:: A Hillbilly Tribute to AC/DC

Hayseed Dixie

It’s almost unimaginable to think that any American musician today could be completely oblivious to the significant contributions made by the likes of AC/DC and Kiss. But in the little town of Deer Lick Holler in the heart of Appalachia, USA, a quartet by the name of Hayseed Dixie played the mountain music of their forefathers totally isolated from any outside musical influence. These four hillbillies had never heard the thunderous guitars of AC/DC or the showmanship of Kiss. That was until an unfortunate accident took the life of a stranger passing through town (so the story goes). The stranger came to an untimely end when his car crashed an oak tree on the aptly named Devil’s Elbow Curve. The boys from Hayseed Dixie, looking for some identification in the stranger’s car, found an old AC/DC vinyl. Blown away by the similarities of Lost Highway by Hank Williams and Highway to Hell and in memory of the stranger, they set about learning some AC/DC songs. Sometime later their debut album, ‘A Hillbilly Tribute to AC/DC’ emerged, selling over 100,000 worldwide. It has taken a few years for the Hayseed Dixie album to reach Australian shores, but this bluegrass performance of dirty rock classics is interesting if not for its peculiarity but its great country musicianship. The early country ensemble of guitar, fiddle, mandolin and banjo provide an interesting interpretation of the heavy rock classics such as ‘Highway to Hell,’ ‘Dirty Deeds’ and ‘Back in Black’. It’s not rock, but in its own hillbilly, flannel shirt, hay-chewin way it is worth a listen (even if its just to have a chuckle and remind yourself that there will only ever be one AC/DC).