The Kentucky Headhunters are an influential country rock group whose early albums were embraced by both country and rock fans, and maintain a cult following among alt-country fans to this day. One early review described their sound as "Bill Monroe meets Cream."
They are essentially a southern rock group that adapted their sound to country music. Their music has crossed a number of genre boundaries, at various times ranging from country and bluegrass to blues to hard rock that borders on traditional metal.
The Kentucky Headhunters is an American country rock band. It was founded in 1968 as Itchy Brother, which comprised brothers Richard Young (rhythm guitar, vocals) and Fred Young (drums) along with Greg Martin (lead guitar, vocals) and Anthony Kenney (bass guitar, vocals). The Young brothers and Martin began performing as The Kentucky Headhunters in 1986, adding brothers Ricky Lee Phelps (lead vocals, harmonica) and Doug Phelps (bass guitar, backing vocals) to the membership.
With the release of its 1989 debut album Pickin' on Nashville via Mercury Records, the band charted four consecutive Top 40 country singles. A second album for Mercury, Electric Barnyard, did not do as well commercially, and the Phelps brothers left after its release to form Brother Phelps. Kenney re-joined and Mark S. Orr took over on lead vocals for 1993's Rave On!! and a compilation album entitled The Best of The Kentucky Headhunters: Still Pickin' before the band exited Mercury. Orr left and Doug Phelps rejoined in 1996 as lead vocalist for the album Stompin' Grounds. He also led on the Audium Entertainment albums Songs from the Grass String Ranch and Soul, as well as Big Boss Man and a second compilation, Flying Under the Radar, on CBuJ Entertainment. After Kenney's departure, Doug once again became the band's bass guitarist.
The Kentucky Headhunters has released seven studio albums, two compilations, and twenty singles, of which the highest-peaking is a cover of the Don Gibson song "Oh Lonesome Me," which the band took to #8 in 1990. In addition, the band has won three Country Music Association awards, an Academy of Country Music award and a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, won in 1990 for Pickin' on Nashville.