Belmont Playboys

The Belmont Playboys are a rockabilly revival band, formed around 1990 in Charlotte, NC. The band's mission is to combine traditional rockabilly instrumentation and songs with strong original material, delivered with the energy and intensity of a punk band. They have been known to include snippets from hard rock and heavy metal bands such as AC/DC and Metallica during their live shows in order to give their sound a bit of a contemporary feel. The band's lineup includes Mike Hendrix on guitar and vocals, Mark Griffiths on bass, Chipps Baker on sax, vocals, and guitar, and Mark Painter on drums. They have toured with many legends of '50s and early-'60s rock & roll, including Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Little Richard, and Carl Perkins -- and received high praise from them all. The Playboys put out their first release, Hit the Road, themselves in cassette-only form. Still, the band sold 1,000 copies. 1993's Drive-in Rhythm was also self-released. Then they signed with Teen Rebel Records and released Wolf Patrol in 1996 and Hot Rod Heart in 1997. After Teen Rebel Records went out of business, the band signed with Deep South Records, which re-released the band's two previous records and the 1999 live album One Night of Sin Live. ~ Steven Jacobetz, All Music Guide