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Willie Heath Neal & His Cowboy Killers
S/T
Format: CD
Catalog Number: CD HED-102
UPC: 7 23248 21022 1
Label: Headhunter / Cargo Music

Willie Heath Neal came into this world a country song, born January 27, 1971, in the back of a Gwinnett County police car in Atlanta, Georgia. He grew up poor with no father figure around, finding inspiration in his mother's heroes, Hank Williams and Elvis Presley. His mother had dreams of a career in country music as a honky tonk singer, but, between her dream and the reality of a day job, there was little time for motherhood. At a young age, Willie, his brother and three sisters were placed in foster homes.

As a teen he was wild and reckless. In order to graduate high school on time, he agreed to a three year stint in the Navy. While in the military, Willie and two other servicemen formed a three-piece punk rock band. The band became an outlet for dealing with the authority of military life and aggression stemming from his childhood. Briefly stationed in Asia and eager to perform, the band played shows on the punk rock circuits in Singapore and Hong Kong. Barely 21 years of age, the acceptance he felt from the clubs in Asia would change his life forever. It was then he realized he wanted to make music his life.

Upon return to the U.S., the band found themselves stationed in San Diego. At the end of their obligated service they decided to stick around in an attempt to break into the California punk rock circuit. In just a few months the band was broke. Willie and the drummer returned home to the Atlanta area and continued playing for three years, gaining plenty of local attention. Despite modest success, Willie's prior exposure to artists like Steve Earle and Wayne Hancock left him missing his country roots. It wasn't long before he hooked up with a rockabilly band and began slapping upright bass. With his new found passion, he relocated to Florida, slapping bass for a psychobilly band signed to an independent label. After several months touring the Southeast, he lent himself out as a hired gun, playing in country and honky tonk bands from New Orleans to Savannah.

Being a hired gun left little time for songwriting, Willie's primary role in previous bands. So, combining some old songs with a couple of new ones, he put together a band with a traditional country set-up, went into the studio and recorded a record with a new twist on the Country sound. Gaining attention from California to Europe, Willie signed a recording contract with UK based Raucous Records, bringing him to the attention of Cargo Music, a distributor for Raucous in the U.S. Cargo felt Willie would fit perfectly on their Headhunter label, and quickly signed him to a stateside deal. Willie has toured the southeast relentlessly since 1993 sharing the stage with Wayne Hancock, Hank Williams III, The Reverend Horton Heat, and Mike Watt to name a few. On his self-titled debut he brings his personal blend to the fire with a unique country sound blending hints of everything from Elvis Presley to Merle Haggard on-through Hank Williams and Steve Earle. Straight out of backwoods Hickville, USA, it's got something that most country bands today don't have enough of.....COUNTRY!