Hasil Adkins

Born in 1937 in rural Boone County, West Virginia, Adkins taught himself to play guitar and drums simultaneously after misunderstanding a Hank Williams record and concluding that one musician must be playing every part. Working in near-total isolation in a tarpaper shack, he recorded thousands of songs — by his own estimate over 7,000 — direct to reel-to-reel tape, covering rockabilly, boogie, and surreal narratives about decapitation and hot dogs. He remained unknown until the 1980s when the Cramps covered his song She Said and Norton Records released the compilation Out to Hunch in 1986. He is cited as a key precursor to psychobilly. He died in 2005 following an ATV accident.