Righteous Hillbillies
Mokena, Illinois, United States
Music
Press
This band has no press
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
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Bio
The Righteous Hillbillies are considered a local Joliet/Chicago “powerhouse” band that many talented musicians in the area hold in high regard. The Hillbillies have a lineup of established musical talent including: Brent James from the Stone City Stragglers on lead vocals and rhythm guitar; Kev from the original Brent James Band and songwriter for many local musicians on lead guitar and backing vocals; Johnny Gadeikis on bass, another member of the Stone City Stragglers; and Kenny Gerk on drums.
It all started in February 2007 with longtime friends and musical companions Kev and Brent from the Brent James Band. They started performing acoustic shows for fun under the name James and Wright. After performing on Thursday nights at their favorite local pub, Chicago St. Pub ( Joliet, IL), the duo quickly started getting recognition for their high-octane performances and onstage banter. Brent and Kev we’re asked to perform with friends John Condron & the Benefit for their CD release show at Bicentennial Park. John’s introduction hailed what would become the bands name: “this next song is a blues song and I need a couple Righteous Hillbillies to help me out with this one.” After an overwhelming response to their performance Kev and Brent decided to put away the acoustics and start a rock band with the premise of setting the stage on fire from the first song to the last.
Brent contacted a friend and fellow member of the Stone City Stragglers, bass player Johnny Gadeikis, and with the gel of personality, musical experience, and super melodic style, it was evident that Johnny was the man. Six auditions and three drummers later they found powerhouse Kenny Gerk to complete the lineup.
Combining the lyrical talents of Kev and the musical creativity of Brent James, the band set off like dynamite at their first show at Chicago Street Pub. Pub owner John Condron dubbed the Hillbillies “a local Supergroup.” The fusion between hillbilly and volume made it hard to classify the band. One fan summed it up quite simply: “if Johnny Cash would have owned a stack of Marshall Tube Amps, it would sound like The Righteous Hillbillies.”
With Twang, Volume, Power, Great Tunes, and an Electrifying Live Show, You won’t be disappointed.
The Righteous Hillbillies
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