Elvis Hitler is an American
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band from
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
. The band was named after the moniker of their lead singer, Jim Leedy, a combination of
rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western music ...
singer
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
's first name and the last name of dictator
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
.
History
The band currently consists of singer Jim Leedy (a.k.a. "Elvis Hitler"), guitarist John Defever, and drummer Geno OneMore. Their first album, ''Disgraceland'', was initially released on Wang Head records in 1987 (WH004) and early copies came in a handmade sleeve formed from corrugated cardboard with a black-and-white sheet pasted to the front and back. The band put out two CDs on
Restless Records
Restless Records is a record label that was started in El Segundo, California in 1986 by Enigma Records and primarily released alternative, metal, and punk records. Restless also licensed and released records from Bar/None Records, Metal Blad ...
: ''Hellbilly'' and ''Supersadomasochisticexpialidocious''.
Their song "Green Haze" consisted of the lyrics from the TV show ''
Green Acres
''Green Acres'' is an American television sitcom starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a country farm. Produced by Filmways as a sister show to '' Petticoat Junction'', the series was first broad ...
'' sung to the tune of Jimi Hendrix's "
Purple Haze
"Purple Haze" is a song written by Jimi Hendrix and released as the second single by the Jimi Hendrix Experience on March 17, 1967.
The song features his inventive guitar playing, which uses the signature Hendrix chord and a mix of blues and ...
", and was a college radio hit.
Due to the resistance of having a band with the name
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and the ...
in the title, regardless of its intent, the band released one album under the name "Splatter".
The band and their song "Green Haze" are mentioned in
Thomas Pynchon
Thomas Ruggles Pynchon Jr. ( , ; born May 8, 1937) is an American novelist noted for his dense and complex novels. His fiction and non-fiction writings encompass a vast array of subject matter, Literary genre, genres and Theme (narrative), them ...
's 2013 novel ''
Bleeding Edge'' (pg. 177).
Discography
*''Disgraceland'' (1988)
*''Hellbilly (1989)
*''Supersadomasochisticexpialidocious'' (1992)
*''...From Hell to Eternity'' (1994)
See also
*
List of psychobilly bands
This is a list of notable psychobilly bands and artists. Psychobilly is a fusion genre of rock music that mixes elements of punk rock, rockabilly, and other genres. It is one of several subgenres of rockabilly which also include thrashabilly, pun ...
Notes
:1.Released with the band renamed as Splatter.
External links
*
Elvis Hitler band historyElvis Hitler on last.fmElvis Hitler on myspace{{Authority control
Musical groups from Detroit
Musical groups established in 1986
1986 establishments in Michigan
American psychobilly musical groups
Naming controversies
Music controversies