Molly Hatchet
Encyclopedia
Molly Hatchet is an American southern rock
band formed in Jacksonville, Florida
, in 1975. They are widely known 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 prostitute who allegedly mutilated and decapitated
her clients. Most of Molly Hatchet album covers feature eye-catching heroic fantasy
inspired art, some of which were painted by renowned artists, like Frank Frazetta
and Boris Vallejo
.
, Molly Hatchet shared influences and inspiration with the most well-known act in the Southern rock
genre, Lynyrd Skynyrd
as well as another up-and-coming Southern rock act, .38 Special, who referred them to manager Pat Armstrong. His interest in Molly Hatchet led to a recording contract with Epic Records
, bringing in Tom Werman
as a producer. Werman had already worked with acts such as Cheap Trick
, Stranger
and Ted Nugent
. Ronnie Van Zant was slated to produce Molly Hatchet's first album, having helped in writing arrangements and directing rehearsals prior to his fatal airplane crash. Molly Hatchet actually cut their first demos
in Lynyrd Skynyrd's 8-track
recording studio
using their equipment.
Prior to the band's signing with Epic Records, they often toured the Florida roadhouse and bar circuit. Dave Hlubek
was the band's vocalist prior to Danny Joe Brown
, and wrote and co-produced many of the band's songs. Hlubek has stated that the demise of Lynyrd Skynyrd – who were at the height of their success – opened the door for Molly Hatchet.
The result of the teaming of Tom Werman, 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. Combining boogie
, blues
and hard rock, Molly Hatchet's sound was different from more country
-influenced acts such as Outlaws. Like the area's other Southern rock acts, their music typically expressed the values, hopes and excesses of 1970s-era young adults in a Southern metropolitan area like Jacksonville, in addition to Southern ("Gator Country", "Sweet Dixie") and Western themes ("Edge of Sundown", "Bounty Hunter", "Gunsmoke").
The band recorded and released their first album, Molly Hatchet
in 1978, followed by Flirtin' with Disaster
in 1979. Molly Hatchet proceeded to tour behind the record
, building a larger fan
base. Danny Joe Brown, whose gruff voice and tough yet amicable persona had defined the act to that point, left the band in 1980, only to return two years later.
with future Molly Hatchet guitarist Bobby Ingram, he was replaced by vocalist Jimmy Farrar, coming from the cover band
Raw Energy out of Fort Walton Beach, Florida
. Along with Farrar came a new approach to the band's sound. The earlier albums feature more variation in guitar tone and style and exhibit a distinct southern cultural influence – which changed with the addition of Farrar on vocals. By this time, acts such as Van Halen
had made harder heavy metal
-influenced rock popular in the 1980s. This fact was not lost on the band and their producer. Danny Joe Brown's stage persona, gruff voice and cowboy horse-whistling had matched well with the overtly southern-influenced sounds of his era. Farrar's new vocal style, mixed with a new harder-rocking sound saw Molly Hatchet enjoy a rise in popularity in the early 1980s. As part of this trend, also .38 Special enjoyed a string of hits and MTV
videos in the early 1980s with a polished style that had moved even farther from the traditional country/southern sound.
With the success of the more, harder-rocking Beatin' the Odds
release, the band ventured even farther away from the southern rock sound of their first albums. By 1981, Molly Hatchet had almost completely abandoned their original style of 1978 for a straight-ahead rock style and a slicker production, 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 first hour, but the band remained still a successful act on the touring circuit. Founding member and bass player Banner Thomas left in late 1981 and was replaced by Riff West, while Farrar left Molly Hatchet in May 1982 to mind to his own family. He would later rejoin other members of Molly Hatchet in Southern Rock Allstars
and Gator Country
.
Brown rejoined the band in 1982 and B. B. Borden (also known as B. B. Queen when he played in the funk rock
band Mother's Finest
) replaced Crump on drums. In 1983, this line-up released a new album titled No Guts...No Glory
. Steve Holland left the band in 1984 and was replaced by keyboardist John Galvin, putting an end to Molly Hatche characteristic of having three lead guitarists. This period saw the band return to the more overt southern style it had displayed on its debut record in 1978. 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 Peacemakers". Critics hailed No Guts...No Glory as the band's true return to form, but southern rock no longer enjoyed the widespread appeal it had previously. As a result, the record went largely unnoticed, in contrast to the glory years of 1979's Flirtin' with Disaster, but did rejuvenate interest from the band's fan base, who had started to drift after the uncharacteristic Take No Prisoners album of 1981.
In 1984 came the release of the album The Deed Is Done
, a straightforward pop/rock offering, with Bruce Crump
back behind the drum kit to replace B. B. Borden. Then in 1985, the double live album
Double Trouble Live
was released. The greatest hits
collection Greatest Hits
was also released in 1985 and was to this date the last Molly Hatchet album to achieve gold status. Hlubek left in early 1987 to recover from his drug addiction. In 1989, the album Lightning Strikes Twice
was released, the first to feature Hlubek's replacement Bobby Ingram, who had already been a guitarist in The Danny Joe Brown Band. 1990 saw the announcement of Molly Hatchet's final show in Ohio, before their disbandment.
and a worsening of his chronic diabetes
, Brown had to leave the band, bringing in lead singer Phil McCormack (formerly of the Northern Virginia
bands Jazzbo McMann and The Dixie Roadducks) to finish the album Devil's Canyon
.
During the rest of the 1990s, the band's line-up curiously contained not a single original member who had performed in Molly Hatchet prior to 1984; 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 an "original" member himself, as was John Galvin. Tours during the late 1990s saw enthusiastic audiences largely unconcerned with this fact. At this point, the band consisted of vocalist Phil McCormack, guitarists Bobby Ingram and Bryan Bassett
(former Wild Cherry
), keyboardist John Galvin, bassist Andy McKinney, and drummer Mac Crawford. In 1998, this line-up band recorded the album Silent Reign of Heroes
.
In 1999, the band traveled coast to coast with Charlie Daniels
and the Volunteer Jam
. Guitarist Mike Owings joined in June 1999 and toured until March 2000, when he departed due to health reasons. This was the last line-up which included three guitarists.
was recorded and released in Europe, where the band went on tour to promote the album. It was released in the United States in 2001. Locked and Loaded, 25th Anniversary: Best of Re-Recorded (2003) and Warriors of the Rainbow Bridge
(2005) followed.
In June 2000, Ingram became the sole owner of the trade and service mark "Molly Hatchet", acquired from Pat Armstrong the original manager of the band. In January 2005, Ingram invited Hlubek to rejoin Molly Hatchet where he remains today.
Danny Joe Brown died on March 10, 2005, less than an hour after returning to his home in Davie, Florida
from a four week hospitalization. He was 53. He had previously left the group after suffering a massive stroke in 1995 while driving to his brother's house. In defiance of 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. His death was listed as being of "natural causes" according to a June 25, 2006 obituary in the Boston Globe
.
Former Molly Hatchet members Steve Holland, Bruce Crump
, Jimmy Farrar and Riff West still perform together in a group called Gator Country
. Original guitarist Duane Roland
also played in this group from its inception in 2005 until his death in 2006.
Southern rock
Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music, and genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitar and vocals...
band formed in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, in 1975. They are widely known for their hit song "Flirtin' with Disaster
Flirtin' with Disaster (song)
"Flirtin' with Disaster" is a song by the southern rock band Molly Hatchet. It is the only single from the band's second album, Flirtin' with Disaster. The song remained on the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks, peaking at 42. The song is Molly Hatchet's most famous, and has appeared in the film The...
" from the album of the same title
Flirtin' with Disaster
Flirtin' with Disaster is the second studio album by American southern rock band Molly Hatchet, released in 1979 . In 2001, Sony Music re-issued the album under their subsidiary label Epic/Legacy with the production of Jeff Magid and four bonus tracks.The cover is a painting by Frank Frazetta...
. The band, founded by Dave Hlubek
Dave Hlubek
David Lawrence Hlubek [pronounced "LOO'-bek"] was born on August 28, 1951. He is the lead guitarist and founding member of the Southern Rock band Molly Hatchet.-Biography:...
and Steve Holland, took its name from a prostitute who allegedly mutilated and decapitated
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
her clients. Most of Molly Hatchet album covers feature eye-catching heroic fantasy
Heroic fantasy
Heroic fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy which chronicles the tales of heroes in imaginary lands. Unlike stories of sword and sorcery, heroic fantasy narratives tend to be intricate in plot, often involving many peoples, nations and lands. Grand battles and the fate of the world are common themes,...
inspired art, some of which were painted by renowned artists, like Frank Frazetta
Frank Frazetta
Frank Frazetta was an American fantasy and science fiction artist, noted for work in comic books, paperback book covers, paintings, posters, LP record album covers and other media...
and Boris Vallejo
Boris Vallejo
Boris Vallejo is a Peruvian-born American painter. He immigrated to the United States in 1964, and he currently resides in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He frequently works with Julie Bell, his wife, painter, and model....
.
1970s
Based in Jacksonville, FloridaJacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, Molly Hatchet shared influences and inspiration with the most well-known act in the Southern rock
Southern rock
Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music, and genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitar and vocals...
genre, Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
as well as another up-and-coming Southern rock act, .38 Special, who referred them to manager Pat Armstrong. His interest in Molly Hatchet led to a recording contract with Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
, bringing in Tom Werman
Tom Werman
Tom Werman was an A&R man and record producer for Epic Records from 1970 into 1982. He has produced albums by acts including Mother's Finest, Ted Nugent, Cheap Trick, Molly Hatchet, Blue Öyster Cult, Mötley Crüe, Twisted Sister, Stryper, Kix, LA Guns, and Poison. While in A&R at Epic Records, he...
as a producer. Werman had already worked with acts such as Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of members Robin Zander , Rick Nielsen , Tom Petersson , and Bun E...
, Stranger
Stranger (band)
Stranger was a band based in Tampa, FL, formed in the early '80s. Stranger toured the U.S. as opening act for many prominent headliners throughout the '80s.-History:...
and Ted Nugent
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...
. Ronnie Van Zant was slated to produce Molly Hatchet's first album, having helped in writing arrangements and directing rehearsals prior to his fatal airplane crash. Molly Hatchet actually cut their first demos
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
in Lynyrd Skynyrd's 8-track
Multitrack recording
Multitrack recording is a method of sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create a cohesive whole...
recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
using their equipment.
Prior to the band's signing with Epic Records, they often toured the Florida roadhouse and bar circuit. Dave Hlubek
Dave Hlubek
David Lawrence Hlubek [pronounced "LOO'-bek"] was born on August 28, 1951. He is the lead guitarist and founding member of the Southern Rock band Molly Hatchet.-Biography:...
was the band's vocalist prior to Danny Joe Brown
Danny Joe Brown
Danny Joe Brown, was a member of the Southern rock group Molly Hatchet, and singer and co-writer of the band's biggest hits from the late 1970s....
, and wrote and co-produced many of the band's songs. Hlubek has stated that the demise of Lynyrd Skynyrd – who were at the height of their success – opened the door for Molly Hatchet.
The result of the teaming of Tom Werman, a producer known for working with straight hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
acts, with a Southern-influenced band led to a new development in the Southern rock genre. Combining boogie
Boogie
Boogie is a repetitive, swung note or shuffle rhythm, "groove" or pattern used in blues which was originally played on the piano in boogie-woogie music. The characteristic rhythm and feel of the boogie was then adapted to guitar, double bass, and other instruments. The earliest recorded...
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and hard rock, Molly Hatchet's sound was different from more country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
-influenced acts such as Outlaws. Like the area's other Southern rock acts, their music typically expressed the values, hopes and excesses of 1970s-era young adults in a Southern metropolitan area like Jacksonville, in addition to Southern ("Gator Country", "Sweet Dixie") and Western themes ("Edge of Sundown", "Bounty Hunter", "Gunsmoke").
The band recorded and released their first album, Molly Hatchet
Molly Hatchet (album)
Molly Hatchet is the self-titled debut album by American southern rock band Molly Hatchet, released in 1978 . The cover is a painting by Frank Frazetta entitled "The Death Dealer"...
in 1978, followed by Flirtin' with Disaster
Flirtin' with Disaster
Flirtin' with Disaster is the second studio album by American southern rock band Molly Hatchet, released in 1979 . In 2001, Sony Music re-issued the album under their subsidiary label Epic/Legacy with the production of Jeff Magid and four bonus tracks.The cover is a painting by Frank Frazetta...
in 1979. Molly Hatchet proceeded to tour behind the record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
, building a larger fan
Fan (person)
A Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...
base. Danny Joe Brown, whose gruff voice and tough yet amicable persona had defined the act to that point, left the band in 1980, only to return two years later.
1980s
When Brown left the group to form The Danny Joe Brown BandThe Danny Joe Brown Band
The Danny Joe Brown Band was founded by lead singer Danny Joe Brown in 1980. Danny Joe Brown had just left the southern rock band Molly Hatchet, which had followed in the footsteps of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Outlaws to achieve wide national success with two multi-platinum albums and international...
with future Molly Hatchet guitarist Bobby Ingram, he was replaced by vocalist Jimmy Farrar, coming from the cover band
Cover band
A cover band , is a band that plays mostly or exclusively cover songs. New or unknown bands often find the cover band format marketable for smaller gigs, and these bands may be known as a wedding band, party band and function band. A band whose covers consist mainly of songs that were chart hits is...
Raw Energy out of Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Fort Walton Beach is a city in southern Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. As of 2005, the population estimate for Fort Walton Beach was 19,992, and as of 2010, the population estimate for Fort Walton Beach is 19,507 recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau...
. Along with Farrar came a new approach to the band's sound. The earlier albums feature more variation in guitar tone and style and exhibit a distinct southern cultural influence – which changed with the addition of Farrar on vocals. By this time, acts such as Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
had made harder heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
-influenced rock popular in the 1980s. This fact was not lost on the band and their producer. Danny Joe Brown's stage persona, gruff voice and cowboy horse-whistling had matched well with the overtly southern-influenced sounds of his era. Farrar's new vocal style, mixed with a new harder-rocking sound saw Molly Hatchet enjoy a rise in popularity in the early 1980s. As part of this trend, also .38 Special enjoyed a string of hits and MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
videos in the early 1980s with a polished style that had moved even farther from the traditional country/southern sound.
With the success of the more, harder-rocking Beatin' the Odds
Beatin' the Odds
Beatin' the Odds is the third studio album by American southern rock band Molly Hatchet, released in 1980 . This is the first album with new vocalist Jimmy Farrar, who replaced Danny Joe Brown. A remastered edition of the album was issued in 2008 by Rock Candy Records, with four live bonus tracks...
release, the band ventured even farther away from the southern rock sound of their first albums. By 1981, Molly Hatchet had almost completely abandoned their original style of 1978 for a straight-ahead rock style and a slicker production, exhibited on the Take No Prisoners
Take No Prisoners (Molly Hatchet album)
Take No Prisoners is the fourth studio album by American southern rock band Molly Hatchet, released in 1981 . This is the second and last studio album released with lead singer Jimmy Farrar and the last one with original bass player Banner Thomas, who left the band in 1982.-Track listing:#"Bloody...
release of the same year. This album had a less than warm reception from many of the fans of the first hour, but the band remained still a successful act on the touring circuit. Founding member and bass player Banner Thomas left in late 1981 and was replaced by Riff West, while Farrar left Molly Hatchet in May 1982 to mind to his own family. He would later rejoin other members of Molly Hatchet in Southern Rock Allstars
Southern Rock Allstars
The Southern Rock Allstars are a band that got its name from the history/lineage of its former members all of whom were connected with Southern rock...
and Gator Country
Gator Country
Gator Country is an American Southern rock band formed in Davie, Florida in 2005 by several ex-members of the Southern rock group Molly Hatchet...
.
Brown rejoined the band in 1982 and B. B. Borden (also known as B. B. Queen when he played in the funk rock
Funk rock
Funk rock is a music genre that fuses funk and rock elements. Its earliest incarnation was heard in the late 1960s through the mid-1970s by acts such as the Jimi Hendrix Experience , Eric Burdon and War, Trapeze, Parliament-Funkadelic, Betty Davis and Mother's Finest. The 1990s were known for acts...
band Mother's Finest
Mother's Finest
Mother's Finest is a funk rock band founded in Atlanta, Georgia by Joyce Kennedy and Glenn Murdock in the early 1970s. The group charted with the singles "Fire" , "Baby Love" , "Don't Wanna Come Back" , "Love Changes" , and "Piece Of The Rock" in the mid to late 1970s.-History:Mother's Finest...
) replaced Crump on drums. In 1983, this line-up released a new album titled No Guts...No Glory
No Guts...No Glory
No Guts...No Glory is the fifth studio album by American southern rock band Molly Hatchet, released in 1983 . Original vocalist Danny Joe Brown returns for this recording, with a new rhythm section composed by Riff West and ex-Mother's Finest Barry Borden. It is their only album not to feature an...
. Steve Holland left the band in 1984 and was replaced by keyboardist John Galvin, putting an end to Molly Hatche characteristic of having three lead guitarists. This period saw the band return to the more overt southern style it had displayed on its debut record in 1978. 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 Peacemakers". Critics hailed No Guts...No Glory as the band's true return to form, but southern rock no longer enjoyed the widespread appeal it had previously. As a result, the record went largely unnoticed, in contrast to the glory years of 1979's Flirtin' with Disaster, but did rejuvenate interest from the band's fan base, who had started to drift after the uncharacteristic Take No Prisoners album of 1981.
In 1984 came the release of the album The Deed Is Done
The Deed Is Done
The Deed Is Done is the sixth studio album by American southern rock band Molly Hatchet, released in 1984. This is the first Molly Hatchet album with only two guitarists, after Steve Holland had been replaced by ex-Danny Joe Brown Band keyboard player John Galvin...
, a straightforward pop/rock offering, with Bruce Crump
Bruce Crump
Bruce Crump was the longtime drummer with the rock band Molly Hatchet. He left in 1982 and rejoined in 1984, and left again sometime around 1990. He also played as a member of Canadian band Streetheart in the early 80's, and appeared on their Live After Dark recording...
back behind the drum kit to replace B. B. Borden. Then in 1985, the double live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
Double Trouble Live
Double Trouble Live
Double Trouble Live is a double LP live album by American southern rock band Molly Hatchet, released in 1985. Two previously unreleased songs, "Walk on the Side of the Angels" and "Walk with You" were omitted in the CD edition to fit all the music on a single compact disc...
was released. The greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
collection Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits (Molly Hatchet album)
Greatest Hits is a compilation of songs by American southern rock band Molly Hatchet. The collection was released in 1985 with two new songs and is the last album released by Epic Records...
was also released in 1985 and was to this date the last Molly Hatchet album to achieve gold status. Hlubek left in early 1987 to recover from his drug addiction. In 1989, the album Lightning Strikes Twice
Lightning Strikes Twice
Lightning Strikes Twice is the seventh studio album by American southern rock band Molly Hatchet, released in 1989 . This is the first studio album released without founding member Dave Hlubek, who retired from the music scene to recover from his drug addiction...
was released, the first to feature Hlubek's replacement Bobby Ingram, who had already been a guitarist in The Danny Joe Brown Band. 1990 saw the announcement of Molly Hatchet's final show in Ohio, before their disbandment.
1990s
The 1990 retirement announcement couldn't keep a revised band from reforming around Brown and Ingram. A new line-up of Molly Hatchet played selected shows and tours, but pulled back from recording new albums for five years. However, by the mid-1990s, they were again working on a new studio album with German producer Kalle Trapp. However in 1996, after a strokeStroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
and a worsening of his chronic diabetes
Diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced...
, Brown had to leave the band, bringing in lead singer Phil McCormack (formerly of the Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia consists of several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in a widespread region generally radiating southerly and westward from Washington, D.C...
bands Jazzbo McMann and The Dixie Roadducks) to finish the album Devil's Canyon
Devil's Canyon (album)
Devil's Canyon is the eighth studio album by American southern rock band Molly Hatchet, released in 1996 . The album was recorded seven years after Lightning Strikes Twice, with only Danny Joe Brown of the original line-up...
.
During the rest of the 1990s, the band's line-up curiously contained not a single original member who had performed in Molly Hatchet prior to 1984; 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 an "original" member himself, as was John Galvin. Tours during the late 1990s saw enthusiastic audiences largely unconcerned with this fact. At this point, the band consisted of vocalist Phil McCormack, guitarists Bobby Ingram and Bryan Bassett
Bryan Bassett
Bryan Bassett is an American guitarist who has played with several notable bands but is probably best known as a member of Wild Cherry in the 1970s who had a huge hit with "Play That Funky Music."-Early career:...
(former Wild Cherry
Wild Cherry (band)
Wild Cherry was a funk/rock band best known for their funk song "Play That Funky Music".-History:Rob Parissi was raised in the steel mill town of Mingo Junction, Ohio. Parissi graduated from Mingo High School in 1968. Rob formed the band Wild Cherry in 1970 in Steubenville, Ohio, one mile north of...
), keyboardist John Galvin, bassist Andy McKinney, and drummer Mac Crawford. In 1998, this line-up band recorded the album Silent Reign of Heroes
Silent Reign of Heroes
Silent Reign of Heroes is the ninth studio album by American southern rock band Molly Hatchet, released on June 16, 1998.-Track listing:# "Mississippi Moon Dog" – 3:47...
.
In 1999, the band traveled coast to coast with Charlie Daniels
Charlie Daniels
Charles Edward "Charlie" Daniels is an American musician known for his contributions to country and southern rock music. He is known primarily for his number one country hit "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", and multiple other songs he has performed and written. Daniels has been active as a singer...
and the Volunteer Jam
Volunteer Jam
The Volunteer Jam was the annual Charlie Daniels Band concert first held on October 4, 1974 at the War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee This was the beginning of a tradition....
. Guitarist Mike Owings joined in June 1999 and toured until March 2000, when he departed due to health reasons. This was the last line-up which included three guitarists.
2000s
In 2000, the album Kingdom of XIIKingdom of XII
Kingdom of XII is the tenth studio album by American southern rock band Molly Hatchet, released in 2000 by the German label SPV. It was reissued in the United States in 2001 by CMC International, a division of Sanctuary Records Group.- Track listing :...
was recorded and released in Europe, where the band went on tour to promote the album. It was released in the United States in 2001. Locked and Loaded, 25th Anniversary: Best of Re-Recorded (2003) and Warriors of the Rainbow Bridge
Warriors of the Rainbow Bridge
Warriors of the Rainbow Bridge is an album by American southern rock band Molly Hatchet, released on May 24, 2005 , two months after former singer Danny Joe Brown died from complications of pneumonia...
(2005) followed.
In June 2000, Ingram became the sole owner of the trade and service mark "Molly Hatchet", acquired from Pat Armstrong the original manager of the band. In January 2005, Ingram invited Hlubek to rejoin Molly Hatchet where he remains today.
Danny Joe Brown died on March 10, 2005, less than an hour after returning to his home in Davie, Florida
Davie, Florida
Davie is a town in Broward County, Florida, United States. The town's population was 91,992 at the 2010 census.- History :Davie was founded by Jake Tannebaum and Tamara Toussaint. The original name of the town was Zona. In 1909 R.P. Davie assisted then Governor Broward by draining the swamplands...
from a four week hospitalization. He was 53. He had previously left the group after suffering a massive stroke in 1995 while driving to his brother's house. In defiance of 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
Flirtin' with Disaster (song)
"Flirtin' with Disaster" is a song by the southern rock band Molly Hatchet. It is the only single from the band's second album, Flirtin' with Disaster. The song remained on the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks, peaking at 42. The song is Molly Hatchet's most famous, and has appeared in the film The...
".
On Monday, June 19, 2006, founding guitarist Duane Roland
Duane Roland
Duane Roland was an American guitarist for the rock band Molly Hatchet. He was a member of the band from its founding in in the mid 1970s until his departure in 1990. During that time he recorded seven albums with the band. He is credited with co-writing some of the band's biggest hits, including...
died at his home in St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine is a city in the northeast section of Florida and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer and admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, it is the oldest continuously occupied European-established city and port in the continental United...
at the age of 53. His death was listed as being of "natural causes" according to a June 25, 2006 obituary in the Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
.
Former Molly Hatchet members Steve Holland, Bruce Crump
Bruce Crump
Bruce Crump was the longtime drummer with the rock band Molly Hatchet. He left in 1982 and rejoined in 1984, and left again sometime around 1990. He also played as a member of Canadian band Streetheart in the early 80's, and appeared on their Live After Dark recording...
, Jimmy Farrar and Riff West still perform together in a group called Gator Country
Gator Country
Gator Country is an American Southern rock band formed in Davie, Florida in 2005 by several ex-members of the Southern rock group Molly Hatchet...
. Original guitarist Duane Roland
Duane Roland
Duane Roland was an American guitarist for the rock band Molly Hatchet. He was a member of the band from its founding in in the mid 1970s until his departure in 1990. During that time he recorded seven albums with the band. He is credited with co-writing some of the band's biggest hits, including...
also played in this group from its inception in 2005 until his death in 2006.
Studio albums
| Year | Album | US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
RIAA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Molly Hatchet Molly Hatchet (album) Molly Hatchet is the self-titled debut album by American southern rock band Molly Hatchet, released in 1978 . The cover is a painting by Frank Frazetta entitled "The Death Dealer"... |
64 | Platinum |
| 1979 | Flirtin' with Disaster Flirtin' with Disaster Flirtin' with Disaster is the second studio album by American southern rock band Molly Hatchet, released in 1979 . In 2001, Sony Music re-issued the album under their subsidiary label Epic/Legacy with the production of Jeff Magid and four bonus tracks.The cover is a painting by Frank Frazetta... |
19 | 2xMulti-Platinum |
| 1980 | Beatin' the Odds Beatin' the Odds Beatin' the Odds is the third studio album by American southern rock band Molly Hatchet, released in 1980 . This is the first album with new vocalist Jimmy Farrar, who replaced Danny Joe Brown. A remastered edition of the album was issued in 2008 by Rock Candy Records, with four live bonus tracks... |
25 | Platinum |
| 1981 | Take No Prisoners Take No Prisoners (Molly Hatchet album) Take No Prisoners is the fourth studio album by American southern rock band Molly Hatchet, released in 1981 . This is the second and last studio album released with lead singer Jimmy Farrar and the last one with original bass player Banner Thomas, who left the band in 1982.-Track listing:#"Bloody... |
36 | — |
| 1983 | No Guts...No Glory No Guts...No Glory No Guts...No Glory is the fifth studio album by American southern rock band Molly Hatchet, released in 1983 . Original vocalist Danny Joe Brown returns for this recording, with a new rhythm section composed by Riff West and ex-Mother's Finest Barry Borden. It is their only album not to feature an... |
59 | — |
| 1984 | The Deed Is Done The Deed Is Done The Deed Is Done is the sixth studio album by American southern rock band Molly Hatchet, released in 1984. This is the first Molly Hatchet album with only two guitarists, after Steve Holland had been replaced by ex-Danny Joe Brown Band keyboard player John Galvin... |
120 | — |
| 1989 | Lightning Strikes Twice Lightning Strikes Twice Lightning Strikes Twice is the seventh studio album by American southern rock band Molly Hatchet, released in 1989 . This is the first studio album released without founding member Dave Hlubek, who retired from the music scene to recover from his drug addiction... |
— | — |
| 1996 | Devil's Canyon Devil's Canyon (album) Devil's Canyon is the eighth studio album by American southern rock band Molly Hatchet, released in 1996 . The album was recorded seven years after Lightning Strikes Twice, with only Danny Joe Brown of the original line-up... |
— | — |
| 1998 | Silent Reign of Heroes Silent Reign of Heroes Silent Reign of Heroes is the ninth studio album by American southern rock band Molly Hatchet, released on June 16, 1998.-Track listing:# "Mississippi Moon Dog" – 3:47... |
— | — |
| 2000 | Kingdom of XII Kingdom of XII Kingdom of XII is the tenth studio album by American southern rock band Molly Hatchet, released in 2000 by the German label SPV. It was reissued in the United States in 2001 by CMC International, a division of Sanctuary Records Group.- Track listing :... |
— | — |
| 2005 | Warriors of the Rainbow Bridge Warriors of the Rainbow Bridge Warriors of the Rainbow Bridge is an album by American southern rock band Molly Hatchet, released on May 24, 2005 , two months after former singer Danny Joe Brown died from complications of pneumonia... |
— | — |
| 2008 | Southern Rock Masters | — | — |
| 2010 | Justice | — | — |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart, not released, or not certified | |||
Live albums
- Molly Hatchet Live E/P/A Series (1981)
- Double Trouble LiveDouble Trouble LiveDouble Trouble Live is a double LP live album by American southern rock band Molly Hatchet, released in 1985. Two previously unreleased songs, "Walk on the Side of the Angels" and "Walk with You" were omitted in the CD edition to fit all the music on a single compact disc...
(1985) #130 US - Live At The Agora Ballroom Atlanta Georgia (2000)
- Locked and Loaded (2003)
- Greatest Hits Live (2003)
- Live!: Extended Versions (2004)
- Flirtin' With Disaster Live (2007)
Compilations
- Beatin the Odds E/P/A Series (1980)
- Greatest HitsGreatest Hits (Molly Hatchet album)Greatest Hits is a compilation of songs by American southern rock band Molly Hatchet. The collection was released in 1985 with two new songs and is the last album released by Epic Records...
(1985) (Gold) - Cut to the Bone (1995)
- Revisited (1996)
- Super Hits (1998)
- 25th Anniversary: Best of Re-Recorded (2004)
- Greatest Hits II (2011)
Bootlegs
- Astral Game (1980)
- Gods and Knights (1984)
- Double Live (1985)
Radio Shows
- Molly Hatchet Innerview (1978)
- Molly Hatchet -Climax Blues Band BBC (1979) (Reading Festival)
- Molly Hatchet - 38 Special KBFH (1980)
- Molly Hatchet Innerview (1981)
- Molly Hatchet Best of the Biscuit KBFH (1981)
- Molly Hatchet KBFH (1982)
- Molly Hatchet In Concert 1 (1982)
- Molly Hatchet In Concert 2 (1983)
- Molly Hatchet Captured Live (1984)
- Molly Hatchet In Concert 3 (1984)
- Molly Hatchet - Marshall Tucker In Concert (1996)
Current members
- Dave HlubekDave HlubekDavid Lawrence Hlubek [pronounced "LOO'-bek"] was born on August 28, 1951. He is the lead guitarist and founding member of the Southern Rock band Molly Hatchet.-Biography:...
- Guitars ('78–'86, '05-present) - John Galvin - Keyboards ('83–'91, '95-present)
- Bobby Ingram - Guitars ('85-present)
- Phil McCormack - Vocals ('96-present)
- Shawn Beamer - Drums ('01-present)
- Tim Lindsey - Bass ('03-present)
Former members
- Duane RolandDuane RolandDuane Roland was an American guitarist for the rock band Molly Hatchet. He was a member of the band from its founding in in the mid 1970s until his departure in 1990. During that time he recorded seven albums with the band. He is credited with co-writing some of the band's biggest hits, including...
- Guitars ('78–'90) - Steve Holland - Guitars ('78–'83)
- Bruce CrumpBruce CrumpBruce Crump was the longtime drummer with the rock band Molly Hatchet. He left in 1982 and rejoined in 1984, and left again sometime around 1990. He also played as a member of Canadian band Streetheart in the early 80's, and appeared on their Live After Dark recording...
- Drums ('78–'82, '84–'90) - Banner Thomas - Bass ('78–'81)
- Danny Joe BrownDanny Joe BrownDanny Joe Brown, was a member of the Southern rock group Molly Hatchet, and singer and co-writer of the band's biggest hits from the late 1970s....
- Vocals ('78–'80, '82–'96) - Melvin Powell - Keyboards ('78)
- Jimmy Farrar - Vocals ('80–'82)
- Steve Wheeler - Bass ('80)
- David Feagle - Drums ('80, '89-'91)
- Jimmy Glenn - Drums ('80)
- Kenny McVay - Guitars ('80)
- Riff West - Bass ('82–'85)
- B.B. Borden - Drums ('82–'84)
- Mac Crawford - Drums ('90-'98)
- Eddie Rio - Bass ('90)
- Rob Sweat - Bass ('90–'93)
- Rob Scavetto - Keyboards ('90-'93)
- Rik Blanz - Guitars ('90-'93)
- Kevin Rian - Bass ('91-'93)
- Kenny Holton - Drums ('91)
- Eric Lundgren - Guitars ('93)
- Mike Kach - Guitars ('93)
- Bryan BassettBryan BassettBryan Bassett is an American guitarist who has played with several notable bands but is probably best known as a member of Wild Cherry in the 1970s who had a huge hit with "Play That Funky Music."-Early career:...
- Guitars ('94-'00) - Andy Orth - Guitars ('94-'95)
- Buzzy Meekins - Bass ('94-'95)
- Andy McKinney - Bass ('96-'01)
- Chuck Modrey - Vocals ('96)
- Tim Donovan - Keyboards ('97-'02)
- Sean Shannon - Drums ('98-'01)
- Mike Owings -Guitars ('99–'00)
- Russ Maxwell - Guitars ('00-'04)
- Doc Warnock - Bass ('02–'03)
- Jerry Scott - Bass ('02-'03, '04)
- J.J. Strickland - Bass ('03-'04, '04)
- Rich DelFalvo - Keyboards ('04-'05)
- Richie Del Favero - Guitars ('04-'05)
External links
- The Official Molly Hatchet Website
- http://LongIslandSouthernJam.com May 22, 2010 Concert on Long Island