The Reverend Horton Heat is both an American three-piece psychobilly band f… Read Full Bio ↴The Reverend Horton Heat is both an American three-piece psychobilly band from Dallas, Texas and the stage name of its singer-songwriter frontman, Jim Heath (born in 1959 in Corpus Christi, Texas).

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 Jonathan Jeter 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'

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
Reverend Horton Heat Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer
had a very shiny nose.
And if you ever saw him,
you would even say it glows.

All of the other reindeer
used to laugh and call him names.
They never let poor Rudolph

join in any reindeer games.

Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say:
"Rudolph with your nose so bright,
won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"

Then all the reindeer loved him
as they shouted out with glee,

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer,
you'll go down in history!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” are a story of triumph over adversity. Rudolph, admittedly, is a bit of an outcast due to his unusual glowing red nose. The other reindeer laugh at him and exclude him from their reindeer games. One foggy Christmas Eve, Santa Claus arrives and requests Rudolph’s assistance to guide his sleigh, due to his glowing red nose being able to cut through the thick fog. Rudolph agrees, and his success in this endeavor earns him acceptance and admiration from the other reindeer, who had previously ridiculed him. The song ends with pride in victory for Rudolph, as he is recognized with admiration for his unique talent.

The lyrics of this song are a metaphor for accepting differences and valuing the unique qualities that each person, or reindeer, possesses. Music listeners can identify with Rudolph and his struggles. The song teaches that one’s perceived flaws may hold an incredibly valuable gift, and with time and perseverance, anything is possible.

Line by Line Meaning

Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer
Rudolph is a reindeer with a red shiny nose

had a very shiny nose.
His nose is super bright that it seems like it glows.

And if you ever saw him,
If you see him, you will notice his red nose.

you would even say it glows.
It's super shiny that it appears to be glowing.

All of the other reindeer
Rudolph's peers, other reindeer

used to laugh and call him names.
They bullied and taunted Rudolph.

They never let poor Rudolph
Rudolph wasn't allowed

join in any reindeer games.
to participate and join their activities.

Then one foggy Christmas Eve
On a foggy Christmas evening

Santa came to say:
Santa addressed Rudolph

"Rudolph with your nose so bright,
"Your nose is so bright, Rudolph-