The PovertyNeck Hillbillies are:
Chris (Abby) Abbondanza - Lead vocals, guitar
Chris Higbee - Fiddle, guitar, mandolin, banjo, vocals
Bob Craton - Pedal, steel, and electric guitar
Dave Cramer - Keyboards, vocals
Ryan Lucotch - Drums
Jeff Volek - Bass, accordion, guitar, vocals
David Guthrie - Electric guitar
OFFICIAL BIO:
Great country music is only half the reason the PovertyNeck Hillbillies play in front of a capacity crowd every night. The other is that they embrace the fact that they aren't just in the music business, they are in the business of entertaining their fans and that is their major goal every time they take the stage.
The Hillbillies' music, once heard by only a tiny slice of their native southwestern Pennsylvania, is now known and loved by fans throughout the Eastern United States. Their singles can be heard on radio stations from New York to Florida. The group also consistently takes its show on the road throughout the eastern United States and no matter what state they are in, they always find a packed house waiting to greet them.
In June 2005, the launch of their new album Don't Look Back recently drew a crowd of over 4,000 to the album release concert at the Chevrolet Amphitheater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In its first week of release, Don't Look Back sold over 2,100 units in the Pittsburgh market, more than any other country artist including Toby Keith, Rascal Flatts and Kenny Chesney. Hillbilly State of Mind, the band's debut album sold around 10,000 units locally, which was more than recent albums by Sara Evans and Montgomery Gentry sold in comparable markets.
The PBS station in Pittsburgh (WQED) recently produced two programs about the PovertyNeck Hillbillies and their success. The first was a short highlight piece on the Hillbillies which meet with rave reviews which prompted the second productions which showed the life and background of the band and its members in a one-hour documentary. Productions are planned for additional broadcast, including a live intimate concert, in July 2005.
"The Hillbillies absolutely have the talent and the work ethic to cut through on a national level," says Frank Bell, VP of Programming for Froggy 98.3 who has been playing the band since 2003. "They've been very smart about how they've taken their initial fan base in southwestern PA, spread it to eastern OH, West Virginia, and adjoining states, and this summer are hitting more venues than ever before outside the region. The path they're taking is the same as what artists like Toby Keith and Kenny Chesney have taken to launch their careers."
"The music of the PovertyNeck Hillbillies has an edge to it, there is honesty in what they are singing," said noted singer and songwriter Bob Corbin who has produced the band's two albums Don't Look Back and Hillbilly State of Mind and who has written several of the band's popular singles. Corbin, who has written songs for and worked with numerous country music icons including Hank Williams Jr., Alabama and Kenny Rogers, also serves as an advisor to the group.
Added: July 25, 2006
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