A Good Year for the Outlaw

Over the next few days, I’m going to post my list of the 10 most underrated bands/singers, not in any particular order. At the end, I might rank ‘em, but I’m just going to post them for now.

The Kentucky Headhunters

These guys burst onto the scene in 1989 with “Pickin’ On Nashville”, a collection of originals (like “Dumas Walker”) recorded in all seriousness, and a few cover songs, like “Oh, Lonesome Me” and “Walk Softly” that were just recorded for fun/to fill the album. Never did they expect to win a CMA for Top New Group AND a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Group right out of the box.

I know they never expected it, because band founder Richard Young told me so.

After that initial success, their records got better and better, but got played less and less. Why? Because in the 1990’s country radio became run by a bunch of idiot consultants who don’t know what country is, and it’s only gotten worse in the last seven years. Meanwhile, the Headhunters put out killer CD’s with everything from straight country to blues rock to southern rock to straight ahead rock and roll.

They can play uptempo scorchers, they can write and perform delicious ballads. Richard and brother Fred (the drummer with the tremendous, world class sideburns), their cousins Anthony Kenney (bass) and Greg Martin (absolutely STELLAR guitar player) were the original band. called “Itchy Finger”, in the early 80’s.

Anthony Kenney, from what I can tell, is very shy and private, and also I don’t believe fond of touring. So when the band decided to go for the big time and cut an album, the three remaining members were joined by the Phelps Brothers, Doug and Ricky Lee. It is Ricky Lee who sings on the first album.

They left the band to form their own group, Brother Phelps, in 1992 or so, and had some chart success. But they got Anthony Kenney to come back, and along with Mark Orr, kept on going. Orr was a blues man, so the album they did with him was quite bluesy, and in my opinion their only non-outstanding work. Ricky Lee Phelps decided to go solo, so his brother Doug came back to be the Headhunters lead singer, replacing Orr, and the five albums they’ve made with the five current members have been terrific, and all of them have a little bit different sound, as the band is VERY versatile.

“Songs From The Grass String Ranch” is my personal favorite, and when I told Richard I thought it was the finest album in my CD collection, from front to back, without a weak song, he was geniunely moved. Particularly when he asked to SEE that collection, and I brought my 312-CD case (organized by genre, and alphabetized within genre) into the bus and he went through every page.

“Soul”, from 2003, is very good, but still doesn’t match “Grass String…” for me personally, and “Big Boss Man” (2005) is full of their rollicking and incredible covers. When they do a cover, they don’t stick to the map. They get wacky.

Five excellent musicians, a couple of great writers in the band, unique, strong and distinctive vocals with Richard and with Doug Phelps. What more could you ask for?

And best of all, they are geniunely nice people. Normal guys, who just happen to have wild long retro hair and a tour bus. They love kids, they have plenty of their own, their “party days” are behind them, and they just love making music, live and in studio.

Do yourself a favor, doesn’t matter what kind of music you like or dislike, and find a copy of “Songs From The Grass String Ranch”. If you can’t, I’ll burn you a copy for a small fee, which I will then send to Richard.