The Povertyneck Hillbillies
| The Hillbilly Way | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Dawson, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Genres | Country |
| Years active | 2000–2008, 2012 |
| Labels | Cort, Rust, Rhythm House Studios |
| Associated acts | Blackhawk |
| Members | Chris "Abby" Abbondanza David "Junior" Guthrie Jeff Volek |
| Past members | Chris Higbee Dave Cramer John Parrendo Ryan Lucotch Bob "Crafty" Crafton |
The Hillbilly Way are an American country music band formed in Dawson, Pennsylvania in 2000 by Chris "Abby" Abbondanza (lead vocals), Dave Cramer (keyboards), Ryan Lucotch (drums), Jeff Volek (bass guitar, accordion), David "Junior" Guthrie (electric guitar), and Bob "Crafty" Crafton (steel guitar). After several years of playing in local bars, the band gained a following throughout their native Pennsylvania, and were adopted by the Pittsburgh Steelers as that team's official band. Chris Higbee (fiddle) was also a founding member of the original band named "Povertyneck Hillbillies", however, he is no longer associated with "The Hillbilly Way".
Under their previous name, Povertyneck Hillbillies, they released a total of three albums: the independently released Hillbilly State of Mind and Don't Look Back in 2002 and 2004, followed by a self-titled effort in 2006 on Rust Records, the same year that Crafton left the band. Although these three albums produced no chart hits, they sold more than 10,000 copies nationwide. In 2008, Higbee issued a press release indicating that the band would be on hiatus indefinitely. Higbee then founded another band called the Chris Higbee Project, while Abbondanza began a solo career. "Junior", Ryan, and Jeff formed, and continued playing as "West Virginia Push", A.K.A. "Junior & The Push".
In 2012, the band reformed under the name of "The Hillbilly Way", and had a kickoff concert August 25, 2012, at CONSOL Energy Park, home of the Washington Wild Things minor league baseball team, in Washington County, Pennsylvania. The band now consists of Chris "Abby" Abbondanza, Jeff Volek, and David "Junior" Guthrie.
The Povertyneck Hillbillies was founded in 2000 in the borough of Dawson, Pennsylvania by fiddler Chris Higbee and lead vocalist Chris "Abby" Abbondanza, who met and befriended each other after discovering common musical interests. Through the help of other friends, the two musicians found five more members who would complete the band's lineup: guitarist David Guthrie, keyboardist Dave Cramer, bass guitarist Jeff Volek, steel guitarist Bob Crafton and drummer Ryan Lucotch. The seven-piece band then assumed the name Povertyneck Hillbillies, a name derived from Poverty Neck Lane, a street near Higbee's grandfather's farm.
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