The Reverend Horton Heat

Reverend Horton Heat
Reverend Horton Heat live 2010
Background information
Origin	Dallas, Texas, US
Genres	Ameripolitan, Psychobilly, rockabilly, country
Years active	1985–present
Labels	Four Dots, Sub Pop, Interscope, Time Bomb, Artemis, Yep Roc, Victory Records
Associated acts	Th' Legendary Shack Shakers, Petra, Black Oak Arkansas, The Supersuckers, Burden Brothers, Deke Dickerson, The Collins Kids
Website	www.reverendhortonheat.com
Members	Jim "Reverend Horton" Heath Jimbo Wallace Scott Churilla
Past members	Jack Barton Bobby Baranowski Kyle Thomas Patrick "Taz" Bentley Paul Simmons

The Reverend Horton Heat is the stage name of American musician Jim Heath (born 1959) as well as the name of his Dallas, Texas-based psychobilly trio. Heath is a singer, songwriter and guitarist. One reviewer called Heath the "godfather of modern rockabilly and psychobilly."

The group formed in 1985, playing its first gigs in Dallas's Deep Ellum neighborhood. Its current members are Jim "Reverend Horton" Heath on guitar and lead vocals, Jimbo Wallace on the upright bass and Scott Churilla on drums. The band signed to Victory Records on November 27, 2012, and released its 11th studio album, REV, on January 21, 2014.

The band describes itself as "country-fed punkabilly". The band mixes country, surf, punk, big band, swing and rockabilly into loud, energetic songs with often-humorous lyrics. Video games, cartoons and commercials have used the band's songs, giving The Reverend Horton Heat mainstream exposure.

Heath played in a cover band called Southern Comfort with friends from W.B. Ray High School, his high school, before attending the University of Texas at Austin in the fall of 1977. At UT, he often entertained friends and dormmates and was often found playing in the stairwells at Moore-Hill Dormitory late into the night. Heath left school in the spring to join up with a touring cover band by the name of Sweetbriar. Three years later, former dormmate David Livingston, now in his senior year of school and at home visiting family, saw a familiar face on stage and reunited with Heath.

Livingston told Heath stories of the punk music scene in Austin and the acts playing at venues such as Raul's and Club Foot. Once, while home on another visit, Livingston took Heath to a Dallas rock and roll venue, The Bijou, to see an act called The Cramps. After the show, a brawl between punks and rockers broke out in the parking lot. While Heath and Livingston escaped any involvement in the scuffle, Heath later claimed to have had an epiphany on that evening. Always a fan of blues and honky tonk, Heath returned the favor by taking Livingston and his wife to see The Blasters in Dallas at the Hot Klub, starting his love for roots rock.