In Memory of MOLLY HATCHET Singer Danny Joe Brown (1951-2005)

Danny Joe Brown (August 24, 1951 – March 10, 2005)

Danny Joe Brown, the iconic lead singer of Molly Hatchet, died on March 10, 2005, at the age of 53. He was the voice behind the band's biggest hits, including the classic anthem "Flirtin' with Disaster." He had been battling health issues for many years, specifically diabetes and later pneumonia, which led to his death. He was the singer on Molly Hatchet's biggest and best albums. He sang on the first album, Molly Hatchet, in 1978 and the very famous Flirtin' with Disaster in 1979. He left the band for a little while to make a solo album called Danny Joe Brown and the Danny Joe Brown Band in 1981, but he came back soon after. When he returned, he sang on No Guts... No Glory, The Deed Is Done, and a live album called Double Trouble Live. His last full studio album with the band was Lightning Strikes Twice in 1989. Even though he had to stop singing later because he was sick, these albums made him a legend in Southern rock and 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.

Molly Hatchet - Flirtin' With Disaster (Live)