Brother Phelps was an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

duo from

Edmonton, Kentucky Edmonton is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city in and the county seat of Metcalfe County, Kentucky, Metcalfe County, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Glasgow, Kentucky, Glasgow Glasgow micropolitan area, Micropolitan Sta ...

. The duo consisted of brothers Ricky Lee Phelps and Doug Phelps, both vocalists and guitarists. Both brothers had left the

Southern rock Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music and a genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitars and vocals. History 1950s and 1960s: origin ...

band

the Kentucky Headhunters The Kentucky Headhunters are an American country rock and Southern rock band from Edmonton, Kentucky. The band's members are Doug Phelps (bass guitar, vocals), Greg Martin (lead guitar, vocals), and brothers Richard Young (rhythm guitar, vocals) ...

. In 1993, Brother Phelps charted with its debut single " Let Go", which reached a peak of No. 6 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' country music charts. In all, the duo charted six singles between 1993 and 1995 (although only one other single reached Top 40), in addition to recording two albums on

Asylum Records Asylum Records is an American record label, founded in 1971 by David Geffen and partner Elliot Roberts. It was taken over by Warner Communications (now the Warner Music Group) in 1972, and later merged with Elektra Records to become Elektra/As ...

. Brother Phelps disbanded in 1995, with Doug rejoining the Kentucky Headhunters as lead singer, and Ricky Lee assuming a solo career.

Biography

The Brothers are Ricky Lee Phelps, who was born in 1953

, and Doug Phelps who was born in Leachville, Arkansas, in 1960. They were raised in the

Missouri Bootheel The Missouri Bootheel is a Salient (geography), salient (protrusion) located in the southeasternmost part of the U.S. state of Missouri, extending south of 36°30′ north latitude, so called because its shape in relation to the rest of the sta ...

and Doug graduated from a small school named Southland in Cardwell, Missouri. They joined

The Kentucky Headhunters The Kentucky Headhunters are an American country rock and Southern rock band from Edmonton, Kentucky. The band's members are Doug Phelps (bass guitar, vocals), Greg Martin (lead guitar, vocals), and brothers Richard Young (rhythm guitar, vocals) ...

in 1986. Ricky Lee served as lead vocalist, while Doug played bass guitar and sang backup vocals. The Kentucky Headhunters released its debut album, '' Pickin' on Nashville'', in 1989, producing four Top 40 singles on the country charts with it. After the band's second album, 1991's '' Electric Barnyard'', failed to produce a major hit, Ricky Lee and Doug announced that they were leaving to form their own group. Mark Orr then became lead singer of The Kentucky Headhunters, while Anthony Kenney took over as bass guitarist. The newly formed duo (named Brother Phelps, after Ricky Lee and Doug's minister father), signed to

in 1992. Unlike the country rock sounds of The Kentucky Headhunters, Brother Phelps featured a more traditional

sound. Their first single, " Let Go", reached a peak of No. 6 on the ''Billboard''

Hot Country Singles & Tracks Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

charts in 1993, higher than any of The Kentucky Headhunters' singles had peaked. The same year, the duo's first album (also titled ''Let Go'') was released. Brother Phelps' second and final album, ''Anyway the Wind Blows'' (its title track a

J. J. Cale John Weldon "J. J." Cale (December 5, 1938 – July 26, 2013) was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Though he avoided the limelight, his influence as a musical artist has been acknowledged by figures such as Neil Young, Mark Knopf ...

cover), was released in 1995, although it failed to produce any Top 40 singles. The duo disbanded in 1995, with Doug returning to the Kentucky Headhunters, assuming the role of lead vocalist after Orr's departure. Ricky Lee, meanwhile, continued to record as a solo artist.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Music videos

Awards and nominations

References

{{Authority control Asylum Records artists American country music duos Sibling musical duos Musical groups established in 1992 Country music groups from Kentucky 1992 establishments in Kentucky 1995 disestablishments in Kentucky Musical groups disestablished in 1995 Edmonton, Kentucky