| Hellbound Glory | |
| Origin: | Reno, Nevada, United States |
| Instrument: | Acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, upright bass, steel guitar, banjo, harmonica, fiddle, dobro, drums, electronic organ |
| Years Active: | 2005–present |
| Label: | Black Country Rock |
| Current Members: | Leroy Virgil Chuck Bradley Yotes |
| Past Members: | Chad Kortan Johnnie Fingers Nick Swimley Frank Medina Zeke Wooldridge TJ Byrnes Francis Valentino Adam Kowalski Bård G. Faust Eithun Andrew Barron Eric Peterson |
Hellbound Glory is an American country and roots rock band, featuring singer-songwriter Leroy Virgil. The band was originally formed in Reno, Nevada, United States, in 2008 by Virgil. Describing the band's style as “Americana,” Virgil credits his influences as “Hank Williams, Nirvana, and Hank Williams Jr.”[1]
According to The Oklahoma Gazette (February 26, 2014), "Hellbound Glory has three studio albums, and Virgil is at work on new material."[2]
Hellbound Glory is signed to The Agency Group LTD for worldwide booking representation.[3]
The band was formed in the early 2000s after founding member, Leroy Virgil, relocated to Reno, Nevada. Originally from the town of Aberdeen, Washington where he played in the band Soylint Green; Virgil found inspiration for the band and material in his adopted new home, "It’s influenced by the Reno nightlife, experiences I’ve had, women I’ve met, fights I’ve gotten into—the local bar scene in general."[4]
Hellbound Glory tours consistently in North America. In 2012 the band was tapped to perform as a featured artist on the Kid Rock Chillin’ the Most Cruise[5] and again supported Kid Rock in 2013 on the Rebel Soul Tour (28 dates) along with Buckcherry;[6] The first leg of which was publicly announced on November 27, 2012.[7]
2013 included two dates in support of Kid Rock and ZZ Top as part of the headliner's "Best Night Ever" package at DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan.[8]
2014 tour dates included east coast support with Leon Russell.[9]
Hellbound Glory supported active rock band 10 Years in March 2014 in support of the headliner's acoustic tour.[10]
LA Weekly Music Editor, Nicholas Pell, listed Hellbound Glory #2 in his list of "10 Country Artists You Should Be Listening To"] feature; describing the band's music in part as, "Think of them as evoking the energy of the wildest party Waylon, Willie and Bocephus ever had."[11]
Washington Post Music Editor, Chris Richards, featured Hellbound Glory's "LV" as a part of the newspaper's "This Month's Best Music" column describing the release; "The “country” that country singers so often pine for can be a sanctuary, a playground, a paradise. But for Leroy Virgil of Hellbound Glory, it's a twilight zone where his cell phone won't work. “No service, so nervous,” he sings sheepishly on his confident new EP. “Nothin’ on the radio."[12]
Hellbound Glory songs receive consistent airplay on Outlaw Country (Sirius XM) Channel.
“Livin’ This Way,” from the album Scumbag Country, was featured in the major motion picture “Bad Grandpa” starring Johnny Knoxville released in October 2013.[13]
In March 2013, Hellbound Glory, performed as a featured artist for CMT Edge Live in Nashville, TN.[14]
In February 2013, Hellbound Glory performed exclusively at Elvis Presley's Graceland on break from the Kid Rock Rebel Soul Tour.[15]
In February 2023 Hellbound Glory flew to England to record a session with music producers Paul Gorry and George Shilling, after they caught a show with Shooter and Leroy at the Whiskey-a-Go Go in Hollywood. The first single from the session was released in July 2023 and was described as "not of this world". The recordings take a lot of influence from Irish and British folk music, using Uilleann pipes and a string section.
The song peaked in the iTunes Country charts at number 2
Again produced by Shooter Jennings and released on his Black Country Rock label, it takes its name from a cover of the old blues standard “Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out”.[16]
The Saving Country Music review summarised its contents like this: "Nobody Knows You sees Leroy Virgil moving away from some of his writing of witty one-liners and self-indulgent characters to more story-based compositions. “Can’t Wait to Never See You Again” and “Word Gets Around” take classic approaches to country songwriting, but in a way that still is distinct to Leroy. But the album also finds a more folk-oriented approach to songwriting as well. “13 Corners” about the winding mountain roads of the interior West weaves a cautionary tale more indicative of writing from the 50s and 60s, while “Evacuation Song” about the fire that destroyed the town of Paradise and killed 85 people in 2018 is something Woody Guthrie might have written if he was still around.[17]
Track list:
Produced by Shooter Jennings and recorded in L.A.'s Echo Park neighborhood, it features eight new songs from Leroy with a couple rearrangements of traditionals.
Track list:
Hellbound Glory's first release for Shooter Jennings's Black Country Rock label, and their first album in six years. Released in November 2017. It was re-released on Record Store Day 2018. The new release included "(Livin' That Way) You Better Hope You Die Young," recorded as a duet with Tanya Tucker.
Track list:
"Describing the new music, Virgil stated, "It’s a little more stripped-down and acoustic just because that’s what I wanted to do with this song. I would say it’s a little bit deeper than some of my old stuff."[18] The EP was recorded entirely at Oceanside Recording Studio in Aberdeen, WA.[19] "LV" was officially released May 13, 2014.
Track list:[20]
Damaged Goods has been described as an album whose characters "are people that are easy to relate to. Like many of us, they are trying their best to make the most of their lives, but despite their efforts they seem destined to fail,"[21] "Damaged Goods" was originally released in 2011.
Track list:[22]
Described as "drug-addled party of a record that succeeds by marrying boozy roadhouse charm with an unusually high standard of songcraft,"[23] “Old Highs & New Lows” was originally released in 2010.
Track list:[24]
Described as displaying "clever lyrics, irresistible energy, and a sound that pays tribute to country music’s past while still managing to sound modern,"[25] "Scumbag Country" was originally released in 2008.
Track list:[26]