Southern rockers Molly Hatchet and Black Oak Arkansas play at Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe on Oct. 27
From a press release:
It was announced today that platinum-selling ’70s Southern rock bands Molly Hatchet and Black Oak Arkansas will perform at Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe on Friday, Oct. 27 at 8 p.m.
Tickets, which are $27 in advance or $32 the day of the show, go on sale this Saturday, Aug. 12 at 10 a.m. at all Ticketmaster outlets, the Penn’s Peak box office (325 Maury Rd., Jim Thorpe), and Roadies Restaurant and Bar (325 Maury Rd., Jim Thorpe). Penn’s Peak box office and Roadies Restaurant ticket sales are walk-up only; no phone orders.
In the early 1970s, a new form of music was emerging in the South. A mixture of blues, country, gospel, and the English invasion of rock and roll that was later coined “Southern rock.” The music was filled with style and emotion, with bands in the forefront such as the Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Molly Hatchet from Jacksonville, Florida, named after a famous 17th century axe murderess who would behead her lovers with the hand tool Lizzie Borden made famous.
Their self-titled debut album was released on Epic Records in 1978 and reached multi-platinum status as the band established their reputation of working hard, playing tough, and living fast through intense touring with bands like Aerosmith, Bob Seger, The Rolling Stones, and many more. In 1979, “Flirtin’ with Disaster” was released and history was in the making. The band continued touring with an average of 250 live shows per year and, like the first album, it also achieved multi-platinum status.
In 2017, the band will head to the Persian Gulf to play a special concert for the United States military stationed in the United Arab Emirates and then on to Okinawa, Japan to perform for dedicated U.S. troops in the South Pacific.
As the band enters its next 40 years of music, Molly Hatchet’s tradition fosters the common bond of Southern rockers and keeps the Southern style of music alive and well. Rest assured that, after 40 years, Molly Hatchet is always workin’ hard, playin’ tough, livin’ fast, and still “Flirtin’ with Disaster.”
In 1963, some high school pals decided to get together to form a group because of their love of music. After 53 years, several dozen albums – three of which became gold, one of which became platinum – and one gold single from a song known as “Jim Dandy to the Rescue,” which Elvis Presley himself told to them to record, this group of friends still manages to stay together. Many testimonials and awards have been presented to this band by everyone from Bill Graham (who founded and ran Winterland Ballroom and both the Fillmore East and West) to Wolfman Jack from the Midnight Special to First Lady Betty Ford to President Bill Clinton.
In their long musical history, the BOA boys have shared a stage with the likes of James Gang, Kiss, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Bob Segar, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Black Sabbath, Foghat, Bad Company, Bruce Springsteen, Boston, Iron Butterfly, Grand Funk Railroad, B.B. King, Ted Nugent, Alice Cooper, The Outlaws, Deep Purple, 38 Special, Marshall Tucker, Buddy Miles, Billy Preston, Jerry Lee Lewis, BTO, Robin Trower, Humble Pie, The Eagles, Blackfoot, Credence Clearwater, Johnnie Winter, Edgar Winter, Rick Derringer, Steppenwolf, the Allman Brothers, the Doobie Brothers, ZZ Top, Chuck Berry, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Charlie Daniels, James Brown, Steely Dan, J. Geils Band, Cheech and Chong, Steve Martin, Danny Thomas, Evel Knievel, and Earth, Wind & Fire, among others.
BOA has donated many hundreds of thousands of dollars to charities during their career, and both the mayor of Little Rock and the governor of the State of Arkansas even declared a Black Oak Arkansas Day on Oct. 6. There is now a permanent display in the Arkansas State Museum and the Barton Coliseum in Little Rock, Arkansas dedicated to the band.
