Reverend Horton Heat, the rockabilly greats from Dallas, Texas, recently stopped in at Rams Head on Stage for a show during their current US tour. The three-band showcase of music from Texas was outstanding finishing with a fantastic headlining show by Horton Heat.
Reverend Horton Heat have been playing clubs and music venues 40 years now and continue to dazzle audiences and play great rockabilly songs at this stage of their career. The band is made up of James Heath on lead guitar and vocals — and Jimbo Wallace on upright bass along with Jonathan Jeter as the current drummer. The Heat recorded Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em, their first album, back in 1990 and have continued releasing records throughout the years with Roots of the Rev released in 2023. Revered Horton Heat have worked with numerous musicians and bands throughout the years including Gibby Haynes of The Butthole Surfers, Ministry, Motorhead, and The Stray Cats.
Watch The Reverend Horton Heat perform live at Paste Studio on YouTube:
At Rams Head On Stage on April 8, Pinata Protest and Black Joe Lewis opened the show. Protest blasted through a vigorous blistering first set, playing some of their best tracks, and talking about merch they had for sale much to the liking of the fans on hand. The band from San Antonio had tons of energy and quickly got the audience into the show with great applause and appreciation.
Black Joe Lewis was up next and burst onto stage and played another outstanding opening set of blues and soul. Lewis started his band in Austin about 2007 and received great reception from the audience at the intimate venue in Annapolis, which only holds about 300 people for an event. Black Joe Lewis released an album titled Backlash in 2017 getting to No. 3 on Billboard’s blues albums. Lewis stated “good to be back at Rams Head as he burst into his set quickly establishing a great blues groove heard and felt throughout his set. Lewis is one of the best bluesmen in the business.
Reverend Horton Heat arrived on stage to great audience appreciation and quickly launched into “Bullet” from way back on the first album. This great rockabilly standard sets the stage for the fast-paced, high-octane show Reverend Horton Heat still plays. The set is very diverse featuring non-stop rockabilly, surf style music, country, and pure rock and roll.
Heath told the crowd it was “great to be here in Annapolis” and sometimes as they tour it’s hard to decipher the day of the week at times. Reverend Horton Heat has played Rams Head On Stage numerous times over the decades in music. The band featured songs written by him and Jimbo Wallace and cover songs they have done in the past. Heath discussed some of the roots of the band during the show which traces back to the great rockabilly sound of Johnny Carroll who they discovered when touring in Europe in the 1980s, which has influenced the style and sound of Reverend Horton Heat.
The set proceeded with one of the Horton Heat staples “Baddest of the Bad” which establishes the quick energy, rockabilly style of the band at arguably its best, leading into “Rock ‘N’ Roll is Now”, “Let Me Teach You How to Eat”, and then a few songs later into “Galaxy 500,” which shows off the dynamic guitar playing of Heath, and his voice at its best.
Watch The Reverend Horton Heat perform “Galaxy 500” live for Paste Studios on YouTube:
After playing “Galaxy,” Heath suddenly announced a rather premature end of the set saying they “gotta stop as Jimbos tired”. This sudden announcement received a few boos before they realized it was part of the show and received great laughs and ovations to get going again which Horton Heat did thanking Pronto and Black Joe Lewis for great opening sets.
Heath spoke of his and Wallace’s musical relationship over the years stating they had only 3 fights in 37 years and spoke to the crowd often throughout the show. It was a great mix of conversation and music. Heath discussed writing a song for Billy Bob Thornton for the new Landman series, which they played, and the band played a grand version of “Psychobilly Freakout” before exiting stage and then returning for a great encore featuring a finale of Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades.”
The concert was outstanding throughout and gave those in the audience a great night of rockabilly, some Texas twang, and a good portion of the Austin beat, which is some of the best music played on the planet.
Reverend Horton Heat continues touring the USA this summer with a date on August 29 in Baltimore before finishing the current tour in Arizona in October of this year.
Setlist
1. Bullet
2. Baddest of the Bad
3. Rock ‘N’ Roll is Now
4. Where in the Hell Did You Go Wtih My Toothbrush
5. Let Me Teach You How to Eat
6. Crazy Crazy Lovin’
7. Gakaxy 500
8. Do I Love You
9. Big Red Rocket of Love
10. Jimbo Song
11. I Found Blue
12. 400 Bucks
13. Psychobilly Freakout
14. Gravel Farmer
15. Bales of Cocaine
16. Ace of Spades
Here are some photos of The Reverend Horton Heat performing live at Rams Head On Stage on April 8, 2026. All poctures copyright and courtesy of James Todd Miller.
Here are some photos of Black Joe Lewis opening The Reverend Horton Heat at Rams Head On Stage on April 8, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of James Todd Miller.
Here are some photos of Piñata Protest opening The Reverend Horton Heat at Rams Head On Stage on April 8, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of James Todd Miller.
