Died On This Date (September 3, 2017) Dave Hlubek / Founder Of Molly Hatchet
themusicsover Dave Hlubek
August 28, 1951 – September 3, 2017
Dave Hlubek was the founder and lead guitarist for the popular Jacksonville, Florida rock band, Molly Hatchet. Formed in 1971, the group helped pioneer what would quickly come to be known as southern rock, which included equal parts rock ‘n roll, country, and blues, with a lot of southern culture, electric guitar and boogie thrown in for good measure. The band’s inclusion in the sub-genre reportedly baffled Hlubek, as he considered them to be a heavy metal band who just happened to be from the south. Molly Hatchet hit the ground running with their self-titled debut in 1978. It quickly went platinum in the US, and was followed a year later with their most successful album to date, Flirtin’ With Disaster, which sold over 2 million copies in the US alone. In all, Hlubek’s Molly Hatchet albums sold upwards of 24 million copies world wide. In 1987, Hlubek and the band parted ways, and he went on to live a quieter life in order to kick some potentially life-stealing bad habits. After a time he did just that, and he went back to work as a session player while taking part in various southern rock super groups. In 2005, with his life back in order, Hlubek re-joined Molly Hatchet with whom he went on to record, and when his then-deteriorating health permitted, perform live until the time of his passing. On September 3, 2017, Dave Hlubek suffered a fatal heart attack. He was 66.
What You Should Own
Guitarist Duane Roland, a founding member of the rock band Molly Hatchet, who had a big hit with their 1979 album, Flirtin’ With Disaster. He stayed with the band until 1990. In later years, Roland played with the Southern Rock Allstars and Gator Country. He died of natural causes in his home at the age of 53.
As lead singer and songwriter for Molly Hatchet, Danny Joe Brown helped the Southern Rock band achieve success with such hits as “Flirtin’ With Disaster” and “Satified Man.” After an early stint in the US Coast Guard, Brown helped form the band which would be named after a 17th Century prostitute who earned her name by chopping off the heads of her johns. Diabetes started to take its toll on Brown so he was forced to retire from the band in 1980. He had a massive stroke in 1998 and passed away from renal failure due to the diabetes on this date in 2005.
