 on the overall Folk Album chart for 4 weeks! - Roots Music Report
#45 out of 157 Top Contemporary Folk albums! - Roots Music Report (2025 - “Weary Ramblers” album)
#98 out of 200 Top Folk Albums! - Roots Music Report (2025 - “Weary Ramblers” album)
Debut album #1 on Contemporary Folk Album chart for 7 weeks! - Roots Music Report
“Pretty Lights of Denver” hit #1 on Contemporary Folk Song chart, overall Folk Song chart & Iowa Song chart! - Roots Music Report
#22 out of 160 Top Contemporary Folk albums! - Roots Music Report (2024)
#54 out of 200 Top Folk Albums! - Roots Music Report (2024)
“Sweet Hazel Green, Medicine Creek & Pretty Lights of Denver” in top 10 on Contemporary Folk Song chart! - Roots Music Report
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Short Bio:
Award-winning Iowa Americana duo, Weary Ramblers bring years of experience to the stage with Chad Elliott on guitar and harmonica and Kathryn Severing Fox on fiddle, mandolin and more. Iowa Public Radio said, “Weary Ramblers are nothing short of an Iowa-based super duo.” Weary Ramblers were named the 2026 International Blues Challenge winners. In addition the duo was chosen as the International Acoustic Music Awards’ overall grand prize winner and received the Josie Music Award for “Americana Song of the Year,” both in 2025.
Full Bio:
Award-winning Iowa Americana duo, Weary Ramblers bring years of experience to the stage with Chad Elliott on guitar and harmonica and Kathryn Severing Fox on fiddle, mandolin and more. Iowa Public Radio said, “Weary Ramblers are nothing short of an Iowa-based super duo.”
Elliott and Severing Fox formed Weary Ramblers in 2022. They released their first, self-titled album in 2024. The album features famed performer Pieta Brown on two songs, “Hidden Road” and “Mend This Broken Heart.”
The Weary Ramblers album held the #1 spot on the Contemporary Folk Album chart for 7 weeks, according to Roots Music Report. Their song “Pretty Lights of Denver” reached #1 on the Contemporary Folk Song chart in addition to winning a Josie Music Award for “Americana Song of the Year.” The Weary Ramblers album was named a 2024-2025 Best Album by the Acoustic Project, which is a testament to the careful craftsmanship of its original songs.
Songwriting is a joint effort for Weary Ramblers. Elliott and Severing Fox can often be seen backstage wordsmithing new songs. They co-write all of their materials in an organic process that draws from life experience and stories from the road. Storytelling is a pivotal piece of their performance. Relating their adventures, personal struggles and getting some genuine laughs in-between are all part of the Weary Ramblers’ live music experience.
In 2025 they released another album, Driftwood. The album was recorded at Golden Bear Records in Des Moines, IA. It features influential, bluegrass vanguard Sam Bush on mandolin.
Driftwood hit #1 on the Contemporary Folk Album chart and #1 on Folk Album chart. The album’s song “Kentucky Never Seemed So Blue,” received an International Acoustic Music Award for best country/bluegrass song. And the duo was awarded the overall grand prize winners by the International Acoustic Music Awards in 2026. Plus, the album earned them four gold medals from the European International Music Awards in the Americana category in 2026.
The genre-defying music of Weary Ramblers has allowed them to earn accolades in many areas of music. In 2026 alone, Weary Ramblers received awards in Americana, bluegrass, folk and blues categories. They don’t fit a mold, but rather create music that appeals universally.
In the spirit of this, Elliott and Severing Fox traveled to Memphis, TN in early 2026 to compete in the International Blues Challenge. After three rounds in Beale Street music halls, the competition culminated in a performance at the historic Orpheum Theater. Weary Ramblers were awarded the best solo/duo of the Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge. In addition, Elliott was named best guitarist in the solo/duo category for his performance.
Currently, Weary Ramblers are touring nationwide and writing songs on the road for their third album.
