| Pirates of the Mississippi | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres | Country |
| Years active | 1987–1996, 2000–2007 |
| Labels | Capitol Nashville, Liberty, Giant, CBuJ Entertainment |
| Associated acts | Buffalo Rome, Hank Williams |
| Website | Official website |
| Past members | |
| Rich Alves Jimmy Lowe Bill McCorvey Pat Severs Dean Townson Greg Trostle |
|
Pirates of the Mississippi was an American country music group. It was founded in 1987 by Rich Alves (guitar, Hammond organ, background vocals), Bill McCorvey (guitar, lead vocals) Jimmy Lowe (drums), Pat Severs (steel guitar, Dobro), and Dean Townson (bass guitar). Under this lineup, Pirates of the Mississippi made its national debut in 1990 with a cover of Hank Williams' "Honky Tonk Blues". This cover was the first single from their self-titled debut album. "Honky Tonk Blues" was followed by ten more singles, all of which charted between 1990 and 1995. in that same time span, the band would release four more studio albums and a compilation album. Severs was replaced by Greg Trostle in 1994, and two years later, the five members parted ways. In 2000, Alves and McCorvey reunited and began recording again as a duo, once again using the name Pirates of the Mississippi. The re-established lineup recorded another album, entitled Heaven and a Dixie Night, in 2006 on CBuJ Entertainment.
Contents |
Pirates of the Mississippi was formed in 1987, when Nashville session musicians Bill McCorvey (lead vocals), Rich Alves (guitar), Dean Townson (bass guitar), Jimmy Lowe (drums) and Pat Severs (steel guitar) started performing together. Originally, they identified themselves as the We Don't Want a Freaking Record Deal Band,[1] but upon witnessing a group of fans wearing clogs, the group changed its name to The Cloggers.
The Cloggers began playing various clubs around Nashville. Eventually, they attracted the attention of an A&R representative at Capitol Records, who signed them to a recording contract in 1990.[2] Executives at Capitol Records disliked the band's name, and suggested that they change it.[3] The band then chose the name name Pirates of the Mississippi because they thought Lowe resembled a pirate.[1]
In 1990, the band released its self-titled debut album. This album produced four chart singles for the band. First was a cover of Hank Williams's "Honky Tonk Blues", which the band took to number 26 on the country charts. Although "Rollin' Home" peaked outside the top 40, the album's third single, "Feed Jake", became the band's biggest hit at number 15. The song, about a man who reminisces about a childhood friend while discussing societal stereotypes towards homeless people and homosexuals, was interpreted by some fans as having a pro-gay theme.[4] "Speak of the Devil", the last single from Pirates of the Mississippi, also made the country top 40. In 1991, the band received the Top New Vocal Group award from the Academy of Country Music.[5]
1991's Walk the Plank, their second album for Capitol. produced the band's second highest-charting hit, the number 22 "'Til I'm Holding You Again". After a restructuring of Capitol Nashville, the band was transferred to Liberty Records, where they would release their third and fourth albums: A Street Man Named Desire (1992) and Dream You (1993). Each album's title track was the only charting single from it: "A Street Man Named Desire" peaked at number 56 and "Dream You" at number 63.
By 1994, a compilation album entitled The Best of Pirates of the Mississippi was issued. This compilation included several tracks from their first four albums, and newly recorded remixes. The same year, Severs was replaced with Greg Trostle on steel guitar, and the band parted ways with Liberty. In 1995, the band signed to Giant Records, releasing the non-charting singles "You Could Do Better" and "Sure Sign" for an album which would also have been titled Sure Sign.
Later on, the band released Paradise, its only physical album for Giant. Despite producing no singles, this album's title track would later be a Top 40 hit for John Anderson that year. Pirates of the Mississippi disbanded in 1996, with Alves and McCorvey choosing to focus on their songwriting careers. Among McCorvey's cuts were "Lonely and Gone", a Top 5 hit for Montgomery Gentry, and "I'm Not Gonna Do Anything Without You", a number 31 duet by Mark Wills with Jamie O'Neal in 2001.
In 2000, Rich Alves and Bill McCorvey decided to reunite as a duo, again assuming the name Pirates of the Mississippi. Three years later, original steel guitarist Pat Severs joined the house band on Nashville Star, a talent show which originally aired on the USA Networks before transferring to NBC in 2008. The program has since been cancelled.[6] Alves and McCorvey were signed to CBuJ Entertainment in 2006, releasing the album Heaven and a Dixie Night that year.[7] McCorvey has also founded a side project named Buffalo Rome. Original bass guitarist Dean Townson died of unknown causes on March 25, 2010, at the age of 50.[8]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [9] |
US [10] |
CAN Country [11] |
|||
| Pirates of the Mississippi |
|
12 | 80 | — |
|
| Walk the Plank |
|
39 | — | 26 | |
| A Street Man Named Desire |
|
75 | — | — | |
| Dream You |
|
— | — | — | |
| The Best of Pirates of the Mississippi |
|
— | — | — | |
| Paradise |
|
— | — | — | |
| Heaven and a Dixie Night |
|
— | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions |
Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [12] |
CAN Country [13] |
|||
| 1990 | "Honky Tonk Blues" | 26 | 12 | Pirates of the Mississippi |
| "Rollin' Home" | 49 | 40 | ||
| 1991 | "Feed Jake" | 15 | 12 | |
| "Speak of the Devil" | 29 | 20 | ||
| "Fighting for You" | 41 | 51 | Walk the Plank | |
| 1992 | "Til I'm Holding You Again" | 22 | 28 | |
| "Too Much" | 36 | 54 | ||
| "A Street Man Named Desire" | 56 | 53 | A Street Man Named Desire | |
| 1993 | "Dream You" | 63 | 66 | Dream You |
| 1995 | "You Could Do Better" | — | — | Sure Sign |
| "Sure Sign" | — | — | ||
| 1996 | "Let the Joneses Win" | — | — | Paradise |
| 2006 | "Drinkin' Money (T.G.I. Party Time)" | — | — | Heaven and a Dixie Night |
| "Kickin' Up Dust" | — | — | ||
| 2007 | "Fish Bait" | — | — | |
| "Heaven and a Dixie Night" | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | "Honky Tonk Blues" | |
| 1991 | "Rollin' Home" | Michael Salomon |
| "Feed Jake"[14] | Deaton Flanigen | |
| "Fighting for You"[15] | Marius Penczner | |
| 1992 | "Too Much"[16] | Sherman Halsey |
| "A Street Man Named Desire"[17] | Joanne Gardner | |
| 1993 | "Dream You" | Roger Pistole |
| 1995 | "You Could Do Better" | |
| 2006 | "Kickin' Up Dust" | |
| 2007 | "Fish Bait"[18] |