Kentucky Headhunters no shrinking violets
Tonya Parker Morrison
July 19, 2005
The Kentucky Headhunters just may be the epitome of Southern-fried country, but they are just as likely to rock and roll as pick and pluck.
The rowdy group from the Bluegrass State has made a career out of embracing both the old and the new, the controversial and the mundane, the raw and the polished. But whatever sound they roll out, being a Headhunter is a family affair.
Richard and Fred K. Young are brothers and Anthony Kenney and Greg Martin are their cousins. The only odd limb out on the family tree is Doug Phelps, but even he considers himself just one of the “grapes in the bunch.” The brothers and cousins first joined forces in 1968, playing at grandma’s house and calling themselves the Itchy Brothers. After over a decade of jamming together without much discipline, the individual band members began splintering into solo careers until 1985, when Martin called for a reunion.
We had all been doing our own thing, except for Anthony, who had pretty much left music altogether,” Rich Young said.
It was good to get some independence under our belts, but it also felt great to get back into that groove that only the group has together. There is something magical about all of us playing together, whether it’s at granny’s house or live on stage in front of 10,000 people.”
By 1989, Mercury Records had signed the Headhunters to release a debut, “Pickin’ On Nashville,” unleashing a slew of hits and giving the group a toehold in country music.
The first single, “Dumas Walker,” was a hit at number 15, but it was “Oh, Lonesome Me” that really sent them soaring. Kenney and former Itchy Brother Mark Orr rejoined the Headhunters in the early 90’s, just in time for a group genre makeover from traditional country to a more bluesy sound. On 1993’s “Rave On!” and “That’ll Work,” even more southern rock infused songs were creeping into the bands repertoire, as evident on subsequent releases “Stompin’ Grounds,” “Songs From the Grass String Ranch” and the band’s latest release, 2003’s “Soul.”
Young noted that “Soul” is a milestone of sorts, a throwback to the Deep South, where muddy water laps inland and the smell of barbecue can travel for miles.
Recording it was a new experience for us, exciting and really interesting. We really dug down deep to explore every little nuance of what that Delta sound is all about without duplicating it. We wanted to pay homage to it, of course, but to do that at the same time we were putting our own stamp on it, kind of mixing things up.”
Is he concerned that some of the group’s die-hard country fans will be turned off by the new direction?
Not at all,” he said quickly. “Our sound will still be our sound, no matter what the influences are. WE can’t help but just be the same old backwoods fellas we were when we first started. In fact, I hope that some of our fans will be turned onto something new because of us, something innovative and classic at the same time. Everything evolves, but you can do that without forgetting who you are.”
They even recruited Johnnie Johnson, one of the most respected blues pianists in the world, to the party on “Soul.” Johnson, 73 at the time, had played on stage with the Stones the night before his session with the Headhunters, but went to record with them without hesitation. Jimmy Hall (from Jeff Beck’s tour) and Reese Wynans (of the Dickie Betts Band), along with saxophonist Jim Horn, helped round out what Young calls "the best" musical lineup.
I think that the best live shows come from a good mix of the known and the unknown, so that’s what we are trying to do. We want to give everyone what they expect of us, but then have them expect even more the next time they see us.”
The rowdy group from the Bluegrass State has made a career out of embracing both the old and the new, the controversial and the mundane, the raw and the polished. But whatever sound they roll out, being a Headhunter is a family affair.
Richard and Fred K. Young are brothers and Anthony Kenney and Greg Martin are their cousins. The only odd limb out on the family tree is Doug Phelps, but even he considers himself just one of the “grapes in the bunch.” The brothers and cousins first joined forces in 1968, playing at grandma’s house and calling themselves the Itchy Brothers. After over a decade of jamming together without much discipline, the individual band members began splintering into solo careers until 1985, when Martin called for a reunion.
We had all been doing our own thing, except for Anthony, who had pretty much left music altogether,” Rich Young said.
It was good to get some independence under our belts, but it also felt great to get back into that groove that only the group has together. There is something magical about all of us playing together, whether it’s at granny’s house or live on stage in front of 10,000 people.”
By 1989, Mercury Records had signed the Headhunters to release a debut, “Pickin’ On Nashville,” unleashing a slew of hits and giving the group a toehold in country music.
The first single, “Dumas Walker,” was a hit at number 15, but it was “Oh, Lonesome Me” that really sent them soaring. Kenney and former Itchy Brother Mark Orr rejoined the Headhunters in the early 90’s, just in time for a group genre makeover from traditional country to a more bluesy sound. On 1993’s “Rave On!” and “That’ll Work,” even more southern rock infused songs were creeping into the bands repertoire, as evident on subsequent releases “Stompin’ Grounds,” “Songs From the Grass String Ranch” and the band’s latest release, 2003’s “Soul.”
Young noted that “Soul” is a milestone of sorts, a throwback to the Deep South, where muddy water laps inland and the smell of barbecue can travel for miles.
Recording it was a new experience for us, exciting and really interesting. We really dug down deep to explore every little nuance of what that Delta sound is all about without duplicating it. We wanted to pay homage to it, of course, but to do that at the same time we were putting our own stamp on it, kind of mixing things up.”
Is he concerned that some of the group’s die-hard country fans will be turned off by the new direction?
Not at all,” he said quickly. “Our sound will still be our sound, no matter what the influences are. WE can’t help but just be the same old backwoods fellas we were when we first started. In fact, I hope that some of our fans will be turned onto something new because of us, something innovative and classic at the same time. Everything evolves, but you can do that without forgetting who you are.”
They even recruited Johnnie Johnson, one of the most respected blues pianists in the world, to the party on “Soul.” Johnson, 73 at the time, had played on stage with the Stones the night before his session with the Headhunters, but went to record with them without hesitation. Jimmy Hall (from Jeff Beck’s tour) and Reese Wynans (of the Dickie Betts Band), along with saxophonist Jim Horn, helped round out what Young calls "the best" musical lineup.
I think that the best live shows come from a good mix of the known and the unknown, so that’s what we are trying to do. We want to give everyone what they expect of us, but then have them expect even more the next time they see us.”
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