The Legendary Shack Shakers (originally Those or Th' ) are an American rock band from Murray, Kentucky that was formed in 1995 by J.D. Wilkes. The original line-up formed the band out of a shared interest in rockabilly, blues and Western swing. Subsequently, the band gained prominence in the alternative country scene with a sound that encompassed rockabilly, blues, country and punk rock and a lyrical focus on Southern Gothic themes. Over time, the band's sound shifted to emphasize country music.

History

Formation

Singer and harmonica player J.D. Wilkes developed an interest in Delta blues music as a teenager living in Paducah, Kentucky as a result of disinterest in the decade's popular music styles, familiarizing himself with the music of Muddy Waters, Lightning Hopkins, Brownie McGhee and Charlie Patton before moving backward into older styles of music "to see the roots of the roots". He formed the Legendary Shack Shakers in Paducah with members of another band, Solid Rocket Boosters, who shared his interest in rockabilly, blues and Western swing; according to Wilkes, the only difference between the two bands was that they have different drummers.

Breakthroughs

Legendary Shack Shakers' 2002 album, Cockadoodledon't, established their prominence in the alternative country scene. The band would subsequently go on hiatus from 2010 to 2015, after which they reformed with a new line-up consisting of Wilkes on vocals, harmonica and banjo, Robertson on bass, Rod Hamdallah on guitar, and Brett Whitacre on drums, and signed with Alternative Tentacles. J.D. Wilkes says that the original incarnation of the Legendary Shack Shakers focused on playing rockabilly, "hillbilly" music, Memphis blues and Western swing. Wilkes described the Legendary Shack Shakers' music as "Americana rockabilly"; Vail Daily said that the band performs a mix of blues, rock, punk rock, and country music. The Phoenix New Times said that "the southern gothic rockabilly act goes above and beyond much of those genres to throw down their captivating version of hillbilly blues-rock." The Kalamazoo Gazette described the Legendary Shack Shakers' music as "mutant Southern rock". AllMusic described the Legendary Shack Shakers as a "raucous roots rock band".

Wilkes stated regarding the band's use of the term "Southern Gothic", "I don’t think we’re Goth in the sense of veils and black clothing, people in perpetual mourning, funereal mode. [...] It’s the traditional term, rather than the trendy, Americanized, fad version of it. [...] [Southern Gothic] takes an angle that there’s something grotesque and beautiful in the traditions of the South, the backdrop of Southern living." Outside of musical influences, Gary Larson's The Far Side cartoon "Cow Tools" inspired the name of one of the band's introductions.

Discography

; Studio albums

  • J.D.'s Tasteless Chill Tonic (Conan Records, 1996)
  • Hunkerdown (Spinout, 1998)
  • Cockadoodledon't (Bloodshot, 2003)
  • Believe (YepRoc, 2004)
  • Pandelirium (YepRoc, 2006)
  • Swampblood (YepRoc, 2007)
  • AgriDustrial (Colonel Knowledge, 2010)
  • The Southern Surreal (Alternative Tentacles Records, 2015)
  • After You've Gone (Last Chance Records, 2017)
  • Cockadoodledeux (Alternative Tentacles, 2021)

;Live albums

  • Lower Broad Lo-Fi (Arkam Records, 2007)
  • Live from Sun Studio (Chicken Ranch Records, 2020)

Filmography

  • Seven Signs, shown at the Raindance Film Festival 2008

References

  • Artist Page on YepRoc Records
  • Artist Page on Bloodshot Records

;Interviews and reviews

  • Interview and Performance on Corporate Country Sucks TV show.
  • Review of "Pandelirium" on Sepiachord