Pirates of the Mississippi

Infobox musical artist
Name = Pirates of the Mississippi


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Background = group_or_band
Origin = Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Genre = Country
Years_active = 1987-1996, 2000-present
Label = Capitol Nashville
Liberty
Giant
CBuJ Ent.
Associated_acts = Buffalo Rome
Hank Williams
URL = [http://www.thepiratesofthemississippi.com/index.php?p=home Official website]
Current_members = Rich Alves
Bill McCorvey
Past_members = Jimmy Lowe
Pat Severs
Dean Townson
Greg Trostle

Pirates of the Mississippi is an American country music group founded in 1987 by Rich Alves (guitar, Hammond organ, background vocals), Bill McCorvey (guitar, lead vocals) Jimmy Lowe (drums, Pat Severs (steel guitar, Dobro), and Dean Townson (bass guitar). Under this lineup, Pirates of the Mississippi made its national debut in 1990 with a cover of Hank Williams' "Honky Tonk Blues". This cover was the first single from their self-titled debut album. "Honky Tonk Blues" was followed by ten more singles, all of which charted between 1990 and 1995. in that same time span, the band would release four more studio albums and a compilation album. Severs was replaced by Greg Trostle in 1994, and two years later, the five members parted ways.

In 2000, Alves and McCorvey reunited and began recording again as a duo, once again using the name Pirates of the Mississippi. The re-established lineup recorded another album, entitled "Heaven and a Dixie Night", in 2006 on the independent CBuJ Ent. label.

History

Pirates of the Mississippi was formed in 1987, when Nashville session musicians Bill McCorvey (lead vocals), Rich Alves (guitar), Dean Townson (bass guitar), Jimmy Lowe (drums), and Pat Severs (steel guitar) started performing together.cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:aifyxql5ldde~T1 |title=Pirates of the Mississippi biography |accessdate=2008-02-02 |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |authorlink=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |work=Allmusic] Originally, they identified themselves as the We Don't Want a Freaking Record Deal Band;cite web |url=http://www.thepiratesofthemississippi.com/about.php?p=home |title=What's in a Name? |accessdate=2008-02-02 |work=Pirates of the Mississippi homepage] upon witnessing a group of fans wearing clogs, the group changed its name to The Cloggers. Eventually, they settled on the name Pirates of the Mississippi. This name was inspired by Lowe, whom the other members thought resembled a pirate.

Pirates of the Mississippi soon began playing various clubs around Nashville. Eventually, they attracted the attention of an A&R representative at Capitol Records, who signed them to a recording contract in 1990. That year, they released their debut album (also titled "Pirates of the Mississippi", with its first single being a cover of Hank Williams' "Honky Tonk Blues"; this cover peaked at #26 on the "Billboard" Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. "Feed Jake", the third single from the album, became the group's highest-charting hit, peaking at #15. Its success helped the Pirates earn a Top New Vocal Group award from the Academy of Country Music.

1991's "Walk the Plank", their second album for Capitol. produced two Top 40 hits and a #41. After a restructuring of Capitol Nashville, the band was shifted to Liberty Records, where they would release their third and fourth albums: "A Street Man Named Desire" (1992) and "Dream You" (1993). Each album produced only one chart single.

By 1994, a compilation album entitled "The Best of Pirates of the Mississippi" was issued. This compilation included several tracks from their first four albums, as well as newly recorded dance mixes. The same year, Severs was replaced with Greg Trostle on steel guitar, and the band parted ways with Liberty, soon signing to Giant Records, where they would release the album "Paradise". That album's only single failed to chart at all, and the band broke up in 1996, with Alves and McCorvey choosing to focus on their songwriting.

Reunion

In 2000, Rich Alves and Bill McCorvey decided to reunite as a duo, again assuming the name Pirates of the Mississippi. Three years later, former steel guitarist Pat Severs joined the house band on "Nashville Star", a talent show which airs on the USA Networks. [Citation | last=Paxman | first=Bob | title=Setting Sail Again: The Pirates of the Mississippi return to test the musical waters - this time as a duo. | journal=Country Weekly | volume =13 | issue=20 | pages =58 | date =2006-09-25] Alves and McCorvey were signed to CBuJ Ent. Records in 2006, releasing the album "Heaven and a Dixie Night" that year. [cite web |url=http://www.countrystandardtime.com/news/newsitem.asp?xid=169&t=pirates_of_the_mississippi_back_together |title=Pirates of the Mississippi back together |accessdate=2007-08-02 |format=html |work=CountryStandardTime.com] McCorvey has also founded a side project named Buffalo Rome, although he and Alves continue to perform as Pirates of the Mississippi as well.

Discography

Albums

ingles

*^AFailed to chart.

References

External links

* [http://www.thepiratesofthemississippi.com Pirates of the Mississippi official site]
*myspace|thepiratesofthemississippi|Pirates of the Mississippi
*myspace|buffalorome|Buffalo Rome