Elvis Hitler
| Elvis Hitler | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Splatter |
| Origin | Detroit, Michigan |
| Genres | Psychobilly, hellbilly |
| Years active | 1986 – 1992 |
| Labels | Wang Head, Restless Records |
| Members | Jim Leedy (a.k.a. "Elvis Hitler") (vocals) Damian Lang (drums) Warren Defever (bass) John Defever (guitar) |
Elvis Hitler is an American psychobilly/hellbilly band from Detroit, Michigan. The band was named after the moniker of their lead singer, Jim Leedy.
The band was active in the late 1980s and early '90s, and has re-formed in 2005. It consists of singer Jim Leedy (a.k.a. "Elvis Hitler"), guitarist John Defever, bassist Warren Defever, and drummer Damian Lang. Their irreverent mix of rockabilly and lowbrow humor led to them having a cult following in their day, though they never had commercial success. Their first album, Disgraceland, was initially released on Wang Head records in 1987 (WH004) and early copies came in a handmade sleeve formed from corrugated cardboard with a black-and-white sheet pasted to the front and back. The band managed to put out three CDs on Restless Records. They then disappeared from the public spotlight for the first time. Warren Defever would go on to front the dramatically-different sounding His Name Is Alive, and work as a record producer for underground bands.
In 1998, however, Elvis Hitler reunited as a 3-piece band with Rich Strock now on bass. This lineup continued to play until mid 2000. They once more reunited in 2003 at The Magic Stick club in Detroit with Warren Defever returning to the bass. They played one more concert at that club on September 4, 2004.
Their minor "hit" song "Green Haze" consisted of the lyrics from the successful TV show Green Acres sung to the tune of Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze".
Due to the resistance of having a band with the name Hitler in the title, regardless of its intent, the band released one album under the name "Splatter".
The band and their song "Green Haze" are mentioned in Thomas Pynchon's 2013 novel Bleeding Edge (pg. 177).
Disgraceland (1988)
Hellbilly (1989)
Supersadomasochisticexpialidocious (1992)
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