And although his stuff-of-legends persona might generate some laughs, Unknown Hinson's celebrated talent is no joke.
Roots in Rockabilly
Born Danny Baker, the Charlotte, N.C.-based musician merges parody with proficiency, and recently toured with Billy Bob Thornton's band The Boxmasters when the band opened for Willie Nelson. Hinson also counts as fans rocker Tom Petty and cartoonist Matt Groening, and he inspired Hank Williams III to pay tribute by tattooing Hinson's face on his biceps.
But the self-proclaimed "king of country-western troubadours" doesn't like to talk much about his alter ego, who voices the role of Early Cuyler on the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim show "Squidbillies."
"If you don't mind, he gets too much publicity anyway," Hinson said of his alias in a telephone interview earlier this year with Suite 101.
Besides, Hinson himself -- a man who calls himself "every wimern's dream, and every jealous husband's nightmare" -- is much more interesting.
His loves include a shot or three of party liquor, women and his instrument, and has made a name for himself with clever lyrics, catchy rhythms and stellar guitar.
Hinson's History
Named after his father (listed as "Unknown" on Hinson's birth certificate), Hinson released his first album, "21 Chart-toppers," in 1993, after seeing some success with a local television music video show he started right after his stint in prison, where he supposedly spent 30 years in solitary on charges of murder, vampirism, paternity suits, grave robbing and other offenses he did not commit.
"I was in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said, his Southern drawl apparent in his whiskey-rough voice. "But I'm not bitter. You can git your education in the joint. I learned how to read. I polished my guitar skills."
And his followed the advice he learned from his mother, who disappeared when he was young, but left him with some words of wisdom first.
"She told me, 'if you're gonna sing, make up your own songs, don't sing nobody else's mess, 'cuz you got to be original,'" Hinson told Rockabilly Magazine in a 2004 interview.
Mad, Mad Music
His sharp-edged songs include "Polly Urethane," "I Cleaned Out a Room (In My Trailer for You) and "Foggy Windows," a musical tribute to Peeping Toms, as well as "Your Man" and "I Ain't Afraid of Your Husband," featuring the cheating theme that runs rampant throughout Hinson's work.
He released "The Future is Unknown" in 2004 on Capitol Records, and is currently celebrating his most recent release, the live album "Unknown Hinson Live and Undead," which he recorded on Halloween 2007 in Asheville, N.C.
It was a fitting day for a man who whom declares the day his favorite holiday, because "I don't tend to stand out as much," he said with a laugh. "More like a face in the crowd."
For more information, visit Hinson's Web site at www.unknownhinson.com.
