To understand why the names fused in public consciousness, look at the sonic map of the late 1970s. Jacksonville, Florida gave birth to Molly Hatchet, founded by Dave Hlubek in 1971 and solidified when frontman Danny Joe Brown joined in 1976. Their sound was relentless, aggressive, and steeped in triple-guitar southern rock alongside Lynyrd Skynyrd and Blackfoot.
Little Feat came from a totally different musical universe, despite sharing similar audiences. Formed in Los Angeles in 1969 by ex-Mothers of Invention members Lowell George and Roy Estrada, the group pioneered an intricate fusion of New Orleans funk, country blues, jazz, and rock and roll. While Molly Hatchet roared through stadium arenas with tracks like "Flirtin' with Disaster," Little Feat operated with razor-sharp rhythmic elasticity driven by drummer Richie Hayward, keyboardist Bill Payne, and bassist Kenny Gradney, who joined in 1972 following Estrada's departure.
Shared festival lineups during the late 1970s and 1980s blurred these lines for casual listeners. Both bands occupied adjacent slots on album-oriented rock (AOR) radio stations. Record bins in used vinyl shops frequently placed their records within two inches of each other, setting the stage for decades of fuzzy retrospective memory.
