Rock Hard Forever: Molly Hachet

In the early 1970’s a new form of music was emerging in the South. A mixture of blues, country, gospel and the English invasion of rock and roll that later was to be coined the phrase “Southern Rock”. The music was filled with style and emotion and with bands in the forefront such as the Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd and a band from Jacksonville, Florida called “Molly Hatchet”.

Named after a legendary Southern prostitute who allegedly beheaded and mutilated her clients, Jacksonville's Molly Hatchet melded loud hard-rock boogie with guitar jam-oriented Southern rock. Formed in 1975, the group's lineup featured three guitarists -- Dave Hlubek, Steve Holland, and Duane Roland plus vocalist Danny Joe Brown, bassist Banner Thomas, and drummer Bruce Crump.

The group recorded a self-titled debut album in 1978, which quickly went platinum; the follow-up, Flirtin' With Disaster, was even more successful, selling over two million copies. Brown left the group in 1980 after the constant touring became too tiresome; he was replaced by Jimmy Farrar for Beatin' the Odds, but Farrar's voice was less immediately identifiable, and Molly Hatchet's commercial appeal began a slow decline. The band experimented with horns on Take No Prisoners, but Farrar left for a solo career soon afterwards. Brown rejoined the band in 1982, but the ensuing album, No Guts...No Glory, flopped, and guitarist Hlubek insisted on revamping Molly Hatchet's sound. After The Deed is Done, a straightforward pop/rock album, the group took some time off in 1985 while its Double Trouble Live album, a collection of some of its best-known songs, was released.

Molly Hatchet returned in 1989 without Hlubek for an album of straight, polished AOR, Lightning Strikes Twice. Not even the group's fan base bought the record, and they disbanded shortly afterward. Molly Hatchet reunited in the mid-'90s as an active touring outfit, releasing Devil's Canyon, their first record since Lightning Strikes Twice, in 1996. Continuing to recapture the style of their glory days, Silent Reign of Heroes followed in 1998, and Kingdom of XII appeared in early 2001. A slew of live recordings appeared during the next few years, and the band's studio follow-up, Warriors of the Rainbow Bridge, was released in 2005.

Current Members

John Galvin : Keyboard
Dave Hlubek : Guitar
Shawn Beamer : Drums
Bobby Ingram : Guitar
Tim Lindsey : Bass ex-Lynyrd Skynyrd
Phil Mc Cormack : Vocals

Former Members

Russ Maxwell
Tim Donovan
Sean Shannon
Bryan Bassett
Mac Crawford
Jimmy Farrar
Riff West
Andy McKinney
Banner Thomas
Steve Holland
Duane Roland
Danny Joe Brown
Bruce Crump

Discography

Warriors Of The Rainbow Bridge (2005 )
Locked And Loaded (2003)
The Essential Molly Hatchet (2003)
Flirtin' With Disaster (2001)
Kingdom Of XII (2000)
Silent Reign Of Heroes (1998)
Cut To The Bone (1996)
Devil's Canyon (1996)
Lightning Strikes Twice (1989)
Double Trouble Live (1985)
The Deed Is Done (1985)
The Deed Is Done (1984)
No Guts, No Glory (1983)
Take No Prisoners (1981)
Beatin' The Odds (1980)
Flirtin' With Disaster (1979)
Molly Hatchet (1978)

Official website: http://www.mollyhatchet.com

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Fall of the Peacemaker (Live)