Psychobilly guitarist, singer and “The Kang” of redneck vampire couture Unknown Hinson returns to the Southgate House Revival this week after a tumultuous year. Hinson retired last November, citing the usual ails of the music business. But there was more to the story.
The personality known as Unknown Hinson is portrayed by Stuart Danny Baker, a hell of a guitarist from North Carolina who invented the tongue-in-cheek character so he could rip on everything from Hendrix tunes to original songs like “Fish Camp Woman,” “I Ain’t Afraid of Your Husband” and “I Cleaned Out a Room (In My Trailer for You).”
Last February, however, Baker’s wife and manager Margo died of cancer and Unknown Hinson was put on the shelf.
“It’s been a terrible year,” Baker says. “From the moment we met, she knew what I was and she was a brilliant woman and the only true love of my life. She was responsible for a whole lot. When people see a Hinson show, she was the one that made it happen. I’m just the fellow that went up and played the shows.”
Baker eventually picked up his guitar and started touring again last month, reuniting his original Unknown Hinson trio, which includes Bill “Buddy Boy” Scott and Roger “Tiny” Kohrs.
UNKNOWN HINSON plays with Ric Hickey Sunday, Nov. 17 at Southgate House Revival in Newport, Ky. Buy tickets, check out performance times and get venue details here .
