The Reverend Horton Heat

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Reverend Horton Heat)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use American English Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherTemplate:Main otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Main other

The Reverend Horton Heat is the stage name of American musician James C. Heath (born 1959) as well as the name of his psychobilly trio from Dallas. Heath is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist. A reviewer for the magazine Prick called Heath the "godfather of modern rockabilly and psychobilly".[1]

The group formed in 1986, playing its first gigs in Dallas' Deep Ellum neighborhood. The core members are Jim "Reverend Horton" Heath on guitars and lead vocals, and Jimbo Wallace on the upright bass. The band signed to Victory Records in 2012, and released its 12th studio album, Whole New Life, on November 30, 2018.

The band plays rock and roll with influences from 1950s country music, surf music, punk, big band, swing, and rockabilly standards.[2]

Early career

File:Reverend Jim Heath.jpg
Heath performing at the Granada Theater in Dallas, September 2006

Heath was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, where he grew up with an appreciation of rock, electric blues and rockabilly. He was influenced by country music artists including Junior Brown, Willie Nelson, and Merle Travis. He played in local bands until 1985 when he gained notice in Dallas as "Reverend Horton Heat", the moniker bestowed by the owner of the Deep Ellum nightclub where he played.[3]

Adding bassist Jimbo Wallace and drummer Taz Bentley in 1989, Reverend Horton Heat recorded for Sub Pop at Reciprocal Recording in Seattle and Crystal Clear in Dallas, which made up the majority of material on Reverend Horton Heat's debut album, Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em (1990).[4] For their next album, the band recorded with Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers producing at Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee: The Full-Custom Gospel Sounds of the Reverend Horton Heat (1993).

File:Jimbo Wallace.JPG
Jimbo Wallace uses a slap bass technique, performing at the Essigfabrik in Cologne, March 2010

Interscope Records joined with Sub Pop to co-release the band's third album Liquor in the Front (1994). Al Jourgensen of Ministry produced the album.

Chart success

Scott Churilla replaced Bentley as drummer in the mid-1990s, and the band released It's Martini Time in 1996. The album brought the band its first Billboard chart success,[3] reaching number 165 on the Billboard 200. The band covered the boogie standard "Rock the Joint", and the song "It's Martini Time" was a minor hit. Later that year, Heath brought his street preacher style to the television series Homicide: Life on the Street on NBC, and he appeared on The Drew Carey Show on ABC in 1997.[3]

The 2000 album Spend a Night in the Box was released through Time Bomb Recordings, with Paul Leary producing. The style was a return to straight-ahead rockabilly songs.[5] The album rose through CMJTemplate:'s charts to peak at number 2 in May.[6][7] The song "Like a Rocket" was the theme for the 2002 Daytona 500 autosports race. The band featured the song on their next album, Lucky 7.[8]

Victory Records signed Reverend Horton Heat in 2012, and Scott Churilla returned to the band as drummer, playing for the next five years.[9] An album titled Rev was released on January 21, 2014. A YouTube video for a single on the album, "Let Me Teach You How to Eat," preceded the album on November 12, 2013. Rev rose to number 111 on the Billboard 200, becoming the band's highest-charting album. The band toured as the opening act for Motörhead, and recorded rock and roll songs with Motörhead's Lemmy Kilmister, though the tapes are unreleased. Reverend Horton Heat also backed a number of other artists including Unknown Hinson, Jello Biafra, and Deke Dickerson.[10][11] In 2017, drummer Churilla was replaced by Arjuna "R.J." Contreras, formerly of the band Eleven Hundred Springs.[12] Matt Jordan of West Virginia joined the band playing piano and organ as well as supporting vocals. They released the album Whole New Life in 2018.[13]

In 2021, Heath and Wallace teamed with drummer Slim Jim Phantom from the Stray Cats to form a side project: The Jimbos.[14] The trio was set to release a live album on called Live In Houston on December 22, 2023.[15]

Commercial appearances

"Psychobilly Freakout", and later "Wiggle Stick", were both featured in video segments on the show Beavis and Butt-Head. The song "I Can't Surf" was part of the soundtrack of the video game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, published in 2001. “In Your Wildest Dreams” was used in the NBC drama Homicide: Life on the Street, episode “Full Moon” (season 4, episode 17, aired April 5, 1996), in which Reverend Horton Heat appears. "Psychobilly Freakout" was used on a commercial for Buell American Motorcycles and a slightly altered version was featured in the game Guitar Hero II and later on Guitar Hero Smash Hits. Their song "Baddest of the Bad" is featured on the soundtrack to Tony Hawk's Proving Ground. The 1997 video game Redneck Rampage also includes two of their songs, "Wiggle Stick" and "Nurture My Pig!". The song "Big Red Rocket of Love" is featured in the video games The Sims 3, MotorStorm and Need for Speed: The Run, and a slightly altered version of the song was featured in a 1999 television commercial for the Mazda Miata. The song "Pride of San Jacinto" is featured on the video game Hot Wheels Turbo Racing. The song "Let Me Teach You How to Eat" was featured in a 2017 Subway commercial. The song "Mad, Mad Heart" is featured in the video game Far Cry 5.

Equipment

Heath has a signature guitar from Gretsch, a guitar company, the 6120RHH. One of his favorite vintage guitars is a 1954 Gibson ES-175, which he rarely plays on the road since its wiring buzzes in certain venues. His favorite amplifier was the Fender Super Reverb but is now the Gretsch Executive.[16]

Band members

Current members

  • Jim Heath: guitars, vocals (1985–present)
  • Jimbo Wallace: upright bass (1989–present)
  • Jonathan Jeter: drums (2020–present)

Former members

  • "Swingin'" Jack Barton: upright bass (1985–1989)
  • Bobby Baranowski: drums (1985–1989)
  • Kyle Thomas: drums (1989)
  • Patrick "Taz" Bentley: drums (1989–1994)
  • Tim Alexander: piano/keyboards (1996– Jun. 2017)
  • Paul Simmons: drums (2006–2012)
  • Scott Churilla: drums (1995–2006, 2012–2017)
  • Matt Jordan: piano (Sep. 2017– Feb. 2019)
  • Arjuna “RJ” Contreras: drums (2017-2020)

Timeline

<timeline> ImageSize = width:950 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:95 top:10 right:10 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1985 till:12/15/2025 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1985 ScaleMinor = increment:2 start:1986

Colors = 

 id:vocals   value:red         legend:Lead_vocals,_guitar
 id:backing  value:pink        legend:Backing_vocals
 id:bass     value:blue        legend:Upright_bass
 id:drums    value:orange      legend:Drums
 id:keyboard value:purple      legend:Piano,_keyboards
 id:alb      value:black       legend:Studio_album
 id:single   value:gray(0.9)   legend:Single,_EP
 id:video    value:gray(0.8)   legend:DVD
 id:live     value:gray(0.7)   legend:Live_album
 id:comp     value:gray(0.5)   legend:Compilation
 id:bars     value:gray(0.92)

BarData = 

 bar:Jim      text:"Jim Heath"
 bar:Jack     text:"Jack Barton
 bar:Jimbo    text:"Jimbo Wallace"
 bar:Bobby    text:"Bobby Baranowski"
 bar:Kyle      text:"Kyle Thomas"
 bar:Taz      text:"Taz Bentley"
 bar:Scott    text:"Scott Churilla"
 bar:Paul     text:"Paul Simmons"
 bar:RJ       text:"RJ Contreras"
 bar:Jonathan text:"Jonathan Jeter"
 bar:Tim      text:"Tim Alexander"
 bar:Matt     text:"Matt Jordan"

PlotData = 

 width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(11,-4)
 bar:Jim      from:01/01/1985 till:end color:vocals
 bar:Jack     from:01/01/1985 till:05/31/1989 color:bass
 bar:Jimbo    from:06/01/1989 till:end color:bass
 bar:Bobby    from:01/01/1985 till:05/31/1989 color:drums
 bar:Kyle     from:06/01/1989 till:09/30/1989 color:drums
 bar:Taz      from:10/01/1989 till:11/30/1994 color:drums
 bar:Scott    from:01/01/1995 till:05/31/2006 color:drums
 bar:Scott    from:06/01/2012 till:08/31/2017 color:drums
 bar:Paul     from:06/01/2006 till:05/31/2012 color:drums
 bar:RJ       from:09/01/2017 till:03/31/2020 color:drums
 bar:Jonathan from:09/01/2020 till:end color:drums
 bar:Tim      from:06/01/1996 till:06/30/2017 color:keyboard
 bar:Matt     from:09/01/2017 till:02/28/2019 color:keyboard

 width:3 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
 bar:Jimbo      from:06/01/1989 till:end color:backing
 bar:Paul       from:06/01/2006 till:05/31/2012 color:backing

LineData = 

 at:11/01/1990 color:alb    layer:back
 at:04/20/1993 color:alb    layer:back
 at:07/05/1994 color:alb    layer:back
 at:07/02/1996 color:alb    layer:back
 at:03/24/1998 color:alb    layer:back
 at:03/21/2000 color:alb    layer:back
 at:02/26/2002 color:alb    layer:back
 at:06/29/2004 color:alb    layer:back
 at:10/04/2005 color:alb    layer:back
 at:09/01/2009 color:alb    layer:back
 at:01/21/2014 color:alb    layer:back
 at:11/30/2018 color:alb    layer:back
 at:03/01/2023 color:alb    layer:back
 at:04/20/1999 color:comp   layer:back
 at:01/10/2006 color:comp   layer:back
 at:01/29/2013 color:comp   layer:back
 at:07/09/2013 color:live   layer:back
 at:09/08/2023 color:live   layer:back
 at:07/01/1988 color:single layer:back
 at:01/01/1990 color:single layer:back
 at:09/01/1994 color:single layer:back
 at:12/01/1994 color:single layer:back
 at:05/01/1998 color:single layer:back
 at:07/01/1999 color:single layer:back
 at:07/01/2000 color:single layer:back
 at:07/01/2001 color:single layer:back
 at:05/01/2002 color:single layer:back
 at:10/15/2009 color:single layer:back
 at:03/01/2014 color:single layer:back
 at:04/20/2015 color:single layer:back
 at:11/01/2015 color:single layer:back
 at:11/25/2003 color:video  layer:back

</timeline>

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album details Peak chart positions
US
[17] 		US Heat
[18] 		US Indie
[19]
1990 Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em
  • Release date: November 1, 1990
  • Label: Sub Pop
 — — —
1993 The Full-Custom Gospel Sounds of the Reverend Horton Heat
  • Release date: April 20, 1993
  • Label: Sub Pop
 — — —
1994 Liquor in the Front — 18 —
1996 It's Martini Time
  • Release date: July 2, 1996
  • Label: Interscope Records
 165 9 —
1998 Space Heater
  • Release date: March 24, 1998
  • Label: Interscope Records
 187 14 —
2000 Spend a Night in the Box — 23 —
2002 Lucky 7 — — 15
2004 Revival — 34 24
2005 We Three Kings
  • Release date: October 4, 2005
  • Label: Yep Roc Records
 — — —
2009 Laughin' & Cryin' with the Reverend Horton Heat
  • Release date: September 1, 2009
  • Label: Yep Roc Records
 — 14 44
2014 Rev 111 2 26
2018 Whole New Life
  • Release date: November 30, 2018
  • Label: Victory Records
 — 4 19
2023 Roots of the Rev (Volume One)
  • Release date: March 1, 2023
  • Label: Fun-Guy Records
 — — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Collections

Singles

DVDs

Soundtracks

Film
Television
Video games

Film appearances

  • Love and a .45 (1994) "Loaded Gun" was performed by the Reverend Horton Heat in the film, but does not appear on the soundtrack album.

Collaborations

  • RevOrganDrum (Yep Roc, 2007)

See also

References

Template:Reflist

Bibliography

External links

Template:Sister project

Template:The Reverend Horton Heat Template:Authority control

  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ a b c Huey, Steve. "[[[:Template:Allmusic]] Reverend Horton Heat]." AllMusic. Retrieved May 11, 2005.
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
Retrieved from "http://debianws.lexgopc.com/wiki143/index.php?title=The_Reverend_Horton_Heat&oldid=776053"