The Hellecasters (1998-2002) was an
American guitar
The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
group composed of prominent
session musician
A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...
s and a core trio of guitarists,
Will Ray,
John Jorgenson and
Jerry Donahue.
History
In 1990, Donohue ran into Ray at
the Palomino and proposed that they play a set together at an open-mic session at the same club. Ray suggested that they ask Jorgenson to join them so as to have three-part harmonies. The band's name was coined by Jorgenson.
Michael Nesmith
Robert Michael Nesmith (December 30, 1942 – December 10, 2021) was an American musician, songwriter, and actor. He was best known as a member of the Monkees and co-star of their The Monkees (TV series), TV series of the same name (1966–1968) ...
attended the April 1991 show and signed them to his record label. Their first two albums, ''The Return of the Hellecasters'' and ''Escape from Hollywood'', were released by Nesmith's
Pacific Arts Audio label.
In 1998 they appeared on the German music show
Ohne Filter. They also performed a concert there and, in 2000, released the album ''Live... Raw... In Germany''.
In 2002, the band released its final album, ''Essential Listening Volume 1'', a 13-track compilation which included two new songs.
In 2012, the three guitarists performed at Dekes Guitar Geek Festival in
Anaheim
Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the tenth-most ...
.
Personnel
*Guitar & Vocals: Jerry Donahue, John Jorgenson, Will Ray
*Bass: Dennis Belfield,
Bob Birch, John Davis, Pat Donaldson,
Davey Faragher
*Drums: Steve Duncan,
Donald Lindley,
Charlie Morgan, Tom Walsh
*Percussion:
Luis Conte, Steve Duncan
Discography
Albums
Multi-artist collection
References
American rock music groups
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