Hutch and the Hookers

More a legend than a band, Hutch and the Hookers were formed in Harrisonburg Virginia in 1995. The first song they ever wrote turned out to be the most popular song that they'd ever record. The 1 min. 38 sec. masterpiece of heartbreaking emotional angst, written for all the girls who cheated on them, or broke up with them, or would never go out with them in the first place, ""Bitches"" instantly struck a chord with the college crowd, continues to gain new fans daily.
""Bitches"" is the song that refuses to die. It first gained college radio airplay in the fall of 1996, and became a hit again in 2000, and then received substantial airplay overseas in 2005. In 2007, "Bitches" hit 2 on the IACmusic independent charts for comedy songs.
While the songwriting duo of Hutch and the Hookers wrote many more songs after "Bitches", none of the songs were able to capture the same level of success. The original Hutch and the Hookers played their last show in 1998, as Gerbs, the original guitarist and half of the songwriting team, left the band to pursue other opportunities.
In the year 2000, with the one half of the original Hookers retired, Hutch was approached by a new guitar slinger named CB, and Hutch and the Hookers were reborn with a new identity. Hutch took the stage for the first time in 3 years, and played a limited run of shows up and down the east coast. In late 2000 the original tapes of the Hutch and the Hookers demos were discovered, and the lo-fi sounds of Hutch and the Hookers were remastered and distributed on CD for the first time ever. The CDs rejuvenated interest in the Hookers, as a new generation of fans discovered ""Bitches"" for the first time.
The second version of Hutch and the Hookers was short lived, as personal struggles lead to Hutch's retirement from the music business in early 2001. As Hutch hit upon hard times in the years after the second incarnation, he made ends meet by charging appearance fees and singing at karoake parties. Refusing to perform in anything except his bathrobe and lounge pants, Hutch became a much sought after party guest in Virginia in 2003 and 2004. While other stars might have found this "offensive" or "demeaning", for a little money and a lot of booze, Hutch always gave the fans their money's worth, tearing through hours of alcohol fueled versions of the current hit songs, and classic country songs, occasionally slipping in some acapella versions of Hutch and the Hookers classics.
In 2005, Hutch reformed the Hookers with a bassist turned acoustic guitar player named Clayton, and Hutch and the Hookers were once more. They recorded their first song in 9 years - a track for a My Morning Jacket fan tribute album, and started working on new material. The first ever Hutch and the Hookers website was created, and momentum started to build for the Hookers again. Hutch and the Hookers played a secret show on July 27, 2005 to a standing room only crowd. That show would be the only show that the third incarnation of Hutch and the Hookers would play however, as in September of the same year Hutch moved to Austin to become an extra in movies and television shows.
As fate would have it though, Gerbs was also living in Austin. And while he is still officially retired from the music business, there has been some talk of a comeback. The original Hutch and the Hookers were spotted together at SXSW 2007, which only fueled speculations about a possible Hutch and the Hookers reunion.