Legendary Country Rockers Set to Kick Off Rhythm on the River Season

Columbus Recreation and Parks Department is excited to welcome legendary country rockers The Kentucky Headhunters to Bicentennial Park on Friday, June 8 at 8 p.m. for a free performance as part of the Rhythm on the River series.

From their humble beginnings, The Kentucky Headhunters took its first incarnation as family band Itchy Brother in 1968 hailing from the village of Edmonton, Kentucky where they played and practiced in a farmhouse. While Itchy Brother eventually disbanded, it provided the foundation for what was yet to come.

20 years later, in 1988, the newly formed Kentucky Headhunters almost did not record what would soon be known as the Country Music Association’s 1990 Album of the Year. The Kentucky Headhunters did not have lofty goals of making it big, of recording or of getting signed; they simply played for the love of music. Their first record, Pickin’ on Nashville, was made possible when a devoted fan made a $4,500 donation to the band. From there, the group recorded the album which would launch their career.
Since the release of Pickin’ on Nashville in 1989, The Kentucky Headhunters have won three Country Music Association awards, an award from the Academy of Country Music and a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance. Still, despite all of their success, the band remains modest, remembering where they came from and letting it influence their sound and their love for performing. In fact, drummer Fred Young describes their sound and their take on the band as “music with a feeling.”

The Kentucky Headhunters site The Rolling Stones and ZZ Top as influences, but their sound ranges from country and rockabilly to jazz and blues—a sound that is sure to produce a lively show in Bicentennial Park. No strangers to the Midwest, The Kentucky Headhunters recorded a live album at Cleveland, Ohio’s The Agora to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of their groundbreaking release Pickin’ on Nashville, and recently played in Columbus for the annual Rock on the Range festival.

Audience members can look forward to hearing the band’s classics such as “Dumas Walker,” “Walk Softly on This Heart of Mine” and “Oh Lonesome Me” at their Rhythm on the River performance.

EVENING SCHEDULE:
6:30 p.m. – Food and beverage sales begin
8:00 p.m. – Free Outdoor Concert

LOCATION:
Bicentennial Park | 233 Civic Center Drive, Columbus, Ohio

ARTIST WEBSITE: www.kentuckyheadhunters.com

THANK YOU TO OUR PROGRAM SPONSORS: