The Georgia Satellites
| The Georgia Satellites | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Keith and the Satellites (1980-1982) |
| Origin | Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
| Genres | Southern rock, hard rock, boogie rock |
| Years active | 1982-1984, 1985-1990, 1993-present |
| Labels | Elektra |
| Associated acts | The Brains, Homemade Sin |
| Members | Rick Richards Todd Johnston Fred McNeal Bruce Smith |
| Past members |
Dan Baird Rick Price Kenny Head Dave Hewitt Randy DeLay Mauro Magellan Billy Pitts Jeremy Graf |
The Georgia Satellites are a Southern rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. They are best known for their 1986 #2 single "Keep Your Hands to Yourself".
In 1980, Dan Baird (formerly guitarist for the Atlanta band the Nasty Bucks), along with lead guitarist Rick Richards, bassist Keith Christopher (formerly of The Brains), and drummer David Michaelson formed a band named Keith and the Satellites in Atlanta, Georgia. After performing in local Southern bars, the band's line-up changed. With a new bassist, Dave Hewitt, and a new drummer, Randy DeLay, they recorded a six-track demo at Axis Studios in Atlanta. During this time, the band changed their name to Georgia Satellites and played every Monday at Hedgen's, a beer-stained bar in the otherwise tony Atlanta neighborhood of Buckhead.
Jeff Glixman, who had produced, mixed and remastered artists such as Paul Stanley, Kansas, Gary Moore, Yngwie Malmsteen and Black Sabbath, was enlisted for production. However, soon after the demo was recorded, the band broke up in the summer of 1984. DeLay later performed with the Tony Sarno Band and the Hell Hounds around the Atlanta music circuit, before dying of cancer in 1993.
Although the band felt they were not making any progress on their musical path and had disbanded, their English manager, Kevin Jennings, took the demo to a small Yorkshire record label, Making Waves, who liked the material and released the demo as the Keep the Faith EP in 1985. The press response to the EP was positive and prompted the band to regroup in the United States. Baird had been playing with the Woodpeckers in North Carolina. Richards remained in Atlanta with the Hell Hounds, which included both Mauro Magellan (drums) and Rick Price (bass, who had replaced Keith Christopher in The Brains). With Baird essentially joining the Hell Hounds, the Georgia Satellites were reborn and American record labels started taking notice of the band.
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