The Kentucky Headhunters-Pickin' on Nashville (1989)

Originally formed in the late 1960s as The Itchy Brothers, the Southern country rock band The Kentucky Headhunters is one of the best examples of American roots music from the 1980s. Founded by Doug Phelps (bass and vocals), Greg Martin (lead guitar and vocals), Richard Young (rhythm guitar and vocals), and Fred Young (drums and vocals), they gained some recognition during the 1970s thanks to minor hits like "Shotgun Effie", and the considerable interest shown by Led Zeppelin's label, Swan Song Records, in this band from Glasgow, Kentucky. In 1986, the group adopted the definitive name The Kentucky Headhunters, in homage to one of the animated characters from the popular 1980s TV series "King Leonardo and His Short Subjects." After presenting a demo to Mercury Records, the group secured a multi-album contract, beginning with "Pickin' On Nashville", an album recorded in Nashville, the quintessential country music city. This debut album became one of the best records by a new band in history, achieving not only an incredible number two on the Billboard charts, but also a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance of the Year. While it's true that The Kentucky Headhunters hadn't invented anything groundbreaking, their country rock, with its honky-tonk rhythms and elements of Southern rock, was incredibly carefree, upbeat, and rhythmic. Their covers of country classics like Bill Monroe's "Walk Softly on This Heart of Mine", Don Gibson's "Oh Lonesome Me", and Henson Cargill's "Skip a Rope" are magnificent demonstrations of the Headhunters' stimulating and captivating style. However, it was their own compositions, such as "Dumas Walker", "My Daddy Was a Milkman", and "Some Folks Like to Steal", that established them as one of the most promising country rock bands of the 1980s and 90s.