Gator Country was an American Southern rock band formed in Davie, Florida, in 2005 by several ex-members of the Southern rock group Molly Hatchet. The band, founded by vocalist

Jimmy Farrar James Edwin Farrar (December 8, 1950 – October 29, 2018) was a singer, songwriter and musician born in LaGrange, Georgia, and the original lead singer of the Raw Energy band. He was also known as the second lead singer of the American South ...

, guitarist

Duane Roland Duane Roland (December 3, 1952 – June 19, 2006) was an American guitarist for the Southern hard rock band Molly Hatchet. He was a member of the band from its founding in the mid-1970s until his departure in 1990. During that time he recorded ...

, drummer Bruce Crump, guitarist Steve Holland, and bassist Riff West took its name from the title of the hit song, "Gator Country". In 2006, Gator Country, led by vocalist Jimmy Farrar, continued to perform popular songs such as "Beatin' The Odds", "Bounty Hunter" as well as "Oh Atlanta".

Background

On June 19, 2006, founding guitarist

died at his home in

St. Augustine, Florida St. Augustine ( ; es, San Agustín ) is a city in the Southeastern United States and the county seat of St. Johns County on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, it is the oldest continuously inhabit ...

, at the age of 53. He had been playing with the band Gator Country as late as May 2006. His death was listed as being of "

natural causes In many legal jurisdictions, the manner of death is a determination, typically made by the coroner, medical examiner, police, or similar officials, and recorded as a vital statistic. Within the United States and the United Kingdom, a distinct ...

" according to a June 25, 2006, '' The Boston Globe'' obituary report. Guitarist Paul Chapman (ex-

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...

) joined the band in July 2006. A live album, entitled 'Gator Country Live', was released in 2008 on GWP Records. In July 2008, the Gator Country band website reported that lead singer Jimmy Farrar had suffered a mild stroke. According to the web site: "It is true that Jimmy, our beloved brother and front man, suffered a stroke a couple of weeks ago. He woke up, as he puts it, "Feelin' kind of funky," on his left side. As strokes go, it was a mild one and he is having very minimal effects as a result. The first morning in the hospital they had him up and walking the halls and he's been mobile ever since. The only complaint he has is a little weakness in his left arm. Some physical therapy is expected to help with that." Riff West died in late 2014. Former drummer Bruce Crump died on March 16, 2015, aged 57. Farrar died on October 29, 2018, due to

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

, at the age of 67. Paul Chapman died on June 9, 2020 and Steve Holland died on August 2, 2020. Guitarist Linni Disse went on to perform with various bands in

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, including Sweet Justice, Red Star Crush and Cracker Jackson, as well as playing in a Molly Hatchet tribute band called Dreams I'll Never See.

Members

, vocalist – died 2018 * Bruce Crump, drummer – died 2015 *

, guitarist – died 2006 * Steve Holland, guitarist - died 2020 *Riff West, bassist – died 2014 *Linni Disse, guitarist * Paul Chapman, guitarist - died 2020 *JoAnn Hudson, keyboards

Discography

*"Oh Atlanta", single (2008) *"Gator Country Live", album (2008)

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2005 establishments in Florida 2010 disestablishments in Florida Hard rock musical groups from Florida Southern rock musical groups from Florida Musical groups established in 2005 Musical groups disestablished in 2010 Musical groups from Davie, Florida