| Legendary Shack Shakers | |
|---|---|
Legendary Shack Shakers in Nashville, TN, 2010. |
|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Nashville, Tennessee, USA |
| Genres | Folk Punk, punk blues, alt-country |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | Colonel Knowledge YepRoc Bloodshot Spinout |
| Members | |
| J.D. Wilkes - vocals, harmonica, banjo Mark Robertson - upright bass, electric bass, backing vocals Duane Denison - guitar Brett Whitacre - drums |
|
| Past members | |
| Chris Dettloff - drums Paul Simmons - drums JoeBuck - guitar Jerry Roe - drums David Lee - guitar |
|
The Legendary Shack Shakers (originally Those or Th' ) are an American punk blues band. They are inspired by punk, Delta blues, rockabilly, Texas polka, gothic rock, and other traditional Southern music genres, formed in Paducah, Kentucky in the mid-1990s. The band originally had a more traditional rockabilly sound, but later moved away from this and now relies more on its rock and hillbilly influences. Founding member Col. J.D. Wilkes is the band's vocalist and also plays the harmonica. Musical maverick JoeBuck joined the band in the early 21st Century and played all the upright bass, guitars, and drums on the group's 2003 release, Cockadoodledon't. Wilkes is noted for his wild stage antics, which have been compared to those of Iggy Pop, David Byrne, and Jerry Lee Lewis. JoeBuck left the band in late 2003 and began touring and recording with Hank Williams III. Mark Robertson currently plays upright bass, and Brett Whitacre is on drums. Duane Denison, member of recently reformed The Jesus Lizard (and formerly Hank Williams III) currently plays guitar for the band.
The group initially gained notoriety when GEICO used their track "CB Song" on their "Sunglasses" television ad. Horror novelist Stephen King would later list the same track as among his iPod's Top Five in a 2008 Entertainment Weekly article.
The band regularly tours with The Reverend Horton Heat, who also appears as a guest guitarist on 3 tracks from their 2006 album, Pandelirium. Former Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra also guested on the album's opening track, "Ichabod."
Robert Plant is a noted Legendary Shack Shakers fan, and hand-picked the band to open for him on his 2005 tour of Europe. Plant also named "Believe" his favorite record of 2005.
The band released their 6th studio album; AgriDustrial, on April 13, 2010 on their own Colonel Knowledge label.[1]
Contents |
Although not legendary upon being named, the band has grown into its own shoes over the last several years due to a grueling tour schedule spanning the globe. The band has toured with Reverend Horton Heat, Robert Plant, Rancid, The Black Keys, Slim Cessna's Auto Club, and Hank Williams III, among others. In 2003, Time Out New York Magazine said The Legendary Shack Shakers were "Among Top Ten Live NYC acts of the year". Jello Biafra of Alternative Tentacles and The Dead Kennedys called J.D. Wilkes "the last great Rock and Roll frontman." News Of The World called them "The maddest, baddest, most outrageous band in America.. a rockabilly version of the Sex Pistols." The Nashville Scene called Wilkes the Best Frontman in Nashville in a 2002 vote.