Molly Hatchet
Bandleader Bobby Ingram on death, inventing stage-diving, and going back to school.
With the Allman Brothers bowing out, and Skynyrd retiring from the road, the field of classic southern rockers is thinning. Florida’s Molly Hatchet aren’t immune to passing time, either, having lost the last of their original members, guitarist Dave Hlubek, to a heart attack in 2017. But as de-facto leader Bobby Ingram tells us – and to which ferocious new live album Battleground attests – the Hatchet won’t be buried any time soon. “If the good Lord takes me, I’m ready to go. But while I’m here on earth I want Molly Hatchet to keep moving forward.”
What does playing live do for you? For me it’s the reward for decades of dedication. It’s a reward to have people stand up and go crazy. It’s a feeling that’s irreplaceable. I don’t take drugs. I don’t drink. I don’t do anything stupid. But this is my drug. This is my habit. I still have the same feeling I did when I first walked on stage.
Which have been your most memorable gigs? Well, there’s been gigs that were unexpected. Years ago, we were on the road with Blackfoot. I ran out and did my solo, the stage gave way, and I dropped down eight and a half feet with my guitar still on – and I landed on my feet. I’m thinking: “What just happened? I’m not supposed to be down here.” And there’s Danny Joe Brown reaching down to pull me back up. Later, I had journalists say: “Man, you’re the guy that started stage-diving!”
How about some of your most cherished shows? The first time I played the Coliseum in Jacksonville, looking out and seeing my mom with a backstage pass around her neck. Or when my dad finally saw us at the Universal Amphitheatre. He never came to see us, he didn’t like what I did. My mom did, my dad didn’t. Three months before he passed away, he finally got a chance to see me play, and accept it. Dad was an engineer. He wanted me to go to college, cut my hair, get a real job, be a tax attorney. Well, dad, instead of sitting for the CPA [Certified Public Accountant exam], I signed with CBS Records! He didn’t think that was one bit funny. But I did finish my four years of college, and next month I graduate with my law degree.
“While I’m on earth I want Molly Hatchet to keep moving forward.”
Really? Well, I had my fouryear degree in accounting from way back, and I’m the intellectual property owner of this group, so I want to learn about it. If there was an epitome of the non-traditional law student, you’re talking to him. But then I brought a lot to Florida Coastal School Of Law they didn’t have. I’ve lived it, and I’m still living it. Do I wish I’d had this knowledge in the past? Oh my gosh yeah.
A lot of members of Molly have died young. Do you have a theory why? I think this life does, to some degree, take its toll. You’ve got to take care of yourself. You can’t keep partying down and doing things that are gonna hurt your body and hurt yourself spiritually, emotionally and physically. It’s a hard living for touring musicians.
You thank Jesus in the album’s sleeve notes. Do you think he’s been watching over the band? And my life, from the very beginning, yes. And I feel the angels.