The group originally formed in 1985, playing its first gigs in Dallas's Deep Ellum neighborhood. Its current members are Jim "Reverend Horton" Heath on guitar and lead vocals, Jimbo Wallace on the upright bass, and Scott Churilla on drums. Through relentless touring and a manic stage show, they have established themselves as one of the most popular underground acts in America. Their sound is self described as "Country-fed punkabilly." Their music is a mixture of country, punk, big band, swing, and rockabilly, all played loud and energetically with lyrics that are often very humorous.
Jim Heath played in a cover band called Southern Comfort with friends from Corpus Christi Ray, his high school, before attending the University of Texas at Austin in the fall of 1977. At UT, he often entertained friends and dormmates and was often found playing in the stairwells at Moore-Hill Dormitory late into the night to avoid disturbing the sleep of roommate Harold Shockley, now a Corpus Christi banker. Jim left school in the spring to join up with a touring cover band by the name of Sweetbriar. Three years later, former dormmate David Livingston, now in his senior year of school and at home visiting family, saw a familiar face on stage and reunited with Jim. David told Jim stories of the punk music scene in Austin and the acts playing at venues like Raul's and Club Foot. Once, while home on another visit, David took Jim to a Dallas rock and roll venue, The Bijou, to see an act called The Cramps. After the show, there broke out a punks vs. rockers brawl in the parking lot. While Jim and David escaped any involvement in the scuffle, Jim later claimed to have had an epiphany on that evening. Always a fan of blues and honky tonk, Jim returned the favor by taking David and his wife, Ellen, to see The Blasters in Dallas at a venue known as the Hot Klub and Jim's love for roots rock took over from there.
Jim had married a former bandmate from Sweetbriar, and together they had a child. Together they decided that the rock-and-roll lifestyle was over and that it was time to have real jobs. Around 1985, Jim was known as "Jim the Sound Guy" by those who frequented two warehouses that by night became music venues, Theater Gallery and The Prophet Bar. Jim used the old Sweetbriar PA system to earn from $20-$50 per night for extra money, running sound for bands such as the New Bohemians, End Over End, Shallow Reign and Three On A Hill. One night during a lull, Russell Hobbs, one of the original Deep Ellum visionaries and proprietors of these venues goaded Jim into getting up to play. He played alone, tearing through a version of "Folsom Prison Blues" that is now so familiar to millions of Reverend Horton Heat fans around the world. Throughout the song, Hobbs hooted and shouted out, "Go Reverend". Jim decided then and there to form a band and came up with the name Reverend Horton Heat, as an ode to Johnny Horton, using the shortened version of his last name, Heath. The late nights and the fact the Jim was now playing in a band and his wife and former bandmate was not took its toll on the marriage and she soon left with their child and dog. Jim's feelings upon the loss of his family are well documented in the song, "Where In The Hell Did You go With My Toothbrush?". The Jimi Hendrix poster mentioned in the song was on the back of a door that Jim used for a practice room in the house he shared with his wife and child. The dog's name really was Smokey.
About this time, David and Ellen moved back from Oklahoma City, where they had been since graduating from UT. David began to book gigs for Jim and his new band, and their refeshing sound and raw live performance quickly won over the local music scene. Jim drew crowds to brand new music venues, playing three nights a week at Froggy Bottoms in the then brand new West End and assured a quick start to Club Dada, the first "for profit" bar in Deep Ellum by playing every night for the first two weeks that it was open. David continued to work with Reverend Horton Heat until 1989, when his own new family and day job required all of his attention, and Jim needed a real manager who could get him out on the road and into the studio. Jim and David remain close friends today, and a song that they co-wrote together back in the '80s, "Liquor, Beer and Wine", appeared on 1994's "Liquor In The Front".
Check out the [url=http://[officialsite]www.victorymerch.com/store/reverendhortonheat]Reverend Horton Heat merch store.
This artist is also on Last.fm as: 'The Reverend Horton Heat'
Psychobilly Freakout
Reverend Horton Heat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, we're off, we're off, we're off!
It's, it's, it's a psychobilly freakout!
Well, we're off, we're off, we're off!
I'll tell you what it is! (what is it, God dang it?)
That's what it is
Well, we're off, we're off, we're off!
It's a psychobilly freakout!
The lyrics to "Sue Jack Daniels" by Reverend Horton Heat are a humorous take on the idea of blaming alcohol for all of one's misfortunes. The singer of the song claims that he is going to sue Jack Daniels for all of the mishaps and injuries that he has experienced the night before. He states that he was having fun with his buddies at the bar until Jack Daniels hit him with the trunk of a big ol' live oak tree, causing him to wreck his car and end up with a canker sore on his face. He is so convinced that Jack Daniels is to blame for his troubles that he is willing to take him to court and engage in a duel with him at high noon.
The song is a lighthearted way of poking fun at the tendency of people to blame alcohol for their bad decisions and the consequences they experience as a result. The singer's over-the-top blaming and desire for retribution through legal action and a duel adds to the comedic effect of the song. It serves as a reminder to take responsibility for one's actions and not blame it all on a bottle of whiskey.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night I had a run in with an old friend of mine
I saw an old friend of mine last night
Everthing was cool, everyone was feeling fine yea
Everything seemed great, everyone was happy
Then he went up and hit me with the old dance floor
Then he wanted to dance
Lawsutis pending won't be the same no more no!!
I'm going to sue him and things won't be the same between us anymore
I'm gonna sue Jack Daniels for
Hitting me with a trunk of a big ol' live oak tree
He hurt me this morning with the bright sun light
I'm gonna sue Jack Daniels for what he did to my face last night
I'm blaming Jack Daniels for everything bad that happened to me last night and I'm going to sue them for it
he pushed me into a thorny ol' bush
Only about a hundred needles down on my tush
He pushed me into a bush and I got scratched by several thorns
Having so much fun with my buddies at the bar
But it wasn't very funny when he made me wreck my car
I was having a great time hanging out with my friends at the bar, but things turned sour when that person made me wreck my car
Look in the mirror and what do I see
Some big ol' cancker sore lookin thing on me no!!!
I looked in the mirror and I saw a big sore on my face
I'm gonna sue and the lawyer says I'll win
I'm gonna take that money and do it all again
My lawyer said I have a good chance of winning and I plan to use the money to party again
I'm gonna sue
Jack Daniels
Just me and you
Gonna have a duel
High noon
I'm going to sue Jack Daniels and we're going to have a showdown at noon
Lyrics © JN MEDIA MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: James Collis Heath
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@DookieSh0es
That Gretsch is a thing of beauty.
How such a chaotic song can be played so precisely... wow.
@edsmith202
One of the greatest, most talented, hardest working bands to come along in a long time. These guys earn every penny.
@adamjenkins190
Every show I've seen has just been amazing
@boxingace2881
Preach brother!
@saldifrancesca2500
Great rockabilly jam.....mixed with a punk vibe....outstanding
@HookedonChronics
It's a pyschobilly freakout!
@boxingace2881
My guy, I was 16 when I heard this Gem!, Now I'm 35.....I ll do the math, it's 28 years bro since this masterpiece... I'm a 1988 year cat btw!
@TheXxdoubleT
This song was a nightmare for me as a kid back in the days of guitar hero 2
@alistairhindley8973
im still struggling
@codavied
Omg yessssss 😂😂😂😂😂