The album marked a progression toward bluesy Southern rock, which came to fruition later that same year with That’ll Work, a collaboration with former Chuck Berry pianist Johnnie Johnson. The remaining Headhunters brought ex-Itchy Brothers Anthony Kenney and Mark Orr to the group, and the rehashed lineup released Rave On! in 1993. In summer 1992, the Phelps brothers left the group to form Brothers Phelps, a more traditional country group. The album received mixed reviews, couldn’t muster a single, and sold weakly. “Dumas Walker” reached number 15 in the spring of 1990, followed by the group’s biggest hit, the number six “Oh, Lonesome Me.” In 1991, the Headhunters released their second effort, Electric Barnyard. The original demo tape was remixed, and became the basis of the band’s first album, 1989’s Pickin’ on Nashville, which received overwhelmingly positive reviews upon its release and quickly became a hit.

They sent an eight-song demo to Mercury, and soon after, the label signed the group. From these 90-minute performances, the Headhunters built up a following. The Headhunters started playing twice monthly on The Chitlin’ Show, a program on Munfordville, Kentucky radio station WLOC. Besides Martin and Phelps, the band also included the Young brothers and Doug’s brother Ricky Lee Phelps. When Kenney declined to rejoin the group, Martin remembered Doug Phelps, whom he had met while on tour with McDowell. Phelps joined the new project, which was named the Kentucky Headhunters. In 1985, Martin decided to reassemble the Itchy Brothers.

After about 13 years, the band members began launching separate careers: Richard Young went off to write songs for Acuff-Rose, while Fred Young began touring with country beauty Sylvia. Martin became a member of Ronnie McDowell’s band, while Kenney dropped out of music. The first incarnation of the band was called the Itchy Brothers, and the group played together informally for over a decade. The origins of the Kentucky Headhunters lie in 1968, when Fred and Richard Young began playing together with their cousins Greg Martin and Anthony Kenney at the Youngs’ grandmother’s house. Mark Orr also later joined them. The Kentucky Headhunters created a hybrid of honky tonk, blues, and Southern rock that appealed to fans of both rock and country music.

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