The Belmont Playboys

The Belmont Playboys formed as a rockabilly revival act near 1990 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Their approach blends classic rockabilly instrumentation and repertoire with fresh original songs, presented through the raw drive and force of punk performance. During concerts the group often weaves in passages drawn from hard rock and heavy metal acts like AC/DC and Metallica, adding a modern edge to the overall sound. The current roster features Mike Hendrix handling guitar and vocals, Mark Griffiths on bass, Chipps Baker contributing sax, vocals, and guitar, and Mark Painter behind the drums. Extensive road work alongside icons of 1950s and early-1960s rock & roll has placed them in front of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Little Richard, and Carl Perkins, each of whom voiced strong approval.

The band’s debut effort, Hit the Road, appeared first as a self-issued cassette and moved a thousand units without label support. Their second outing, Drive-in Rhythm, followed the same independent path in 1993. A deal with Teen Rebel Records then yielded Wolf Patrol in 1996 and Hot Rod Heart the next year. Once Teen Rebel ceased operations, Deep South Records stepped in, reissuing those two earlier albums along with the 1999 concert recording One Night of Sin Live.