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Biography
Infobox musical artist | name = Pirates of the Mississippi| image = Pirates of the Miss promo image.png| caption =| image_size =| background = group_or_band| origin = Nashville, Tennessee , U.S.| genre = Country music|Country | years_active = 19871996, 20002007| label = Capitol Records|Capitol Nashville , Liberty Records|Liberty , Giant Records (Warner Bros. subsidiary label)|Giant , CBuJ Entertainment| associated_acts = Buffalo Rome, Hank Williams | website = http://www.thepiratesofthemississippi.com/index.php? p=home Official website| past_members = Rich Alves Jimmy Lowe Bill McCorvey Pat Severs Dean Townson Greg TrostlePirates of the Mississippi was an American country music group. It was founded in 1987 by Rich Alves ( guitar , Hammond organ , Backing vocalist|background vocals ), Bill McCorvey (guitar, lead vocals ) Jimmy Lowe ( Drum kit|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 CBuJ Entertainment.
History
Pirates of the Mississippi was formed in 1987, when Nashville, Tennessee|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. 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? |archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20090521131547/ http://www.thepiratesofthemississippi.com/about.php? p=home |archivedate=May 21, 2009 |accessdate=August 10, 2011 |work=Pirates of the Mississippi homepage but upon witnessing a group of fans wearing clog (shoe)|clogs , the group changed its name to The Cloggers.
The Cloggers 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.cite news |first=Jim |last=Asker |title=Pirate Power: After a rough start, it's smooth sailing for band |url= http://news.google.com/newspapers? id=3wsQAAAAIBAJ& sjid=WosDAAAAIBAJ& pg=4971,1081267& dq=feed-jake |work= The Free-Lance Star |date=6 April 1991 |accessdate=21 August 2009 Executives at Capitol Records disliked the band's name, and suggested that they change it.cite news|url= http://news.google.com/newspapers? id=pmtIAAAAIBAJ& sjid=RFYDAAAAIBAJ& pg=3709,6245288& dq=rich-alves& hl=en|title=Pirates of the Mississippi like their music loud|date=December 29, 1991|work=The Victoria Advocate|accessdate=August 10, 2011 The band then chose the name name Pirates of the Mississippi because they thought Lowe resembled a pirate.
Debut album
In 1990, the band released its Pirates of the Mississippi (album)|self-titled debut album . This album produced four chart singles for the band. First was a cover of Hank Williams 's " Honky Tonk Blues ", which the band took to number 26 on the country charts. Although "Rollin' Home" peaked outside the top 40, the album's third single, " Feed Jake ", became the band's biggest hit at number 15. The song, about a man who reminisces about a childhood friend while discussing societal stereotypes towards homeless people and homosexuals, was interpreted by some fans as having a pro-gay theme.cite news |first=Russell |last=Smith |title="Feed Jake" video clip gives rise to questions |url= http://news.google.com/newspapers? id=ACQSAAAAIBAJ& sjid=w_ADAAAAIBAJ& pg=5255,1477195& dq=feed-jake |work= Dallas Morning News |date=4 July 1991 |accessdate=21 August 2009 "Speak of the Devil", the last single from Pirates of the Mississippi , also made the country top 40. In 1991, the band received the Top New Vocal Group award from the Academy of Country Music .cite book|last1=Stambler|first1=Irwin|last2=Laudon|first2=Grelun|last3=Stambler|first3=Lyndon|title=Country Music: The Encyclopedia|url= http://books.google.com/? id=QAPi0EaJo4wC& pg=PA375& lpg=PA375& dq=%22jimmy+lowe%22+%22drummer%22#v=onepage& q=%22jimmy%20lowe%22%20%22drummer%22& f=false|year=2000|publisher=Macmillan|page=375|isbn=978-0-312-26487-1
1991's Walk the Plank (Pirates of the Mississippi album)|Walk the Plank , their second album for Capitol. produced the band's second highest-charting hit, the number 22 "'Til I'm Holding You Again". After a restructuring of Capitol Nashville, the band was transferred to Liberty Records , where they would release their third and fourth albums: A Street Man Named Desire (1992) and Dream You (1993). Each album's title track was the only charting single from it: "A Street Man Named Desire" peaked at number 56 and "Dream You" at number 63.
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, and newly recorded remixes. The same year, Severs was replaced with Greg Trostle on steel guitar, and the band parted ways with Liberty. In 1995, the band signed to Giant Records (Warner Bros. subsidiary label)|Giant Records , releasing the non-charting singles "You Could Do Better" and "Sure Sign" for an album which would also have been titled Sure Sign .
Later on, the band released Paradise (Pirates of the Mississippi album)|Paradise , its only physical album for Giant. Despite producing no singles, this album's title track would later be a Top 40 hit for John Anderson (musician)|John Anderson that year. Pirates of the Mississippi disbanded in 1996, with Alves and McCorvey choosing to focus on their songwriting careers. Among McCorvey's cuts were " Lonely and Gone ", a Top 5 hit for Montgomery Gentry , and "I'm Not Gonna Do Anything Without You", a number 31 duet by Mark Wills with Jamie O'Neal in 2001.
Reunion and statuses of former members
In 2000, Rich Alves and Bill McCorvey decided to reunite as a duo, again assuming the name Pirates of the Mississippi. Three years later, original steel guitarist Pat Severs joined the house band on Nashville Star , a talent show which originally aired on the USA Networks before transferring to NBC in 2008. The program has since been cancelled.Cite journal | 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 Entertainment 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 |work= Country Standard Time McCorvey has also founded a side project named Buffalo Rome. Original bass guitarist Dean Townson died of unknown causes on March 25, 2010, at the age of 50.cite web |url= http://blogs.tennessean.com/tunein/2010/04/01/pirates-of-the-mississippi-bassist-dean-townson-dies-at-50/ |title=Pirates of the Mississippi bassist Dean Townson dies at 50 |author=Peter Cooper |work= The Tennessean |date=2010-04-01 |accessdate=2011-02-05
reflist Category:American country music groups Category:Musical groups established in 1987 Category:Capitol Records artists Category:Liberty Records artists Category:Giant Records (Warner) artists
