Born in Dallas in 1959, Jim Heath, who goes by the stage name “Reverend Horton”, has been described as the godfather of modern rockabilly and psychobilly. Along with upright bass player Jimbo Wallace, and a few different drummers, he’s been recording and performing since the mid-1980s.
The trio, which is fleshed out on this tour by drummer Scott Churla, whose history with the band dates back to 1994, has 11 studio albums to their credit — the most recent being REV which was released in January 2014.
As Heath’s stage name implies, the band does riff on the tradition of southern revivalist hellfire and damnation preachers and all the related schtick that goes along with that scene. On Thursday, May 28 the Reverend Horton Heat will be in town to play an all-ages show at the Exchange. Sharing the bill are two other pretty decent rockabilly/psychobilly acts: Nekromantix and Brains.
Tickets are $27.50, and to get everyone pumped here’s the burlesque-themed video for “Let Me Teach You How to Eat” off REV: