The Hillbilly Way
| Company type | Musical group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Predecessor | The Povertyneck Hillbillies |
| Founded | 2012 near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Headquarters | Pittsburgh , United States |
| Products | Country music |
The Hillbilly Way, also known as THW, is a country music ensemble from the United States that originated near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 2012. The founding members consisted of Chris "Abby" Abbondanza (lead vocals), Dave Cramer (keyboards), Ryan Lucotch (drums), Jeff Volek (bass guitar and accordion), David "Junior" Guthrie (electric guitar), and Bob "Crafty" Crafton (steel guitar). This group emerged as a continuation of their earlier incarnation, The Povertyneck Hillbillies.
During their tenure as The Povertyneck Hillbillies, the band released three albums: two independently produced records, Hillbilly State of Mind (2002) and Don't Look Back (2004), followed by a self-titled album in 2006 under Rust Records, a division of Universal Music Group. Although these records did not yield chart-topping singles, they collectively sold more than 10,000 units across the country. Their music video for "Mr. Right Now" achieved the #2 spot on Great American Country, maintaining this rank for 15 consecutive weeks. They embarked on extensive tours throughout the continental United States, managed by "The Dale Morris & Associates" (currently Paradigm Talent Agency) and received promotional support from AristoMedia. The band made appearances at the CMA Awards and garnered attention from media outlets such as Country Weekly and Rolling Stone. In 2008, Chris Higbee, the group's founder, declared an indefinite break. Subsequently, Higbee initiated "The Chris Higbee Project," Abbondanza pursued a solo path, while Junior, Ryan, and Jeff established "The West Virginia Push," alternatively known as "Junior & The Push."
Reuniting in 2012 under the name The Hillbilly Way, they held a reunion concert on August 25 at CONSOL Energy Park, the stadium for the Washington Wild Things minor league baseball team located in Washington County, Pennsylvania. The current roster features Chris "Abby" Abbondanza, Jeff Volek, David "Junior" Guthrie, and Keith Kleinhampl.[1]
Biography
The Povertyneck Hillbillies were established in 2000 in Dawson, Pennsylvania by fiddler Chris Higbee. After forming a connection with future lead singer Chris "Abby" Abbondanza through mutual musical interests, they expanded their lineup by adding five additional musicians: guitarist David Guthrie, keyboardist Dave Cramer, bassist Jeff Volek, steel guitarist Bob Crafton, and drummer Ryan Lucotch. The seven-member group derived its name from a local region situated near Higbee’s grandfather’s farm.
Throughout the 2000s, the band performed extensively across Pennsylvania, cultivating a loyal following via gigs in bars and clubs. Their profile was elevated when members of the Pittsburgh Steelers selected them to perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" during a halftime event and subsequently appointed them as the official band for the team.
By 2002, they had released their debut album Hillbilly State of Mind, followed by Don't Look Back in 2004 through Cort Records. Although neither album produced charting singles, combined sales surpassed 10,000 copies nationwide. This success earned them recognition from the Country Music Association as one of the top-selling independent country acts in 2005. In 2006, following Bob Crafton’s departure and under guidance from Rust Records executives, they signed with Rust Nashville and launched their third album bearing their own name. This release featured singles such as "Mr. Right Now" and "One Night in New Orleans," the latter previously recorded by Blackhawk. The band ended their association with Rust Records in 2007.
On January 14, 2008, Higbee announced an indefinite hiatus after Abbondanza, Volek, Guthrie, and Cramer decided to cease performing with the ensemble.
Reunion
On April 9, 2012, Chris "Abby" Abbondanza revealed plans for a reunion concert set for August 25 at CONSOL Energy Park in Washington, Pennsylvania. The event featured all previous members except Higbee, who was substituted by guest fiddler John Parrendo, later becoming a permanent member. Abbondanza explained that multiple invitations extended to Higbee were declined due to altered personal dynamics.
Adopting the name THW (The Hillbilly Way), inspired by one of their original tracks, the group debuted a self-titled EP with four songs during the concert, including the single "My Kinda Sunday Drive." This song received moderate rotation on Pittsburgh's WOGI "Froggy Radio" (94.9 and 104.3 FM). Later in the year, they issued a follow-up single from the EP titled "Fear of Greyhounds."
Present
In May 2014, keyboardist Dave Cramer and fiddler John Parrendo exited the band; Cramer cited family commitments as his reason. Additional departures included Bob "Crafty" Crafton and Ryan Lucotch in 2015.
THW underwent restructuring with Chris "Abby" Abbondanza (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Jeff Volek (bass, backing vocals), David "Junior" Guthrie (lead guitar, backing vocals), and Keith Kleinhampl (drums, percussion programming). Between 2016 and 2018, they were signed to Nashville's Pennington Entertainment. Under this label, they released singles such as Best Night of Our Lives and Damn I Just Wanna Kiss You, with the latter reaching number 42 on the Music Row charts in 2018. The video for Best Night of Our Lives was directed by Ford Fairchild. In 2019, THW released the single Lonely Girl. Their music is accessible across all major streaming services.
Albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | US Indie | US Heat | ||||||||
| Hillbilly State of Mind |
|
— | — | — | — | ||||||
| Don't Look Back |
|
— | — | — | — | ||||||
| Povertyneck Hillbillies |
|
31 | 159 | 15 | 7 | ||||||
| The Hillbilly Way |
|
_ | _ | _ | _ | ||||||
| Just Go With It |
|
- | - | - | - | ||||||
| Best Night Of Our Lives |
|
- | - | - | - | ||||||
| Damn I Just Wanna Kiss You |
|
42 | - | 26 | - | "—" indicates albums that did not chart | |||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | "The Hillbilly Way" | Povertyneck Hillbillies |
| "Mr. Right Now" | ||
| "One Night in New Orleans" | ||
| 2012 | "Fear of Greyhounds" | The Hillbilly Way |
| "Slow Things Down for A Change" | ||
| "This Ain't Your Mama's Country" | ||
| "My Kinda Sunday Drive" | ||
| 2015 | "Country Honey" | Just Go With It |
| "Pittsburgh, PA" | ||
| "More Beer" | ||
| "Just Go With It" | ||
| "Bad Hangover" | ||
| "That Ain't Gonna Fly" | ||
| "Hook It Up" | ||
| "Every Time It Rains" | ||
| "Tequila Memory" | ||
| "That's What I Like About A Honky Tonk" | ||
| 2017 | "Best Night Of Our Lives" | Best Night Of Our Lives |
| 2018 | "Damn I Just Wanna Kiss You" | Damn I Just Wanna Kiss You |
| 2019 | "Lonely Girl" | Lonely Girl |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | "Mr. Right Now" | Lark Watts |
| 2016 | "Best Night Of Our Lives" | |
| 2017 | "Damn I Just Wanna Kiss You" | Ford Fairchild |
External links
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedPost Gazette