Guitar legend pauses ‘gypsy life’ for show at Bear’s

The Reverend Horton Heat, a Dallasbased rockabilly act will burn up the stage Nov. 17 at Bear’s with his original music. Heat and his group have been touring about a third of their time all across the United States and even to Australia, Great Britain and Canada. They are now touring in support of their latest CD released on Victory Records out of Chicago.

Jim Heath, the artist’s real name, explained the orgin of his stage name.

“There was a club owner in Dallas who always called me Horton, not even sure why. When I showed up to play his newest club for the first time in Deep Ellum in Dallas, he said, ‘You are now Reverend Horton Heat,’ taking the nickname ‘Horton’ and shortening my last name to Heat. The name has just stuck,” Heath said.

Heath’s earliest musical influences were the rockabilly vanguard: Gene Vincent, Johnny Burnett, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and, of course, Elvis.

Heath began playing in bands when he was still in high school, playing for school dances and such. This has grown into an ever-expanding circle of dances, clubs and concerts, and the momentum has never let up.

“I realized early on that I could make more money doing my music than working a 9-5 job in an office, so I just never looked back,” Heath said.

He describes his music as “rock and roll influenced by mid-20th century music with a strong leaning to the area of rockabilly.” He has been happily doing this since 1986 and said he can’t imagine another way of life.

Heath’s albums are usually filled with original music, including his newest, selfproduced Victory Records release, “Rev.” Check out their latest video from “Rev,” “Scenery Going By.”

“I write about 90-95 percent of the songs we record,” Heath said. “The other guys help flesh them out.”

The Reverend Horton Heat is a threepiece aggregation: Heath on guitar, harmonica and vocals; Jimbo Wallace on bass; and Scott Churilla on drums.

“Making a living doing music is very fulfilling, but it is not necessarily easy. It can be a battle. The road keeps you away from family and friends, so it is always good to get home after a long tour,” Heath said Heath plays a Gretsch G120 guitar on the road and in the studio may gravitate to an old Fender. Since 2004, he has had his own signature guitar manufactured by Gretsch. “I really don’t do much to them when I get them to play, maybe just tweak a couple of things very simply. I am proud to be associated with Gretsch,” Heath said.

“I like the gypsy life on the road so spend about a third of our time on the road,” Heath said. Given that whirlwind schedule, Heath said he knows he has played in Shreveport previously, but the road is too much of a blur to remember when or where that happened. “But we are definitely looking forward to swinging through Shreveport for this show. We are excited about the significant musical history of this area from the Louisiana Hayride to Paula Records to the association with Leadbelly and more.”

“When we play Bear’s on Nov. 17, we will have Scotty from Shreveport’s own Dirtfoot as a special guest, so we are really excited about that, as well as just being in Shreveport,” Heath said.

The 21 and over show will begin at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20. Call 674-9660.

–Karl Hasten