Molly Hatchet is an American Southern rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Originally formed in 1971 by guitarist Dave Hlubek, the group's early years were characterized by regular personnel changes and sporadic performances, with no stable lineup in place. By 1976, the band Molly Hatchet had been officially reformed with a lineup of Hlubek, Steve Holland and Duane Roland on guitars, Danny Joe Brown on vocals, Banner Thomas on bass and Bruce Crump on drums. As from 2020, all original members have died. The current lineup of Molly Hatchet includes three veteran musicians: guitarist Bobby Ingram (since 1987 and owner of the moniker Molly Hatchet), keyboardist John Galvin (who originally joined in 1983) and bassist Tim Lindsey (since 2003, but in the early 1970s with Hlubek in Mind Garden and in the first proto-Hatchet lineup). Young members Parker Lee (vocals since 2023) and Garrett Ramsden (drummer since 2024) complete the ranks.https://mollyhatchet.com/MollyHatchet/performer/garrett-ramsden/
History 1971–1995 Molly Hatchet was originally founded by guitarist Dave Hlubek in 1971. During its early years, the band performed with various monikers and musicians in the Jacksonville area, not settling on an official lineup. Early members that surrounded Hlubek included between others guitarist Steve Holland, vocalist Bobby Maddox, guitarist Donald Hall, keyboardist Melvin Powell, bassist Tim Lindsey and drummer Fred Bianco. Hlubek also performed vocals during certain periods of the band's formation. By the spring of 1976, the group had settled on a lineup including Hlubek and Holland, bassist Banner Thomas (who joined in 1973), drummer Bruce Crump (who joined in early 1976), third guitarist Duane Roland and vocalist Danny Joe Brown (both of whom joined in 1976). Brown joined from Rum Creek, which featured future Danny Joe Brown Band and Molly Hatchet guitarist Bobby Ingram.
After the release of Molly Hatchet and Flirtin' with Disaster, Brown left Molly Hatchet in 1980 due to problems with diabetes, with Jimmy Farrar taking his place. Beatin' the Odds and Take No Prisoners followed, after which Thomas also left in November 1981 following an argument with Hlubek. He was replaced by Ralph "Riff" West. The following year, Crump moved to Los Angeles, California and was replaced by Barry "B.B." Borden. In May, Brown returned to replace Farrar and the group released No Guts... No Glory in 1983. By 1984, Crump had returned and keyboardist John Galvin – a former member of the Danny Joe Brown Band who contributed keyboard parts to No Guts... No Glory as a guest performer – had joined the band full-time, after Holland grew tired of touring and left the band.
The new two-guitarist lineup released The Deed Is Done in 1984, followed by Double Trouble Live in 1985, before Hlubek left the band at the beginning of 1987 in order to address his ongoing problem with drug addiction. He was replaced by Bobby Ingram, another alumnus of the Danny Joe Brown Band. After releasing and touring in promotion of Lightning Strikes Twice, Molly Hatchet played its last show in July 1990 before the group disbanded. At the time Duane Roland left as last in 1990, he was the owner of the Molly Hatchet name. The agreement in the band had always been that the last man standing got the brand.
1995–2017 Brown and Ingram obtained the name from Roland and management and subsequently rebuilt the group later in the year, touring for another five years with various personnel. In April 1995, Danny Joe Brown was forced to leave Molly Hatchet again due to ongoing health problems. He was replaced by Phil McCormack, who had earlier substituted for Brown during a tour in 1992. The group's new lineup – which also included guitarist Bryan Bassett, bassist Andy McKinney, drummer Mac Crawford and former keyboardist John Galvin – returned to the studio and released Devil's Canyon in 1996. This was followed in 1998 by Silent Reign of Heroes, which also featured contributions from keyboardist Tim Donovan, who had filled in for Galvin during several recent touring cycles. Sean Shannon replaced Crawford in 1999. With the live addition of guitarist Mike Owings in the tour that followed, that was the last line-up of Molly Hatchet to feature three guitars.
After the release of Kingdom of XII in 2000, guitarist Bryan Bassett was replaced by Russ Maxwell. The band recorded the double live album Locked and Loaded before the end of the year, although it was not released until 2003. Further lineup changes followed during the band's touring the following year, as Shannon was replaced in September 2001 by Dale Rock, who then made way for Shawn Beamer the next month. McKinney also left in February 2002 and was replaced by Jerry Scott, shortly before Ingram took a short break from touring after suffering a heart attack, and the band continued with only Maxwell on guitar. Scott was then replaced by Tim Lindsey (a veteran of the scene, with long time friend Dave Hlubek in Mind Garden and in the first unofficial Hatchet lineup, with Rossington Band, with Lynyrd Skynyrd live) . Maxwell left the next month, with Jake Rutter taking his place.
In January 2005 founding member Dave Hlubek returned to Molly Hatchet for the first time in 18 years.The guitarist's touring appearances were limited due to his ongoing health issues. During the 2000s and 2010s, many former members of the band died – vocalist Danny Joe Brown on March 10, 2005, due to kidney failure and pneumonia caused by his diabetes, guitarist Duane Roland on June 19, 2006, due to natural causes, bassist Riff West on November 19, 2014, due to health complications caused by a car accident several months earlier, drummer Bruce Crump on March 16, 2015, after a lengthy battle with throat cancer, and bassist Banner Thomas on April 10, 2017, due to a heart attack following a bout of pneumonia.
Recent activity (2017-onwards) On September 2, 2017, guitarist Dave Hlubek died of a heart attack. The group continued to perform with just one guitarist, as Ingram stated that he "could never" replace Hlubek. On October 29, 2018, former vocalist Jimmy Farrar died due to complications from congestive heart failure, kidney failure and liver failure. Molly Hatchet continued to tour until Phil McCormack died on April 25, 2019. Jimmy Elkins took his place and was officially announced as the band's new vocalist in October 2019. Steve Holland, the last original member of the group, died on August 2, 2020.
Despite having no original members left, Molly Hatchet continues to perform extensively both in the US and Europe: their current lineup features half of the Lightning Strikes Twice–era lineup (veterans guitarist Bobby Ingram and keyboardist John Galvin) plus longtime bassist Tim Lindsey. Young vocalist Parker Lee replaced Jimmy Elkins earlier in 2023., while veteran drummer Shawn Beamer stopped touring in 2024, being gradually replaced by Garrett Ramsden.
Members Current ImageNameYears activeInstrumentsRelease contributionsJohn Galvinall Molly Hatchet releases from No Guts... No Glory (1983) onwards Bobby Ingram1987–presentall Molly Hatchet releases from Lightning Strikes Twice (1989) onwards Tim Lindsey2004—presentall Molly Hatchet releases from Warriors of the Rainbow Bridge (2005) onwards Parker Lee2023–presentlead vocals"Firing Line" (2023)Garrett Ramsden2024–present none
Former members and recording personnel ImageNameYears activeInstrumentsRelease contributionsDave HlubekSteve Holland1971–1984 lead and rhythm guitarsBanner ThomasBruce CrumpDuane Roland1976–1990 Danny Joe BrownJimmy Farrarlead vocalsRalph "Riff" West1981–1990 all Molly Hatchet releases from No Guts... No Glory (1983) to Greatest Hits (1990) Barry "B.B." Borden1982–1984drumsNo Guts... No Glory (1983)Phil McCormackall Molly Hatchet releases from Devil's Canyon (1996) to Live at Rockpalast 1996 (2013) Bryan Bassett1994–2000Mac Crawford1993–1999Andy McKinney1995–2000 Sean Shannon1999–2001Kingdom Of XII (2000)Russ Maxwell2000–2004 (session/touring 2000)lead and rhythm guitarsShawn Beamer2001–2024all Molly Hatchet releases from 25th Anniversary: Best of Re-Recorded (2004) to Firing Line (2023) Jerry Scott2002–2003J.J. Strickland2003–2004bass25th Anniversary: Best of Re-Recorded (2004)Jake Rutter2004lead and rhythm guitarsLive in Hamburg (2005 DVD+CD)Jimmy Elkins2019–2023lead vocalsBattleground (2019)
Session and Touring musicians ImageNameYears activeInstrumentsDetailsJai Winding1978–1984 keyboardsWinding performed keyboards on the band's first five studio albums, prior to the arrival of John Galvin.Ricky Medlocke1983 vocalsLynyrd Skynyrd and Blackfoot musician filled in exceptionally for Brown after his sudden departure together with Holland and Roland in 1983.Charlie HargrettguitarsAlso Blackfoot guitarist filled in for one and only performance after the sudden departure of Holland, Roland and Brown in 1983.Rik Blanz1990–1993lead and rhythm guitarsRob Scavetto1990–1992keyboardsDavid Feagle1990–1991drumsEddie RiobassRob Sweat1991 Kevin "Sav" Rian1991–1993Kenny HoltondrumsErik Lundgren1993–1994lead and rhythm guitarsMike KachkeyboardsAndy Orth1994–1995Buzzy Meekins1995 bassLeslie Hawkins1996 backing vocalsHawkins and McCoy appear on the record Live At Rockpalast 1996 as female backing vocalists Therisa McCoyTim Donovan1997–2002 Donovan regularly filled in for Galvin on tour, and guested on Silent Reign of Heroes and Kingdom of XII.Mike Owings1999-2000 lead and rhythm guitarsOwings was additional live member for the restored "three guitar attack" at the end of the Nineties.Dale Rock2001 drumsRock briefly took over from Sean Shannon on drums.Scott Woods2002–2003 Woods carried the torch from Donovan on keyboards duties until 2003Jeff Ravenscraft2003–2004 Ravenscraft took over from Woods as touring keyboardist in September 2003, remaining until early 2004.Gary Corbett2004 Corbett replaced Ravenscraft in 2004 and left around the same time as guitarist Jake Rutter in September.Richie "DelFalvo" Del Favero2004–2005 Del Favero took over from Corbett in September 2004 and guested on Warriors of the Rainbow Bridge.Jimbo Manion2005 lead and rhythm guitarsJimbo Manion was an additional guitarist in 2005, following the impossibility to tour of Dave Hlubek.David "Dino" Ramsey2006 vocalsDavid "Dino" Ramsey briefly filled in for singer McCormack who was sick to perform live in 2006.Scott Craig2011–2013 drumsCraig substituted for Shawn Beamer between 2011 and 2013 after the regular drummer suffered a heart attack.Tony Mikus2022 vocalsMikus, from Big Engine, filled in for Jimmy Elkins in 2022.Greg Talley2024 drumsTalley filled in for Beamer in 2024 US gigs.Morgan EvansEvans also filled in for Beamer in the 2024-2025 gigs.
Timeline
Lineups PeriodMembersReleasesSpring 1976 – May 1980Danny Joe Brown – lead vocals, harmonica Dave Hlubek – guitars, backing vocals Duane Roland – guitars, backing vocals Steve Holland – guitars Banner Thomas – bass, backing vocals Bruce Crump – drums, percussion, backing vocalsMolly Hatchet (1978) Flirtin' with Disaster (1979) Live at the Agora Ballroom (2000)May 1980 – November 1981Jimmy Farrar – lead vocals Dave Hlubek – guitars, backing vocals Duane Roland – guitars, backing vocals Steve Holland – guitars Banner Thomas – bass, backing vocals Bruce Crump – drums, percussion, backing vocalsBeatin' the Odds (1980) Take No Prisoners (1981) Extended Versions (2002)November 1981 – May 1982Jimmy Farrar – lead vocals Dave Hlubek – guitars, backing vocals Duane Roland – guitars, backing vocals Steve Holland – guitars Riff West – bass, backing vocals Bruce Crump – drums, percussion, backing vocalsMay 1982 – 1984Danny Joe Brown – lead vocals, harmonica Dave Hlubek – guitars, backing vocals Duane Roland – guitars, backing vocals Steve Holland – guitars Riff West – bass, backing vocals B.B. Borden – drumsNo Guts... No Glory1984 – late 1987Danny Joe Brown – lead vocals, harmonica Dave Hlubek – guitars, backing vocals