The Kentucky Headhunters

The Kentucky Headhunters tore up the country scene in the late ’80s and early ’90s with a raw, rocking sound that mixed country, blues, rockabilly, and Southern rock. They officially began in 1986, but most of the members had been together in a band called Itchy Brother founded in Glasgow, KY, in 1968. Guitarist Greg Martin and his cousins, brothers drummer Fred Young and guitarist Richard Young, were the veterans, while singer Ricky Lee Phelps and his bassist brother Doug were the new arrivals. Their first album, 1989’s Pickin’ on Nashville, brought a rough-edged, roots-rocking sound when Nashville really needed it, and they were immediately embraced by country audiences. The record eventually went double Platinum and birthed a string of country hits, the biggest being a rocked-up take on Don Gibson’s “Oh Lonesome Me.” The 1991 follow-up, Electric Barnyard, was only moderately successful; the band nonetheless never altered their style. Through peaks and valleys, The Kentucky Headhunters have stuck it out and stayed true to their sound, as on latter-day releases like 2021’s ....That’s a Fact Jack.