Southern Rock Resource

Molly Hatchet was founded by guitarists Dave Hlubek and Steve Holland in 1971 before things really started rolling in 1972.

Originating from and based in Jacksonville, Florida, Molly Hatchet shared influences and inspiration with what is perhaps the most well-known act in the Southern rock genre, Lynyrd Skynyrd.  Working on the placement of permanent band members, bass player Banner Thomas entered the Molly Hatchet Band in 1974, with drummer Bruce Crump and guitarist Duane Roland taking their positions in the band in 1975. Hlubek was the band's vocalist prior to Danny Joe Brown's entrance into the band in early 1976. Hlubek also wrote and co-produced many of the band's songs.

Members of the band 38 Special referred Molly Hatchet to manager Pat Armstrong.   Armstrong with partner Alan Walden had briefly been co-manager of Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1970. Armstrong signed on as Molly Hatchet's manager.  Molly Hatchet cut their first demos in Lynyrd Skynyrd's 8-track recording studio using their equipment.   Other demos were cut in Jacksonville's Warehouse Studios. Warner Bros. Records expressed interest in the resulting recordings from these sessions, but it was Epic Records who signed the band to a recording contract, in 1977, bringing in Tom Werman as a producer.

The band recorded and released their first album, Molly Hatchet in 1978, followed by Flirtin' with Disaster in 1979. They proceeded to tour behind the record, building a larger fan base. Danny Joe Brown, lead singer, left the band in 1980 because of health and other reasons, only to return three years later.

After Danny Joe Brown left Molly Hatchet, he formed The Danny Joe Brown Band with future Molly Hatchet guitarist, Bobby Ingram and guitarist Steve Wheeler, and was replaced in Molly Hatchet by vocalist Jimmy Farrar, a native of La Grange, Georgia, where he was formerly lead singer for the local Southern Rock band Raw Energy.

With the addition of Jimmy Farrar as lead singer, a new approach seemed to come to the band's sound. The earlier albums seem to some commentators to exhibit a distinct southern cultural influence – which seemed to change with the addition of Farrar on vocals. Danny Joe Brown's stage persona, gruff voice and cowboy horse-whistling was replaced with Jimmy Farrar's new vocal style, mixed with a new harder-rocking sound.

With the success of the next album, the Beatin' the Odds release, the band ventured even farther away from the southern rock sound of their first albums. By 1981, Molly Hatchet had evolved to a straight-ahead rock style and a slicker production, exhibited on the Take No Prisoners release of the same year.  The band remained a successful act on the touring circuit. Founding member and bass player Banner Thomas left in November 1981 and was replaced by Riff West, while Farrar also left Molly Hatchet in late 1982 for personal reasons.  He would later rejoin other members of Molly Hatchet in Southern Rock Allstars and Gator Country.

Brown rejoined the band in Late 1982 after the departure of Farrar, while B. B. Borden replaced Crump on drums, who had moved to Los Angeles and would later end up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, playing and recording with Canadian rockers Streetheart. In 1983, this line-up released a new album titled No Guts...No Glory. Steve Holland left in 1984 and was replaced by Ex-Danny Joe Brown Band keyboardist John Galvin, ending the Molly Hatchet characteristic of having three lead guitarists. This period saw the band return to the more overt southern style it had displayed on its debut record in 1978. Critics hailed No Guts...No Glory as the band's return to form, and did rejuvenate interest from the band's fan base, who had started to drift after Take No Prisoners album of 1981.

In 1984 the album The Deed Is Done was recorded and released, a straightforward pop/rock offering, with Bruce Crump returning on drums. In 1985, the double live album Double Trouble Live was released. The collection Greatest Hits was released in 1990, with sales reaching gold status.  Hlubek left Molly Hatchet in early 1987.  In 1989, the album Lightning Strikes Twice was released, the first to feature Hlubek's replacement Bobby Ingram, who had already been a guitarist in The Danny Joe Brown Band. In 1990 Molly Hatchet announced at a show in Ohio that the show would be their final one, that after that night the band would be disbanding.

In 1991 a revised band reformed by Brown and Ingram in a new line-up of Molly Hatchet played selected shows and tours, but didn't record a new album for five years, until the mid-1990s, when Molly Hatchet began working on a new studio album with German producer Kalle Trapp. In April, 1995, after continuing health problems, Brown had to once again leave the band, bringing in lead singer Phil McCormack (formerly of The Roadducks) to Record the 1996 album Devil's Canyon.

During the rest of the 1990s, the band's line-up did not feature any of the original members who had performed in Molly Hatchet prior to 1984. Bobby Ingram obtained the trademark ownership to work with the name.  At this point, the band consisted of vocalist Phil McCormack, guitarists Bobby Ingram and Bryan Bassett (formerly of Wild Cherry), keyboardist John Galvin, bassist Andy McKinney, and drummer Mac Crawford. In 1998, this line-up band recorded the album Silent Reign of Heroes.

In 2000, the album Kingdom of XII was recorded and released in Europe, and the band then toured Europe to promote the album. It was released in the United States in 2001. Locked and Loaded, 25th Anniversary: Best of Re-Recorded (2003) and Warriors of the Rainbow Bridge (2005) followed.

Danny Joe Brown left the group because of health reasons in 1995.  At his request Bobby Ingram kept the band together. Despite a long battle with diabetes and the effects of the stroke, Brown was able to take the stage one last time at the Jammin' for DJB benefit concert in July 1999 in Orlando, Florida. With the help of his friends and former original members Bruce Crump, Banner Thomas, Steve Holland, and Dave Hlubek, he ended the show with "Flirtin' with Disaster".

In June 2000, Bobby Ingram became the sole owner of the trade and service mark "Molly Hatchet," acquired from Pat Armstrong, the band's early manager.  In January 2005, Ingram invited founding member Dave Hlubek to rejoin Molly Hatchet. Before Hlubek re-joined the group he played in various other bands.

Danny Joe Brown died on March 10, 2005 at his home in Davie, Florida.  He was 53.

In 2005, former Molly Hatchet members Steve Holland, Bruce Crump, Jimmy Farrar, Riff West and Molly Hatchet's original guitarist Duane Roland founded and performed together in a group called Gator Country. On Monday, June 19, 2006, Duane Roland died at his home in St. Augustine, Florida at the age of 53. The Gator Country band continued until 2009.

In 2011, drummer Molly Hatchet drummer Shawn Beamer had a heart attack and was temporarily replaced by drummer Scott Craig.  In 2013 Beamer returned to the band.