Kentucky Headhunters
The Kentucky Headhunters come, naturally enough, from Kentucky. Ricky Lee Phelps (b. 8 October 1953, Edmonton, Kentucky, USA; lead vocal) and his brother, Doug (b. 15 December 1960, Edmonton, Kentucky, USA), played in various groups around Kentucky before meeting Greg Martin (b. 31 March 1954, Louisville, Kentucky, USA; lead guitar) in 1984. He introduced them to his cousins, the brothers Richard Young (b. 27 January 1955, Glasgow, Kentucky, USA; rhythm guitar) and Fred Young (b. 8 July 1958, Glasgow, Kentucky, USA; bass). Previously, the Young brothers and Martin had been in a group together, Itchy Brother, which was almost signed to Led Zeppelin's own label Swan Song. Since then, Fred Young had played Patsy Cline's drummer in the 1985 biopic, Sweet Dreams. This time, taking their name from Muddy Waters' band, the Headchoppers, the five musicians financed their own album, Pink, in 1988, and the tracks were subsequently released by Mercury Records, with additional material, on Pickin' On Nashville. Their first US country hit was with a revival of Bill Monroe's "Walk Softly On This Heart Of Mine". This was followed by their anthemic tribute to a 74-year-old marbles champion, Dumas Walker, and then by a revival of Don Gibson's "Oh Lonesome Me".
Listen to Kentucky Headhunters
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Albums
- (2003) Pickin On Nashville
- (1994) The Best Of The Kentucky Headhunters: Still Pickin'
- (1989) Pickin' On Nashville
Top Tracks
- Dumas Walker
- Walk Softly On This Heart of Mine
- Spirit In the Sky
- Oh, Lonesome Me
- The Ballad of Davy Crockett
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