Kentucky Headhunters

Last week, the Kentucky Headhunters celebrated a special anniversary - the 25th anniversary of the release of their debut album, "Pickin' On Nashville." Released on Mercury Records on October 17, 1989, the foursome shook Nashville and the entire music industry with their unique combination of Country, Southern Rock, and Blues.

Band member Richard Young remembers the reaction at their first Nashville showcase in 1988. "As soon as I hit those first chords of 'Walk Softly on This Heart of Mine,' it looked like someone yelled 'There's a bomb in here!'" recalled Young. "With the exception of the bartender, waitress, and a few friends, we cleared Douglas Corner. One man was left standing, Harold Shedd, then president of Mercury Records. He came up, took one of our homemade albums and left. The next day he called and said, 'Boys, we may be cooking hamburgers next year, but I gotta try this.'"

The gamble paid off for Shedd and the Edmonton, KY native band. The Kentucky Headhunters' version of the Bill Monroe classic "Walk Softly On This Heart Of Mine" was released as the group's first single in September 1989. While Country radio was uncertain about the group and how to move forward with the music, CMT took notice of the band and utilized the accompanying music video to spread the Kentucky Headhunters around the nation.

"Pickin' On Nashville" was released in October of 1989 and included three more single cuts, including "Dumas Walker," "Rock and Roll Angel," and their cover of Don Gibson's "Oh Lonesome Me." The album went on to sell over two million copies, was named CMA's Album of the Year in 1990, and earned the group back-to-back CMA wins for Vocal Group of the Year in 1990 and 1991. The group also received the ACM for Vocal Group of the Year, an AMA, and a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "Pickin' On Nashville." Not a bad set of accomplishments for an album that was cut in three days for $4500.

Never one to be pigeon-holed, the Kentucky Headhunters have continued touring and cutting records - 13 to date, including their self-titled album this year. Young sums up the sentiments of "Pickin' On Nashville" celebrating 25 years simply and earnestly, saying, "We are lucky boys, who have lived a charmed life."

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