Talent Inquiry

Great country music is only half the reason the PovertyNeck Hillbillies play in front of capacity crowds every night. The other is that they embrace the fact that they aren’t just in the music business. They are also in the business of entertaining people and that is their main goal every time they take the stage. The Hillbillies’ music, once heard only by a tiny slice of their native southwestern Pennsylvania, is now known and loved by fans throughout the Eastern United States. Their singles can be heard on radio stations from New York to South Carolina. The group also consistently takes its show on the road throughout the mid-Atlantic region and no matter what state they are in, they always find a packed house waiting to greet them. In June, they were the first local country act to headline at the 1,000-seat Pepsi Cola Roadhouse, a show that was sold out three weeks in advance. “The music of the PovertyNeck Hillbillies has an edge to it, there is honesty in what they are singing” said noted singer and songwriter Bob Corbin, who produced the group’s first CD, “Hillbilly State of Mind”, and wrote several of its songs. Corbin, who has written songs and worked with numerous country music icons like Hank Williams Jr., Alabama and Kenny Rogers, also serves an advisor to the group and believes they have what it takes to hit the big time. The PovertyNeck Hillbillies list of recent accomplishments is extensive: Debut at #73 on country’s Billboard top 100 with the first single off the CD “Mr Right Now” (26 weeks) Brought more than 3,000 people to the Fayette County Fairgrounds (a record) New singles “Mr. Right Now”, “Born to Be Free” and “Hillbilly State of Mind” is played daily on the Froggy radio network, performed on the main stage at the Y108 Hot Country Jam at the Post-Gazette Pavilion. First country act to reach the Graffiti Rock Challenge finals in its 17-year history. Working with Bob Corbin they have sold more than 8,000 copies of their first CD “Hillbilly State of Mind” in less than eight months. First local country act to headline and sell out the 1,000-seat Pepsi Cola Roadhouse. PovertyNeck Hillbillies Fan Club has reached over 700 members The PovertyNeck Hillbillies broad appeal is evident in the diversity of their crowds. Last year, for instance, they entered the Graffiti Rock Challenge and turned the crowd of mostly rock and roll fans into fans of country music for the night. By the time the show was over, they had become the first mainstream country band in the event’s 17-year history to make it to the finals. They have become the biggest draw among local bands in Southwestern Pennsylvania regardless of genre and are one of the highest grossing bands in the region as well.