Hat Check Girl is the collaboration between two seasoned performers; Annie Gallup and Peter Gallway. Cold Smoke, their seventh release as a duo, is a collection of thirteen stories with historical subtext and timeless melodies. Some are "historical fiction" and others reference actual historical events. Peter and Annie share vocals and instrumentation, and are joined by Deirdre Wood Becher (Celtic Spring, Hidden Fifth), on fiddle.

Peter Gallway emerged from the Greenwich Village scene of the 60’s and had released three albums on Warner/Reprise by the time he was twenty-five. He subsequently put out over a dozen more recordings on various independent labels. As a producer he’s been involved in more than fifty albums including the Grammy-nominated Bleecker Street: Greenwich Village in the ‘60s (Chrissie Hynde, Jonatha Brooke), and Time and Love: The Music of Laura Nyro (Suzanne Vega, Jane Siberry).

Annie Gallup is the winner of numerous songwriting awards, including Kerrville New Folk. She grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, immersed in the arts. By the time she recorded her first album in 1994, she had internalized a songwriting style all her own that evolved from her fascination with country blues, her love of words, and a dancer’s sense of rhythm. Her eleventh solo recording, Lucy Remembers Her Father, was released in the spring of 2017.