Hasil (pronounced Hassil) Adkins has played
true lonesome country, hopped up blues, and boogie woogie rockabilly
nonstop since 1949. He’s written more than 7,000 songs and can play
all of them plus over 2,000 covers from memory! Hasil’s got the rhythm
of a speeding freight train, a ready sense of humor, and soul that
will find soft spots in even the hardest heart.
When Hasil was a child, he was so energetic that his mother would pin his shirt to the ground with a rock so she could pick greens. It shows in his music. Hasil plays four different parts on the guitar while drumming and singing or playing the harmonica. He might triple the tempo on a dime, or stop and tell you a joke. His rhythm is so erratic it can’t be transcribed—yet you can’t help but catch it.
Hasil is a notoriously wild member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. He has been known to barely sleep for weeks at a time, eat pounds of raw meat, and drink 4 liters and 5 fifths of vodka a day! He is also just about the nicest person you can meet. He is deeply spiritual. Hasil truly loves everybody and honestly wishes them the best. He has known great sorrow, but is a solid optimist.
Even if you don’t like music, you owe it to yourself to listen to Hasil Adkins. He’ll play the saddest and the happiest songs you’ll hear for a long time. Hasil will show you sorrow you didn’t know you had and he’ll make you laugh and help you feel very good.
Imagine Hank Williams, Robert Johnson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, Johnny Cash, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, George Jones, Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie, Dolemite, Thomas Edison, Uncle Jesse, Grandpa Munster, Groucho Marx, Johnny B. Goode, Casanova, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Sitting Bull in one body and you start to get the idea. Hasil Adkins is a torch bearer who has fought with legendary determination for the music and the world it embodies. Hasil Adkins is an incredible musician and a national treasure.