A Life of Music: The Hutchens’ Story

In the midst of country music’s golden era, fans may remember a trio of brothers known at The Hutchens. They may remember hearing their debut single, the infectiously catchy “Knock, Knock,” on the radio in the mid-90s. They may also remember, however, not hearing anything about the brothers again, and falsely assume that their music careers fell apart as quickly as they’d arrived.

What they wouldn’t know, in that case, are three brothers from a rural town in North Carolina who began playing music as young children. Brothers who honed their craft on stage and made the trek to Nashville on several occasions in search of a record deal, one they eventually earned outside of the borders of Music City. And brothers, who thanks in part to record label manipulation, walked away from that deal to return home, where the love of music never left their hearts.

Before reaching that point, though, it’s important to look back to when that love of music blossomed for Bill, Bryan and Barry Hutchens in the midst of a musical upbringing in Sandy Ridge, North Carolina.

“We grew up with music,” says Bill Hutchens, the oldest of the three brothers. “We couldn’t get more than two channels on the TV; sometimes three if the weather was just right. There really wasn’t anything for us to do other than play music. I started playing at about five years-old. The other two didn’t want me to be able to do something they couldn’t do, so playing music almost became a sibling rivalry. And we played every day for years. We had to play every night for our dad. If we went to bed as kids and hadn’t played, he’d get us up and have us play.”

Soon, the brothers were playing for more than just their father, though. After being gifted guitars on Christmas in 1970, they were playing at family events, where they began forging their musical dreams.

“Our dad and uncles played music. At any kind of family function, they’d be playing music. It wasn’t unusual for there to be 50 or 75 people. That’s where we really got into it,” says Hutchens. “From the time I was nine, I knew music is what I wanted to do for a living, and my brothers were the same way. It was a part of our lives that we enjoyed so much.”

They enjoyed it so much that the trio began taking trips to Nashville in search of a record deal, returning home frustrated with each trip.

“We decided to go to Nashville and give it a try in the mid-80s. We had saved up our money and went to Nashville for three weeks. We’d never been to Nashville, so we had a big misconception about what went on in Town. We thought we could go down there, walk up to record labels and ask for tryouts for record deals,” says Hutchens. “We got no interest from the Nashville scene whatsoever. We went back home really disappointed. A couple years later, we decided to do it again, and just about the same thing happened. We decided that Nashville might not be for us.”

As if by chance, though, they landed a deal with a Nashville record label without leaving The Tar Heel State.

“We were playing in a hotel in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Either Tracy Lawrence or John Michael Montgomery was playing the Coliseum in Town that same night. The president of Atlantic Records, Rick Blackburn, was in town for their show and was staying at that hotel,” says Hutchens. “He just happened to come in and saw part of our show. We finished around midnight, and I went home and went to bed. Barry called me around three in the morning and asked if I wanted a record deal.”

Unsure if he was dreaming, Hutchens ended the call.

“I thought Barry was messing with me. He asked if I wanted a record deal with Atlantic Records, and I said ‘no!’” Hutchens says with a laugh. “He told me he was serious, and I told him to call me when I woke up and I hung up the phone. Three or four minutes later, he called again and said he was there with Rick Blackburn from Atlantic Records. He’d asked Barry about his musical aspirations, and he said he’d like a record deal, and Rick offered all three of us a deal. We’d gone to Nashville two or three times trying to create some interest, and out of the blue, we got the Nashville people to come to us in Winston-Salem.” 

Several months later, Blackburn announced the brothers’ signing on stage at Country Corral in King, North Carolina.

“That made it feel real. We had come to an agreement with Atlantic, but it hadn’t been announced publicly. That was the first time we’d been announced as Atlantic recording artists,” says Hutchens. “It felt like winning the lottery. It was breathtaking.”

That was just the first in a series of breathtaking moments, though, as the brothers entered the studio in early 1994 to record their debut album, Knock, Knock, with a host of A-list Nashville studio musicians.

“Any time the three of us got a record, the first thing we’d do is read the credits to see who played on it,” says Hutchens. “It’s overwhelming to walk into a studio and see Brent Mason  playing guitar. To see Eddie Bayers playing drums, and to see Gary Smith on piano. They were all people we never thought we’d get to play with.”

Soon, the fruits of their labor paid off, as their first single, the album’s title track, was sent to country radio.

“The first time I heard it on the radio, I was driving through Knoxville. It felt like we’d made it,” says Hutchens. “I almost wanted to pull off to the side of the road and cherish the moment.”

Having signed with Atlantic four years prior, the release of “Knock, Knock” both validated their work and calmed any fears that they’d never reach that day.

“The time between made it more special. We signed with Atlantic in 1991, so we were beginning to wonder. You hear all the stories about labels signing people and putting them on the shelf. We were wondering if we’d ever get a record on the radio,” says Hutchens. “It was a breath of fresh air to know that all of the hard work paid off and that we had something out there.”

Soon after “Knock, Knock” was released to radio, the brothers quit their day jobs to pursue music full time.

“That was a big step,” says Hutchens. “I was an electronics technician, and I was making a really good living. Barry was a computer analyst for RJ Reynolds Tobacco. Bryan was a chemical engineer. We all had good jobs, but we knew if we were going to do music, we couldn’t do it halfway. We knew we’d never make it that way. It was stepping into the unknown.”

After hitting the road for both headlining gigs and dates with the likes of Alabama, Tracy Lawrence and Patty Loveless, their second single, “Wait a Minute,” was sent to country radio. After a hot start, Atlantic forced the single to tank on the charts in favor of one of their other artists’ songs.

“’Wait a Minute’ hit the road running. It was in the top 100 like a bullet that first week. A labelmate of ours had just released a single at the same time as ‘Wait a Minute,” and ours was tearing up the other song at radio. Atlantic pulled the promotion off of ‘Wait a Minute,’” says Hutchens. “We hired independent promoters, and we were doing really well with it, but Atlantic started calling the radio stations and asking them not to play ‘Wait a Minute’ and to play the other artist’s song. We had program directors and DJs from all over the US calling us asking what was going on with Atlantic and why they were asking them not to play our record. They pretty much killed it. I think it would’ve been a hit if they had kept the promotion on it.”

Though they stayed with Atlantic Records for another half-decade, the brothers never released another song, and eventually left the label in 2001.

“We were on the label from 1991 to 2001, but they never released anything else. We recorded 32 or 33 songs, and they only released 10,” says Hutchens. “When we got off the label, we had two albums that were never released.”

Without a label home for the first time in a decade, the brothers, along with their road band and crew, decided not to sign a new record deal.

“We were offered a deal with RCA Records, and we turned it down. We had been on the road for ten years. We were on the road for 180-200 days every year. We were tired. Everybody was tired,” says Hutchens. “Fourteen of us travelled together all the time. There were eight band members, a bus driver, and merch people. All of us sat down together and came to the collective decision that we would still play music, but that we’d do it on our terms. It was a big relief to get out from under the Atlantic blanket. Even though it helped us in a big way, it hindered us a lot.”

Though that’s where The Hutchens’ story as a touring act ends, each of the three brothers are living happy lives.

“Bryan retired when we stopped playing music. He plays every now and then, but he plays the stock market more than he plays music,” says Hutchens. “Barry went back to work for RJ Reynolds. They gave him his boss’s job when he went back, and he got all of his seniority and tenure back like he’d never left. Since he retired, all he’s been doing is writing songs. Barry and his son still travel to Nashville two or three times a month to write, record and demo for other songwriters.” [below is the Lonesome River Band’s newest single, written by Barry Hutchens, his son, Will, and Jerry Salley]

Since The Hutchens retired, Bill has worn many hats in the music industry.

“I own part of a bluegrass record label out of Louisville called ATS Records,”  he says. “I had started driving entertainers’ coaches. I got to travel with great people. I got to work with Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley and the Dave Matthews Band. When I retired in 2022, I was working for KISS.”

Hutchens is also guiding his daughter, singer/songwriter Olivia Jo, through the music industry.

“I guess she took after me. When we got done with the Atlantic contract, I told my wife I’d never help one of my kids get into the business. When Olivia was about eight, she said that’s what she wanted to do for a living. I told her good luck and that she’d have to do it on her own, because I wasn’t getting involved in it again. My wife said, ‘Oh yes you are,” Hutchens says with a laugh. “She plays bluegrass music and she’s a songwriter. She’s been recording for several years. In the last year, she’s had four number one bluegrass songs on various charts. The last one was with Rhonda Vincent [below]. She’s doing very well.”

Though they don’t travel anymore, Bill, Barry and Bryan still make plenty of time to play together, as they’ve done since they were children.

“We’ve played a few shows over the last few years,” says Hutchens. “We play a lot together, but just for our own enjoyment and at family functions.”

Now, thirty years removed from the release of Knock, Knock, Hutchens looks back with gratitude that he was able to fulfil the musical dreams he and his brothers shared.

“A friend of mine had gone on YouTube and found one of our videos. He said he wanted one of the CDs. I didn’t even have one anymore. About a month later, he came and gave me a CD he’d bought somewhere online. I hadn’t listened to it in probably 20 years. I put it in the CD player, and it brought back a lot of good memories,” says Hutchens. “I am truly blessed to have been able to do what we did. I’ve just about completed my bucket list. I wanted to do music for a living, and I did it. I’ve done just about everything I’ve ever wanted to do in the music business.”