Th' Legendary Shack Shakers

Like his buddy Reverend Horton Heat or his inspiration Jerry Lee Lewis, Colonel J.D. Wilkes is pure showman (and he's no more military than Heat is clergy). Wilkes leads the Shack Shakers through similar intersections of blues/rock/country/rockabilly, wielding the wheel like a man possessed. Holding on to the mic stand...

By Chris Parker

September 22, 2005

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Like his buddy Reverend Horton Heat or his inspiration Jerry Lee Lewis, Colonel J.D. Wilkes is pure showman (and he's no more military than Heat is clergy). Wilkes leads the Shack Shakers through similar intersections of blues/rock/country/rockabilly, wielding the wheel like a man possessed. Holding on to the mic stand like it's the only thing mooring him to this world, Wilkes runs roughshod over the material, hot on the tail of the backwoods funk of Southern Culture on the Skids, swaying, trembling and nearly speaking in tongues with his fevered wail. While mesmerized by the performance, you may notice your foot bobbing up and down (like Paris Hilton on her way to stardom); it's just a pleasant side effect of the Shakers' nigh irresistible, unflagging groove. Besides his flammable stage presence, Wilkes is also a terrific harmonica player, and because of him the Shack Shakers must be seen to be fully appreciated.

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