The Georgia Satellites

The Georgia Satellites is a Southern rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. They are best known for their 1986 top five hit single "Keep Your Hands to Yourself", and draw inspiration from Chuck Berry, Little Feat and AC/DC, among others.

History

Formed in 1980, a lineup of Dan Baird, Rick Richards, Dave Hewitt (Bass), and drummer Randy Delay recorded a six-track demo at Axis Studios in Atlanta. For a short period of time from 1981 to 1982 drummer Randy Delay was replaced by a new drummer, Keith Christopher (formerly of The Brains). Christopher left the band in 1982 to perform with Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush. Jeff Glixman, who had produced the likes of Paul Stanley and Kansas, was enlisted to produce. Soon after the demo was recorded, the band broke up in the summer of 1984.

However, while the band felt they weren't making any progress on their musical path and had moved on, their English manager took the demo to a small Yorkshire record label, Making Waves, who liked the material and released the demos as the "Keep The Faith" EP in 1985 (Kerrang #113). The press response to the EP was positive and prompted the band to regroup in the United States. Baird had been playing with the Woodpeckers in North Carolina, while Richards remained in Atlanta with the Hell Hounds, who included both Mauro Magellon (drums) and Rick Price (bass). With Baird essentially joining the Hell Hounds, the Satellites were reborn and American record labels started taking notice of the band.

By 1986 only Elektra Records was willing to sign the band, who then reunited with Glixman to record their debut full-length album at Cheshire Sound Studios in Atlanta. The album, "Georgia Satellites," was their most successful album, featuring the track "Keep Your Hands To Yourself." The song peaked at #2 on the Billboard chart, topped only by Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer," It went into extremely heavy MTV rotation. Other minor hits included "Battleship Chains" (#86) and "Can't Stand The Pain."

In 1988, the band recorded a cover of The Swinging Blue Jean's 1964 hit "Hippy Hippy Shake" for the movie "Cocktail." Released as a single, the song made it to #45 on the Billboard chart. During the year the band released their second album, "Open All Night," which included a cover of the Ringo Starr song "Don't Pass Me By," though the album didn't build on the success of the debut. A single, "Open All Night" backed with "Dunk 'N' Dine," failed to chart. A third studio album, "In The Land Of Salvation And Sin," was released in 1989, which included re-recordings of "Six Years Gone" and "Crazy" from the 1985 EP. Though the album received very positive reviews, it, too, failed to do well commercially, and Baird left the band in 1990 for a solo career.

The band's 1993 compilation "Let It Rock: The Best of the Georgia Satellites" included a selection of the best tracks from the three studio albums and bonus material that had been released on the "Another Chance" EP (1989): "Saddle Up," "That Woman" and "I'm Waiting For The Man." Also included was a live version of Chuck Berry's "Let It Rock."

The 1997 album "Shaken Not Stirred" didn't include Baird or Magellan who were replaced by drummer Billy Pitts and keyboardist Joey Huffman, with the two "Ricks" handling lead vocal duties. The album was a mix of re-recordings of their earlier material and eight new songs: "Running Out," "Let It Rock (Bye Bye Johnny)," "Deep In The Heart Of Dixie," "Anna Lee," "My Fault," "Shaken Not Stirred," "She Fades Away," and "Rain." Following the album's release Huffman soon departed and the band split again.

Current activity

After a brief sabbatical following the departure of Baird, The Georgia Satellites returned in 1993. Led by original band members Rick Richards (lead guitar and vocals) and Rick Price (bass and vocals), with Kenney Head on keyboards and Todd Johnston on drums, they continue to perform.

Mauro Magellan joined "The Crashers" after moving to Wisconsin in the early 1990s. Mauro played on both of Baird’s solo albums and has since performed periodically with Dan Baird, most recently joining Baird on the road as a member of Dan Baird & Friends, also occasionally known as Homemade Sin. In addition, Dan Baird performs as a member of the country group Trent Summar & The New Row Mob.

Along with his commitment to The Georgia Satellites, Richards also plays with former Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin in his band, The Ju Ju Hounds. They have recorded seven albums, not all released.

Discography

* "Keep The Faith" EP (1985)
* "Georgia Satellites" (1986)
* "Open All Night" (1988)
* "In the Land of Salvation and Sin" (1989)
* "Let It Rock: The Best of the Georgia Satellites" (1993)
* "Shaken Not Stirred" (1997)

Personnel

* Rick Richards - lead guitar, vocals
* Rick Price - bass, vocals
* Dan Baird - guitar, vocals
* Mauro Magellan - drums

Notes and references

External links

* [http://www.thegeorgiasatellites.com/ The Georgia Satellites official site]
* [http://www.danbaird.net Dan Baird's official site]
* [http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/2003-02-19/vibes_feature.html Article on the 2003 Keith and the Satellites reunion.]