Hasil Adkins

Hasil Adkins
Adkins near his home in West Virginia in 1993
Background information
Born	(1937-04-29)April 29, 1937 Boone County, West Virginia, U.S.
Died	April 26, 2005(2005-04-26) (aged 67) Boone County, West Virginia
Genres	Rockabilly country rock and roll blues psychobilly outsider
Occupations	Musician singer-songwriter
Instruments	Guitar vocals drums harmonica keyboards
Years active	1957–2005
Labels	Norton Fat Possum

Hasil Adkins /ˈhæsəl/^[1] (April 29, 1937 – April 26, 2005) was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His genres include rock and roll, country, blues and more commonly rockabilly, and because of his unusual playing and singing style, he is often cited as an example of outsider music. He generally performed as a one-man band, playing guitar and drums at the same time.

Adkins was born during the Great Depression and grew up in poverty. His spirited, unusual lifestyle is reflected in his music. His songs, which he began recording and distributing locally in the mid-1950s, explored an affinity for chicken, sexual intercourse, and decapitation, and were obscure outside of West Virginia until the 1980s. The newfound popularity secured him a cult following, spawned the Norton Records label, and helped usher in the genre known as psychobilly.