The Danny Joe Brown Band
Encyclopedia
The Danny Joe Brown Band (DJBB) was founded by lead singer Danny Joe Brown
in 1980. Danny Joe Brown had just left the southern rock
band Molly Hatchet
, which had followed in the footsteps of Lynyrd Skynyrd
and Outlaws to achieve wide national success with two multi-platinum albums and international recognition with intensive world tours.
The first line-up of the band, besides Danny Joe Brown, consisted of Bobby Ingram (guitar
/slide guitar
/vocals), Steve Wheeler (guitar/slide guitar/vocals), Kenny McVay (guitar), John Galvin (keyboards/vocals),Buzzy Meekin (bass
/vocals) and Jimmy Glenn (drums
). Ingram was an old acquaintance of Brown, having played with him in some club bands before he joined Molly Hatchet in 1974.
The musical emphasis of the new band remained quite close to the original style that Molly Hatchet had originated, with no frills southern rock songs about southern/western flavored topics such as gambling and The Alamo. Interestingly, at the same time, his former band was starting to lean more towards a straight ahead hard rock
approach.
The band signed with the major label Epic Records
, the same label that Molly Hatchet was on, which released their only self-titled album in 1981. The album was recorded at Compass Point Studios
, Nassau, Bahamas
and produced by legendary Glyn Johns
, whose credits among countless others include: The Beatles
, Led Zeppelin
and The Eagles. The album featured the almost cliché cut that started out a slower more serious chord progression that evolves into the three guitar lead jam exactly as Lynyrd Skynyrd's famous song, "Free Bird
" had done. The Danny Joe Brown Band's contribution to this format was the song "Edge of Sundown". Clearly, this song demonstrated the Florida southern rock acts recognition that a song based on the "Free Bird" format was sure to be a crowd-pleaser. The Outlaws had similarly done exactly the same thing with their song, "Green Grass and High Tides
" which became their most famous and requested song. In addition to "Edge of Sundown", Wheeler's song "Nobody Walks on Me" was also submitted to MTV
and enjoyed rotation.
The Danny Joe Brown Band toured nationally to promote their album to noticeably smaller crowds than Danny Joe had experienced with Molly Hatchet, although they were billed as the opening act for Blackfoot
on that band's highly successful Marauder tour in 1981. Danny Joe Brown had to find a replacement band after the entire group quit just prior to the Eastern Seaboard leg of the band's US solo album tour from February through May 1982. The new members were a three-guitar lineup featuring Al Tuten, Jimmy Polston and Billy Poovey, bassist Ronnie Able, and drummer Shane Bressette, all previously known as Revelation from Beaufort, South Carolina
. At the completion of the album tour, Brown returned to Molly Hatchet after giving this latest touring outfit his blessings to continue on under the name of Bounty Hunter—which continues on to this day. Shane Bressette died in the early 80s, but the other members continue to tour as Bounty Hunter.
The Danny Joe Brown Band achieved limited success on their own, but multiple members of the original band would eventually go on to join Molly Hatchet. Ironically, at a point in the 1990s, that decade's version of Molly Hatchet was being captained by a veteran of the Danny Joe Brown Band, Bobby Ingram, while the three original members of Molly Hatchet that had made the band famous were legally forced to perform under the name Gator Country
due to legal contracts. So in that limited sense, the Danny Joe Brown Band has bested its lead singer's original act by gaining legal control of the copyright name Molly Hatchet. This somewhat lessened when Bobby Ingram rightfully invited original guitarist Dave Hlubek
back into the band in 2005.
Danny Joe Brown
Danny Joe Brown, was a member of the Southern rock group Molly Hatchet, and singer and co-writer of the band's biggest hits from the late 1970s....
in 1980. Danny Joe Brown had just left the southern rock
Southern rock
Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music, and genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitar and vocals...
band Molly Hatchet
Molly Hatchet
Molly Hatchet is an American southern rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1975. They are widely known for their hit song "Flirtin' with Disaster" from the album of the same title. The band, founded by Dave Hlubek and Steve Holland, took its name from a prostitute who allegedly mutilated...
, which had followed in the footsteps of Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
and Outlaws to achieve wide national success with two multi-platinum albums and international recognition with intensive world tours.
The first line-up of the band, besides Danny Joe Brown, consisted of Bobby Ingram (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
/slide guitar
Slide guitar
Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
/vocals), Steve Wheeler (guitar/slide guitar/vocals), Kenny McVay (guitar), John Galvin (keyboards/vocals),Buzzy Meekin (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
/vocals) and Jimmy Glenn (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
). Ingram was an old acquaintance of Brown, having played with him in some club bands before he joined Molly Hatchet in 1974.
The musical emphasis of the new band remained quite close to the original style that Molly Hatchet had originated, with no frills southern rock songs about southern/western flavored topics such as gambling and The Alamo. Interestingly, at the same time, his former band was starting to lean more towards a straight ahead hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
approach.
The band signed with the major label Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
, the same label that Molly Hatchet was on, which released their only self-titled album in 1981. The album was recorded at Compass Point Studios
Compass Point Studios
Compass Point Studios were founded in 1977 by Chris Blackwell, the owner of Island Records.In the late 1970s and mid-1980s, many musical artists from across the world came to the Bahamas to record music at its facilities. Many producers, including Chris Blackwell himself, used the studio to produce...
, Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...
and produced by legendary Glyn Johns
Glyn Johns
Glyn Johns is a musician, recording engineer and record producer.-Career:He has worked with such artists as Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Easybeats, The Band, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Eagles, Eric Clapton, The Clash, The Steve Miller Band, Small Faces, Spooky Tooth, The Ozark...
, whose credits among countless others include: The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
and The Eagles. The album featured the almost cliché cut that started out a slower more serious chord progression that evolves into the three guitar lead jam exactly as Lynyrd Skynyrd's famous song, "Free Bird
Free Bird
"Free Bird" is a song by the American southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...
" had done. The Danny Joe Brown Band's contribution to this format was the song "Edge of Sundown". Clearly, this song demonstrated the Florida southern rock acts recognition that a song based on the "Free Bird" format was sure to be a crowd-pleaser. The Outlaws had similarly done exactly the same thing with their song, "Green Grass and High Tides
Green Grass and High Tides
"Green Grass and High Tides" is a song by the southern rock band Outlaws. It is the tenth and final track on the band's debut album, Outlaws. The song is one of their best known, and has received extensive play on album-oriented radio stations, although it was never released as a single...
" which became their most famous and requested song. In addition to "Edge of Sundown", Wheeler's song "Nobody Walks on Me" was also submitted to MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
and enjoyed rotation.
The Danny Joe Brown Band toured nationally to promote their album to noticeably smaller crowds than Danny Joe had experienced with Molly Hatchet, although they were billed as the opening act for Blackfoot
Blackfoot (band)
Blackfoot is a Southern rock musical ensemble from Jacksonville, Florida organized during 1970. Though they are primarily a Southern rock band, they were known also as a hard rock act....
on that band's highly successful Marauder tour in 1981. Danny Joe Brown had to find a replacement band after the entire group quit just prior to the Eastern Seaboard leg of the band's US solo album tour from February through May 1982. The new members were a three-guitar lineup featuring Al Tuten, Jimmy Polston and Billy Poovey, bassist Ronnie Able, and drummer Shane Bressette, all previously known as Revelation from Beaufort, South Carolina
Beaufort, South Carolina
Beaufort is a city in and the county seat of Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston. The city's population was 12,361 in the 2010 census. It is located in the Hilton Head Island-Beaufort Micropolitan...
. At the completion of the album tour, Brown returned to Molly Hatchet after giving this latest touring outfit his blessings to continue on under the name of Bounty Hunter—which continues on to this day. Shane Bressette died in the early 80s, but the other members continue to tour as Bounty Hunter.
The Danny Joe Brown Band achieved limited success on their own, but multiple members of the original band would eventually go on to join Molly Hatchet. Ironically, at a point in the 1990s, that decade's version of Molly Hatchet was being captained by a veteran of the Danny Joe Brown Band, Bobby Ingram, while the three original members of Molly Hatchet that had made the band famous were legally forced to perform under the name Gator Country
Gator Country
Gator Country is an American Southern rock band formed in Davie, Florida in 2005 by several ex-members of the Southern rock group Molly Hatchet...
due to legal contracts. So in that limited sense, the Danny Joe Brown Band has bested its lead singer's original act by gaining legal control of the copyright name Molly Hatchet. This somewhat lessened when Bobby Ingram rightfully invited original guitarist Dave Hlubek
Dave Hlubek
David Lawrence Hlubek [pronounced "LOO'-bek"] was born on August 28, 1951. He is the lead guitarist and founding member of the Southern Rock band Molly Hatchet.-Biography:...
back into the band in 2005.