Molly Hatchet
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| Molly Hatchet | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Origin |  Jacksonville, Florida, United States |
|
| Genre(s) | Southern rock, Hard rock, Blues rock | |
| Years active | 1975 - Present | |
| Label(s) | Epic, Steamhammer | |
| Associated acts |
Gator Country | |
| Website | The official website | |
| Members | ||
| Bobby Ingram Phil McCormack Dave Hlubek John Galvin Tim Lindsey Shawn Beamer |
||
Molly Hatchet is an American Southern rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1975, known primarily for their hit song "Flirtin' with Disaster" from the album of the same title. The band, founded by Dave Hlubek and Steve Holland, took its name from a legendary Southern prostitute who supposedly mutilated and decapitated her clients.[1]
Contents |
[edit] 1970s
The original group included vocalist Danny Joe Brown, three guitarists Dave Hlubek, Steve Holland, and Duane Roland, bassist Banner Thomas, and drummer Bruce Crump.
Prior to the band's introduction to a national act after signing with Epic Records, they were well-known on the Florida road house and bar circuit. The band originated from the same town as the most well known act in the Southern rock genre, Lynyrd Skynyrd. Some of the members had been friendly with that act prior to their rise to fame, and thus knew that nothing less than an absolutely stellar set of songs and blazing southern guitar rock was required to follow in the footsteps of Skynyrd. As their reputation as a solid, triple-guitar-powered act grew, they gained the respect of another act, closely allied with Skynyrd, called .38 Special. This act featured the brother of Lynyrd Skynyrd lead vocalist, Ronnie Van Zant on lead vocals (Donnie Van Zant). Because of this, .38 Special had some particularly influential friends in the music business. They referred Molly Hatchet to manager Pat Armstrong, who had been helping to guide .38 Special. His interest in Molly Hatchet led to the acts signing to Epic Records and being paired with producer Tom Werman. Werman was already well known in the industry for working with other popular acts of the period, including Cheap Trick and Ted Nugent.
The result of this teaming of a producer known for working with straight hard-rock acts with a Southern-influenced band led to a new development in the Southern rock genre. Molly Hatchet's sound was differentiated from more country influenced acts such as The Outlaws. In 1978 the band recorded and released its first album eponymously titled Molly Hatchet. Then in 1979, Flirtin' with Disaster was released. This record featured the popular song of the same name, which served to push the act into virtually competing with Lynyrd Skynyrd in popularity (after that act was sidelined due to the tragic plane crash that took the lives of its singer, Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and background singer Cassie Gaines). Molly Hatchet proceeded to tour behind the record and gained an ever increasing fan base. This led to the common "success syndrome" problems that saw lead singer Danny Joe Brown, whose voice and persona had defined the act to that point, leaving the band at the end of the '70s.
[edit] 1980s
In 1980 Brown left the group to form The Danny Joe Brown Band (with future Molly Hatchet guitarist Bobby Ingram) and was replaced by vocalist Jimmy Farrar. Along with Farrar came a new approach to the band's sound. The earlier albums had featured a higher degree of variation in the guitarists tone and style along with a more overt southern influence than what the band produced with Farrar on vocals. By this time, other acts such as Van Halen had made harder metal influenced rock one of the more popular in the 80's. This fact was not lost on the band and its producer. The records released by Molly Hatchet with Farr on lead vocals leaned much closer to a more straight ahead rock riffing style. The tonal approach to the guitar sounds were now characterized by a more distorted and straight ahead approach than what had been heard when Danny Joe Brown held the lead vocal position. Danny Joe Brown's stage persona and cowboy horse whistling had matched well with the overtly southern influenced sounds of his era while Farrar's style leaned closer to a more straight ahead rock approach. Molly Hatchet's carefully crafted downhome, rough boy image certainly was not in opposition to Farrar's aggressive vocal work. This new vocal style mixed with the new harder rocking sound saw Molly Hatchet briefly become the most popular Southern Rock act for a short time in the late 1980 with the release of Beatin the Odds that same year.( By 1982 .38 Special took their place at the top with a string of hits and MTV videos in the early 80's with a style that had moved even farther from the traditional country/southern sound)
With the success of a more harder rocking 1980, "Beatin The Odds" release, the band ventured even farther away from their original sound. By 1981, Molly Hatchet had almost completely abandoned their original style of 1978 for a straight ahead rock style exhibited on the Take No Prisoners release of the same year. This album had a less than warm reception from many of the fans of the original sound and while the band was still successful on the touring circuit, its future as a recording act with Farrar on vocals was in question causing Farr to leave the act in 1981.
Brown rejoined the band in 1982 and Banner Thomas left and was replaced by Riff West. In 1983, a new album was released titled No Guts... No Glory. Steve Holland left and was replaced by keyboardist John Galvin. This period saw the band return to its more refined and more overt southern style it had displayed on its debut record in 1979. However, with the addition of keyboards into the mix, the band managed to take this sound to an even more orchestrated approach on some songs such as "Fall of the Peace Makers". Critics hailed the "No Guts....No Glory" album as the band's true return to form but by this time the public had by and large moved on from southern rock. As a result the record went largely unnoticed compared to the glory years of 1978's "Flirtin With Disaster" but did serve to spark increased interest from the band's more dedicated fans who had started to drift from the band after the rather uncharacteristic "Take No Prisioners" album of 1981.
In 1984 came the release of a new album The Deed Is Done. In 1985 Dave Hlubek left and he was replaced by Bobby Ingram. Then in 1985, the double live album Double Trouble Live was released.
[edit] 1990s
In 1991, the greatest hits collection Greatest Hits was released. The band continued to play selected shows and tours but pulled back from recording more new albums for a time. However, by the mid 1990's they were again working on a new studio album.–
In 1996 due to a stroke and illness Brown had to leave the band, bringing in lead singer Phil McCormack to finish the album Devils Canyon in 1996. During the later 90's the band was curiously comprised of a line-up which contained not a single veteran of the original line-up that had recorded the debut self-titled album and "Flirtin with Disaster". This had come to pass due to the fact that Bobby Ingram had obtained a license from the original members to work with the name. As Ingram had recorded on the last Molly Hatchet album that featured the original members, he was technically considered to an "original" member himself. Tours during the late 90's saw audiences largely unconcerned with this fact and more than happy to have the opportunity to witness the band still on the road. At this point, the band consisted of members: vocalist Phil McCormack, guitarists Bobby Ingram and Bryan Bassett, keyboardist John Galvin, bassist Andy McKinney, and drummer Mac Crawford.
In 1998 Silent Reign Of Heroes was released. And in 1999 the band traveled coast to coast with Charlie Daniels and the Volunteer Jam.
[edit] 2000s
In 2000, the album The Kingdom Of XII was released in Europe. The band went on tour to promote this album. It was released in the United States in 2001. Locked and Loaded and 25th Anniversary: Best Of Re-Recorded (2003) and Warriors of the Rainbow Bridge (2005) followed.
In January of 2005, Ingram invited Hlubek to rejoin Molly Hatchet where he remains today.
On Thursday, March 10, 2005, after Brown was hospitalized for four weeks, he died less than an hour after returning to his home in Davie, Florida with his family and friends at his side, at the age of 53 from complications from diabetes according to a March 16, 2005 The New York Times Associated Press obituary report. He had previously left the group due to the suffering from a massive stroke in 1995 while driving to his brother's house. After a long battle with diabetes and the effects of the stroke, Brown was able to take the stage one last time at the Jammin' for DJB benefit concert in 1998 where with the help of his friends he ended the show with "Flirtin' with Disaster."
On Monday, June 19, 2006, founding guitarist Duane Roland died at his home in St. Augustine, Florida at the age of 53 according to Bobby Ingram on the Molly Hatchet MySpace website. He had been playing with the band Gator Country as late as May of 2006. His death was listed as being of "natural causes" according to a June 25, 2006 The Boston Globe Associated Press obituary report.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
- Molly Hatchet (1978) #64 US
- Flirtin' with Disaster (1979) #19 US
- Beatin' the Odds (1980) #25 US
- Take No Prisoners (1981) #36 US
- No Guts...No Glory (1983) #59 US
- Deed Is Done (1984) #120 US
- Lightning Strikes Twice (1989)
- Devil's Canyon (1996)
- Silent Reign of Heroes (1998)
- Kingdom of XII (2000)
- Warriors of the Rainbow Bridge (2005)
[edit] Compilations and live albums
- Double Triple Trouble Live (1985) #130 US
- Greatest Hits (1985)
- Cut to the Bone (1995)
- Revisited (1996)
- Super Hits (1998)
- Live at the Agora Ballroom Atlanta, Georgia April 20, 1979 (2000)
- Live!: Extended Versions (2002)
- Locked and Loaded (2003)
- The Essential Molly Hatchet (2003)
- Locked And Loaded - Double Live (2003)
- 25th Anniversary: Best of Re-Recorded (2003)
[edit] Current Lineup:
- Bobby Ingram - guitar - joined 1986
- Phil McCormack - lead vocals - joined 1996
- John Galvin - keyboards & organ - joined 1983
- Dave Hlubek - guitar - joined 1975, 2005
- Tim Lindsey - bass - joined 2003
- Shawn Beamer - drums - joined 2001
[edit] Recording and/or Touring Alumni
- Danny Joe Brown - lead vocals
- Bryan Bassett - guitar
- Bruce Crump - drums
- Jimmy Farrar - lead vocals
- John Galvin - keyboards
- Dave Hlubek - guitar
- Steve Holland - guitar
- Bobby Ingram - guitar
- Duane Roland - guitar
- Banner Thomas - bass
- Riff West - bass
- Tim Donovan - keyboards
- Phil McCormack - lead vocals
- Sean Shannon - drums
- Andy McKinney - bass
- Tim Lindsey - bass
- Russ Maxwell - guitar
- Jerry Scott - bass
- Kenny Holton - drums
- Richie Del Favero - keyboards
- Rob Sweat - bass
- Rob Scavetto - keyboards
- Rik Blanz - guitar
- Erik Lundgren - guitar
- Kevin Rian - bass
