Named after a legendary Southern prostitute who allegedly beheaded and mutilated her clients, Jacksonville's
Molly Hatchet meld loud hard rock boogie with guitar jam-oriented Southern rock. Formed in 1975, the group's original lineup featured three guitarists --
Dave Hlubek,
Steve Holland, and
Duane Roland -- plus vocalist
Danny Joe Brown, bassist
Banner Thomas, and drummer
Bruce Crump. They 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
Molly Hatchet disbanded shortly afterward. They 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. Their 13th album,
Justice, appeared in 2010.
–
Steve Huey, Rovi