After graduating high school, all five members once worked together at their manager’s construction company, reinforcing their shared blue-collar background.
Copperhead built a regional following through live performances and showcases organized by Atlanta-based attorney Charlie Phillips. In 1991 the band recorded a four-song demo with producer Ely Bail in Memphis, Tennessee, which was submitted to music attorney Fred Davis, son of Clive Davis. The demo secured Copperhead an eight-album deal with Mercury Records.[6]
The reunion between Dowd and Mills drew attention within the Southern rock community. Johnny Van Zant, lead singer of the Lynyrd Skynyrd, visited the studio during the recording sessions to witness the two producers working together again. In an interview with Xposure Magazine, Carswell stated the experience of recording with Dowd was creatively intense and challenging, but personally transformative.[8]
Songwriting for the album was led primarily by Neil Carswell and Jon Bryd, with Brad Durden, Eric Suttlemyre, and Tony Hawkins contributing on instrumentals. While most songs were written in advance, three—"Highway," "Hard Livin’," and "Lazy Days"—were completed during the album's recording sessions. "Highway" features a shared lead vocal between Carswell and Durden, inspired by Lynyrd Skynyrd's "You Got That Right." Slide guitar parts were divided between Carswell and Byrd, with Byrd handling most of the studio overdubs.
Release
The album was completed by mid 1992 and released by Mercury Records and its subsidiary, PolyGram Records, on July 10, 1992. Though it would be Copperhead's only full-length studio album on a major label, it captured a contemporarySouthern rock sound rooted in personal reflection, spiritual identity, and regional pride.[9]
On February 16, 1993, "Whiskey" was released as the third single and was sent to AOR radio and reached No. 17 on the AOR airplay charts, which resulted in its official music video earning significant airtime on MTV in early to mid 1993.[12]
Mercury Records and their partner label PolyGram Records released "The Scar" as the album's fourth and final single in May 1993, that peaked at No. 15 on the AOR charts the same month.[13]
Commercial success
Though the did not achieve major mainstream and commercial success, the album charted modestly, reaching No. 27 on the AOR airplay charts.[14]
To promote the release of the album the band toured extensively throughout its initial release in 1992 up until 1995. Touring with national acts such as The Kentucky Headhunters, 38 Special, and Molly Hatchet, Jackyl, Poison, and Metallica. They also performed a string of headlining tour dates with bands like Brother Cane, LSD, and Dead Reckoning opening for them as tour support.[28][29]
While Copperhead did not manage to achieve mainstream and become a global commercial success during its release, in the years and decades after it has since developed a cult-like following among Southern rock fans who often award the band with the title "Last of a Dying Breed" meaning they were the last predominately southern rock band to release an authentic album that resonated with the blue-collar, working class, spiritual, and projecting an identity deeply rooted in Southern culture along with regional pride the genre represents that contributed a lasting impression on the music industry during an era that was dominated by grunge rock, pop and was witnessing the rise of hip-hop.[31]
Composition
Copperhead draws heavily from traditional Southern rock influences, with a raw and gritty sound, bluesy solos, and organ-infused arrangements. Carswell's emotionally charged vocals, often compared to those of Ronnie Van Zant and Rickey Medlocke, anchor the record. Lyrical themes include freedom, loss, spiritual conflict, and blue-collar resilience.[32]
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