Molly Hatchet

Molly Hatchet grew out of Jacksonville, Florida, where guitarist Dave Hlubek formed the band in 1971. Their name was picked from a hat of suggestions after the group had rotated through a string of names on the Jacksonville club circuit. Their sound sits where southern rock meets hard rock, a lineage they shared with Lynyrd Skynyrd, and it found an audience among fans of both genres during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Six studio albums for Epic Records followed between 1978 and 1984, and the platinum-selling Molly Hatchet, Flirtin' with Disaster and Beatin' the Odds anchored that run. Singles including the title track of Flirtin' with Disaster, The Rambler, Bloody Reunion and Satisfied Man reached the US Billboard charts. After parting ways with Epic in 1985 the band kept making records, but none matched those early releases or charted in America. Guitarist Bobby Ingram, in the band since 1987, owns the Molly Hatchet trademark, and keyboardist John Galvin has been a member since 1984. Dave Hlubek rejoined eighteen years after leaving and stayed until his death in 2017, and by August 2020 every original member had died.