remembering MOLLY HATCHET drummer Bruce Crump (1957-2015)

Bruce Hull Crump, Jr. (July 17, 1957 – March 16, 2015)

According to Wikipedia, Bruce Hull Crump, Jr., the drummer for American classic rockers Molly Hatchet, was born on July 17, 1957 and died on March 16, 2015. Bruce played drums on the 1970s albums. He was with them from 1976 to 1982, and then again from 1984 to 1991.

Bruce was part of the Molly Hatchet sound for the vast majority of their classic era. As the band's original drummer, he performed on their self-titled debut in 1978 and the multi-platinum follow-up Flirtin' with Disaster in 1979. He continued through the early 1980s on Beatin' the Odds and Take No Prisoners, and after a brief departure, he returned for 1984's The Deed Is Done and 1989's Lightning Strikes Twice. Across these six studio albums, Bruce's drumming helped establish the band’s signature sound of Southern rock and heavy metal.

Wikipedia trivia: (Dave) Hlubek founded the band Molly Hatchet in 1971 on the heels of his first band ('Mind Garden') with longtime friend/bassist Tim Lindsey. Front man/vocalist Danny Joe Brown joined in 1974, plus guitarist Duane Roland, guitarist Steve Holland, bassist Banner Thomas also joined in 1974, and drummer Bruce Crump joined in 1976. Hlubek was also the original vocalist when they started, as well as becoming the band's most prolific songwriter; writing or co-writing the majority of the group's songs, including their most famous, "Flirtin' with Disaster". When they finally signed their recording contract with Epic Records, they received help and advice from Lynyrd Skynyrd vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, who was originally supposed to produce their first album but was killed in a plane crash in 1977. While most people tagged Molly Hatchet as "Southern rock", Hlubek admits it was only because of their location. He considered Molly Hatchet, along with Blackfoot, to actually be heavy metal bands from the South. In fact, he also said that, although hard to talk about, it was the demise of Lynyrd Skynyrd, who were on top of the world at that time, that opened the door for Molly Hatchet.

The "ORIGINAL" MOLLY HATCHET Band - Full Concert - 11/10/78 - Capitol Theatre (OFFICIAL)

[The "ORIGINAL" MOLLY HATCHET Band - FULL CONCERT - CAPITOL THEATRE ... Passaic, NJ 11/10/78 ... Featuring: Lead Singer, DANNY JOE BROWN; Lead Guitarist, DAVE HLUBEK; Lead Guitarist, DUANE ROLAND; Lead Guitarist, STEVE HOLLAND; Bass Guitarist, BANNER THOMAS & Drummer, BRUCE CRUMP. The Band Performs Their Songs ... 1) Bounty Hunter; 2) Gator Country; 3) The Big Apple; 4) Dreams I'll Never See; 5) Trust Your Old Friend; 6) The Harp Jam]