Gator Country was an American

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 formed in

Davie, Florida Davie is a town in Broward County, Florida, United States, approximately north of Miami. The town's population was 110,320 at the 2020 census, making it the largest town in Florida by population. Davie is a principal town of the Miami metropol ...

, in 2005 by several ex-members of the

group

Molly Hatchet Molly Hatchet is an American rock band formed by guitarist Dave Hlubek in Jacksonville, Florida in 1971. They experienced popularity and commercial success during the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s amongst southern rock and hard rock commun ...

. The band, founded by vocalist

Jimmy Farrar James Edwin Farrar (December 8, 1950 – October 29, 2018) was a singer, songwriter and musician born in LaGrange, Georgia, and the original lead singer of the Raw Energy band. He was also known as the second lead singer of the American Southern ...

, guitarist

Duane Roland Duane Roland (December 3, 1952 – June 19, 2006) was an American guitarist for the Southern hard rock band Molly Hatchet. He was a member of the band from its founding in the mid-1970s until his departure in 1990. After leaving the band he pl ...

, drummer

Bruce Crump Bruce Hull Crump, Jr. (July 17, 1957 – March 16, 2015) was an American drummer. He is best known as a member of the rock band Molly Hatchet Molly Hatchet is an American rock band formed by guitarist Dave Hlubek in Jacksonville, Florida in ...

, guitarist Steve Holland, and bassist Riff West took its name from the title of the hit song, "Gator Country". In 2006, Gator Country, led by vocalist Jimmy Farrar, continued to perform popular songs such as "Beatin' The Odds", "Bounty Hunter" as well as "Oh Atlanta".

Background

On June 19, 2006, founding guitarist

died at his home in

St. Augustine, Florida St. Augustine ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Located 40 miles (64 km) south of downtown Jacksonville, the city is on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spani ...

, at the age of 53. He had been playing with the band Gator Country as late as May 2006. His death was listed as being of "

natural causes In many legal jurisdictions, the manner of death is a determination, typically made by the coroner, medical examiner, police, or similar officials, and recorded as a vital statistic. Within the United States and the United Kingdom, a distinc ...

" according to a June 25, 2006, ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' obituary report. Guitarist Paul Chapman (ex- Lone Star; ex-

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shapes ...

) joined the band in July 2006. A live album, entitled 'Gator Country Live', was released in 2008 on GWP Records. In July 2008, the Gator Country band website reported that lead singer Jimmy Farrar had suffered a mild stroke. According to the web site: "It is true that Jimmy, our beloved brother and front man, suffered a stroke a couple of weeks ago. He woke up, as he puts it, "Feelin' kind of funky," on his left side. As strokes go, it was a mild one and he is having very minimal effects as a result. The first morning in the hospital they had him up and walking the halls and he's been mobile ever since. The only complaint he has is a little weakness in his left arm. Some physical therapy is expected to help with that." Bass player Riff West died in late 2014. Former drummer Bruce Crump died on March 16, 2015, aged 57. Farrar died on October 29, 2018, due to

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...

, at the age of 67. Paul Chapman died on June 9, 2020 and Steve Holland died on August 2, 2020. Guitarist Linni Disse went on to perform with various bands in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, including Sweet Justice, Red Star Crush and Cracker Jackson, as well as playing in a

tribute band A tribute act, tribute band, tribute group or tribute artist is a Musical ensemble, music group, Singing, singer, or musician who specifically plays the music of a well-known music act. Tribute acts include individual performers who mimic the so ...

called 'Dreams I'll Never See'.

Members

, vocalist – died 2018 *

, drummer – died 2015 *

, guitarist – died 2006 * Steve Holland, guitarist - died 2020 *Riff West, bassist – died 2014 *Linni Disse, guitarist * Paul Chapman, guitarist - died 2020 *JoAnn Hudson, keyboards

Discography

*"Oh Atlanta", single (2008) *"Gator Country Live", album (2008)

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2005 establishments in Florida 2010 disestablishments in Florida Hard rock musical groups from Florida Southern rock musical groups from Florida Musical groups established in 2005 Musical groups disestablished in 2010 Musical groups from Davie, Florida