April Wine & Molly Hatchet

Description

April Wine is a Canadian rock band formed in 1969.  Originally based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the band enjoyed international success in the 1970s and 1980s, releasing more than 20 albums since 1971.

April Wine’s extensive discography includes numerous gold and platinum selling albums featuring mega-hits like “Roller,” “I Like to Rock,” “You Could Have Been a Lady” and others.  Best known for their international top 40 hit “Just Between You And Me,” an iconic power ballad that made them the very first Canadian band on MTV, April Wine went on to release over twenty albums and has received a combined total of 11 Juno Award nominations in the Group of the Year, Album of the Year, and Best Selling Single categories.

In 2009, April Wine was inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame and was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for being part of Canadian Music History for 40 years, and in 2010 the band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

Molly Hatchet firmly cemented their place in music history in the late seventies.  They stood alongside other iconic Southern rock bands out of Jacksonville, Florida, such as Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers.  A perfect mixture of English invasion rock, blues, country, and gospel remains the unique sound of Molly Hatchet.

They were the hardest hitting of the Southern rock bands at the time when, in 1978, Epic Records released Molly Hatchet’s self-titled debut album.  It reached multi-platinum status, and the band established their reputation of working hard, playing tough and living fast through intense touring.  During this time, they were on the road with Aerosmith, Bob Seger, The Rolling Stones, and many others.

In 1979, Molly Hatchet’s second album Flirtin’ with Disaster was released, and it also quickly achieved multi-platinum status.  It skyrocketed the band into the stratosphere and performing an average of two hundred and fifty shows per year kept them busy.

Molly Hatchet next released Beatin’ the Odds (1980), followed by Take No Prisoners (1981), No Guts… No Glory (1983), The Deed Is Done (1984), and Double Trouble Live (1985).

In 1987, Bobby Ingram joined the band as lead guitarist and songwriter.  They continued to play over two hundred dates a year.  In 1989 they recorded Lightning Strikes Twice on Capitol Records.  The Greatest Hits album was released in 1991 and certified gold.

In 1996 Devil’s Canyon (the first studio album in six years) was recorded in Hamburg, Germany on SPV/CBH Records with producers Kalle Trapp and Bobby Ingram.  The album was voted the number one rock record in Europe in 1996 with rave reviews.

It was followed by Silent Reign of Heroes (CMC International, 1998), Kingdom of XII (Sanctuary, 2000), 25th Anniversary: Best of Re-Recorded (SPV Records, 2003), Warriors of the Rainbow Bridge (Steamhammer, 2005), Locked and Loaded – Live (Steamhammer, 2006), Justice (Steamhammer, 2010), Greatest Hits II (SPV Records, 2011), and most recently Battleground – Live (Steamhammer, 2019).

Molly Hatchet continues their worldwide tour, performing classic hits such as “Flirtin’ with Disaster,” “Devil’s Canyon,” “Gator Country,” “Whiskey Man,” and “Dreams I’ll Never See.”

The band’s current lineup consists of long-time members Bobby Ingram on lead guitar and John Galvin on keyboards, as well as Tim Lindsey on bass guitar and Shawn Beamer on drums, with Jimmy Elkins on vocals.  Molly Hatchet continues to honor the legacies of those members who passed away (including Danny Joe Brown, David Hlubek, and Phil McCormack) by keeping the music alive, performing across the United States, and throughout the world.

Molly Hatchet celebrated their 40th anniversary with a world tour and the release of the double CD and triple vinyl live album titled Battleground.  Recorded in both Germany and Switzerland on the SPV/Steamhammer label and featuring cover art by famed artist Paul Raymond Gregory (Dio, Uriah Heep, Saxon), Battleground has garnered rave reviews by their loyal fans, as well as the national and international press.

According to Bobby Ingram, “In recording this album, we compiled a four-decade long catalog of songs that our friends wanted to hear.  They would tell us what songs they wanted on the album, and we would record them.  Some of these songs have never been recorded on a live stage before, and we were honored and proud to be able to perform them for many generations of past, present, and future Southern rock fans.”  After forty plus years Molly Hatchet is still workin’ hard, playin’ tough, livin’ fast, and Flirtin’ with Disaster!!!