Band of Heathens
Encyclopedia
The Band of Heathens are an American Rock and Roll band from Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

.

The three principal songwriters - Colin Brooks
Colin Brooks (musician)
Colin Brooks is a singer-songwriter, blues-rock guitarist and dobro player currently living in Austin, Texas. He is member of the Americana group the Band of Heathens....

, Ed Jurdi and Gordy Quist - shared the bill at Momo's, an Austin club. Originally, each singer/songwriter performed his own set. However, they eventually started sharing the stage, and collaborating together with bassist Seth Whitney. The Wednesday night series was billed as "The Good Time Supper Club". A misprint in a local paper billed the act as "The Heathens." In 2007, drummer John Chipman joined the band.

Also notable is a version of "Ain't No More Cane
Ain't No More Cane
"Ain't No More Cane" is a traditional prison work song of the American south. The title refers to work assigned to prisoners sentenced to hard labor in Texas - to cut sugar cane along the banks of the Brazos River, where many of the state's prison farms were located in the late nineteenth and early...

", a traditional prison work song of the American south. The Austin based Band of Heathens included their distinctive arrangement of the old song on their "Live at Momo's" album.

In November 2008 the Americana Music Association announced the Top 100 Albums of the Americana Charts for 2008 and The Band of Heathens came in at No. 8, thus referencing the Band Of Heathens Album as the 8th most played record on the Americana Airplay Charts for 2008. .

In July, 2009 BOH taped an Austin City Limits show that aired in the Fall of 2009. The year was especially significant for ACL in that Austin City Limits was celebrating its 35th anniversary year. The band's unique genesis and creativity were highlighted during the Austin City Limits interview conducted after their performance.
The TV performance showcased a set by both the Band Of Heathens and Elvis Costello.
Following the Austin City Limits PBS show, the band also played on the German television live concert series Rockpalast
Rockpalast
Rockpalast is a German music television show that broadcasts live on German television station Westdeutscher Rundfunk . Rockpalast started in 1974 and continues to this day. Hundreds of rock and jazz bands have performed on Rockpalast...

 on October 9, 2009, performing 14 songs, many from the albums "Band Of Heathens" and "One Foot In The Ether."

In 2009, the band was nominated for a "New Emerging Artist" award by the Americana Music Association. In 2010, the band was again honored by the Americana Music Association as nominees for the "Best Duo/Group of the Year".

Discography

The first two recordings were live - a live album at Momo's was recorded in 2006, and in 2007, "Live at Antone's" with a DVD/CD set was completed. In May 2008, the band released its first studio production simply titled "The Band of Heathens". Produced by Ray Wylie Hubbard
Ray Wylie Hubbard
Ray Wylie Hubbard is an American Texas Country singer and songwriter.-Early life:Hubbard grew up in southeastern town of Hugo, Oklahoma. His family moved to Oak Cliff in south Dallas, Texas in 1954. He attended W. H. Adamson High School with Michael Martin Murphey, who had his own band at the time...

, the album reached #1 on the Americana Charts and the EuroAmericana charts. What is significant however is that it was only the second independently released album to ever reach #1 on the Chart.
In September, 2009 the band released the album "One Foot in the Ether" which again made it to number one on the Americana as well as the Euroamericana charts.

Colin Brooks (solo)
  • 2002: Chippin’ Away at the Promised Land
  • 2005: Blood & Water


Gordy Quist (solo)
  • 2005: Songs Play Me
  • 2007: Here Comes the Flood


Ed Jurdi (solo)
  • 1999: Ed Jurdi
  • 2003: Longshores Drive


The Band of Heathens

External links

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