Brother Phelps was an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

duo formed by brothers Ricky Lee (

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

) and Doug Phelps (

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

, vocals). Prior to the duo's formation in 1992, both brothers were members of

The Kentucky Headhunters The Kentucky Headhunters are an American country rock and Southern rock band originating in the state of Kentucky. The band's members are Doug Phelps (vocals, bass guitar), Greg Martin (vocals, lead guitar), and brothers Richard Young (vocals, rhy ...

, a

Southern rock Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music and a genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues and is focused generally on electric guitars and vocals. Author Scott B. Bomar specula ...

-influenced country rock band. In 1993, Brother Phelps charted with its debut single " Let Go", which reached a peak of No. 6 on the '' Billboard'' country music charts. In all, the duo charted six singles between 1993 and 1995 (although only one other single reached Top 40), in addition to recording two albums on

Asylum Records Asylum Records is an American record label, founded in 1971 by David Geffen and partner Elliot Roberts. It was taken over by Warner Communications (now the Warner Music Group) in 1972, and later merged with Elektra Records to become Elektra/Asylu ...

. Brother Phelps disbanded in 1995, with Doug rejoining the Kentucky Headhunters as lead singer, and Ricky Lee assuming a solo career.

Biography

The Brothers are Ricky Lee Phelps, who was born in 1953

Edmonton, Kentucky Edmonton is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Metcalfe County, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Glasgow Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,595 at the 2010 census and estimated at the same in 2019. H ...

, and Doug Phelps who was born in Leachville, Arkansas, in 1960. They were raised in the

Missouri Bootheel The Missouri Bootheel is a salient located in the southeasternmost part of the U.S. state of Missouri, extending south of 36°30′ north latitude, so called because its shape in relation to the rest of the state resembles the heel of a boot. ...

and Doug graduated from a small school named Southland in

Cardwell, Missouri Cardwell is a city in southwest Dunklin County, Missouri, United States. The population was 713 at the 2010 census. The current Mayor of Cardwell is Brandon Cupp and the current aldermen are Harvey Beasley, Mike Clark, and Chuck Walls. History C ...

. They joined

in 1986. Ricky Lee served as lead vocalist, while Doug played bass guitar and sang backup vocals. The Kentucky Headhunters released its debut album, '' Pickin' on Nashville'', in 1989, producing four Top 40 singles on the country charts with it. After the band's second album, 1991's '' Electric Barnyard'', failed to produce a major hit, Ricky Lee and Doug announced that they were leaving to form their own group. Mark Orr then became lead singer of The Kentucky Headhunters, while Anthony Kenney took over as bass guitarist. The newly formed duo (named Brother Phelps, after Ricky Lee and Doug's minister father), signed to

in 1992. Unlike the country rock sounds of The Kentucky Headhunters, Brother Phelps featured a more traditional

sound. Their first single, " Let Go", reached a peak of No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts in 1993, higher than any of The Kentucky Headhunters' singles had peaked. The same year, the duo's first album (also titled ''Let Go'') was released. Brother Phelps' second and final album, ''Any Way the Wind Blows'' (its title track a

J. J. Cale John Weldon "J. J." Cale (December 5, 1938 – July 26, 2013) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and sound engineer. Though he avoided the limelight, his influence as a musical artist has been acknowledged by figures such as Mark Knop ...

cover), was released in 1995 to critical acclaim, although it failed to produce any Top 40 singles. The duo disbanded in 1995, with Doug returning to the Kentucky Headhunters, assuming the role of lead vocalist after Orr's departure. Ricky Lee, meanwhile, continued to record as a solo artist.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Music videos

Awards and nominations

Nominations

Country Music Association * 1994 Vocal Duo of the Year * 1995 Vocal Duo of the Year

References

External links

The Kentucky Headhunters official websiteRicky Lee Phelps official website
{{Authority control Asylum Records artists Country music duos Sibling musical duos Musical groups established in 1992 Country music groups from Kentucky 1992 establishments in Kentucky 1995 disestablishments in Kentucky Musical groups disestablished in 1995 Edmonton, Kentucky