The Kentucky Headhunters

Biography

The Kentucky Headhunters created a cross of honky tonk, blues, and Southern rock that appealed to fans of both rock and country music. The roots from the Kentucky Headhunters lay in 1968, when Fred and Richard Youthful began playing as well as their cousins Greg Martin and Anthony Kenney in the Youngs’ grandmother’s home. Tag Orr also later on joined them. The very first incarnation from the music group was known as the Itchy Brothers, as well as the group performed collectively informally for over ten years. After about 13 years, the bandmembers started launching separate professions: Richard Youthful went off to create tunes for Acuff-Rose, while Fred Youthful started touring with nation beauty Sylvia. Martin joined up with Ronnie McDowell’s music group, while Kenney fell away from music. In 1985, Martin made a decision to reassemble the Itchy Brothers. When Kenney dropped to rejoin the group, Martin appreciated Doug Phelps, whom he previously fulfilled while on tour with McDowell. Phelps became a member of the new task, which was called the Kentucky Headhunters. Besides Martin and Phelps, the music group also included the Teen brothers and Doug’s sibling Ricky Lee Phelps. The Headhunters began playing twice regular over the Chitlin’ Show, an application on Munfordville, Kentucky radio place WLOC. From these 90-minute shows, the Headhunters developed a pursuing. They delivered an eight-song demonstration to Mercury, and immediately after, the label agreed upon the group. The initial demonstration tape was remixed, and became the foundation from the band’s first record, 1989’s Pickin’ on Nashville, which received overwhelmingly reviews that are positive upon its discharge and quickly became popular. “Dumas Walker” reached amount 15 within the springtime of 1990, accompanied by the group’s biggest strike, the quantity six “Oh, Lonesome Me.” In 1991, the Headhunters released their second work, Electric powered Barnyard. The record received mixed testimonials, couldn’t muster an individual, and marketed weakly. In summer months 1992, the Phelps brothers still left the group to create Brothers Phelps, a far more traditional nation group. The rest of the Headhunters brought ex-Itchy Brothers Anthony Kenney and Tag Orr towards the group, as well as the rehashed lineup released Rave On! in 1993. The recording marked a development toward bluesy Southern rock and roll, which found fruition later on that same yr with That’ll Function, a cooperation with previous Chuck Berry pianist Johnnie Johnson. In 1996, Doug came back on business lead vocals, along with a yr later the music group released Stompin’ Grounds. Tracks from the Lawn String Ranch adopted in 2000, and Spirit appeared in springtime 2003. Big Manager Man premiered in 2005 and Soaring Beneath the Radar in 2006, both from CBUJ Entertainment. Dixie Lullabies, the group’s 12th recording, and 1st studio documenting of new unique materials since 2003, made an appearance from Crimson Dirt Information in 2011. In 2015, the Headhunters released another collaborative recording with Johnnie Johnson, Meet up with Me in Bluesland, attracted from unissued classes documented in 2003, 2 yrs before Johnson’s loss of life. Just before getting into the studio room to record their following studio room LP, bandmates Richard and Fred Youthful lost their dad. That loss, combined with excitement from the band’s 1st Western tour, added an psychological poignancy to On Safari, that was released in 2016.

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