Musician, and songwriter Charlie Overbey, of whom rock icon Lemmy (Motörhead), coined as the “Punk Rock Spy In The House Of Honky Tonk" has released his single “Champagne, Cocaine, Cadillacs & Cash.” The guitar and keys southern rock-tinged romp features Marcus King on Electric Guitars, B3 Organ, and vocals, with additional vocals from Jaime Wyatt. The song is the first single from Overbey’s forthcoming album In Good Company, due out on July 26.
This album is a career retrospective of sorts for Overbey. He revisited decades of his writing and recording sessions from studios around the world to craft the new songs that would make up the career-spanning and star-studded body of work. “God forbid if this happened to be my last record. It would be a record that told my story”, says Overbey. “A record that I could be proud of that would be a legacy record for me.” Not only did Overbey dig into his song archives but went into his deep Rolodex to enlist friends from across the musical spectrum to assist with the making of the album, starting with Marcus King and Jaime Wyatt. “Champagne, Cocaine, Cadillacs & Cash,” is a song about leaving behind toxic one-sided relationships. Holler Country said that the song is “delivered with the thumping swagger of Waylon administered with a jab of jittery Muscle Shoals country funk,” and has received early airplay from SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country.
When asked about working with Overbey, Marcus King commented that he “first met Charlie O back in 2017 or 18 I believe it was. I was really struck by Charlie’s gregarious charm, talent, unique style, and genuine attitude both on and off the stage - a beautiful friendship blossomed and only continues to grow. Fine quality hats n’ fine quality American Music. “ Jaime Wyatt said, “ Charlie’s voice is so smooth and baritone in this song, it's a solid country banger.” In addition to King and Wyatt, In Good Company is rounded out by an all-star cast of featured artists that include Nils Lofgren, Charlie Starr, Rami Jaffee, Jimmy Vivino, Duane Betts, Corey McCormick, Eddie Spaghetti, Taime Downe, Chris Masterson, Stuart Mathis, Danny B Harvey, Courtney Santana, Jon Graboff, Sarah Gayle Meech and more.
Although currently based in New Mexico, Overbey was born and raised in Los Angeles, where he was exposed to country music early and often. His father owned a 1947 Gibson J-45 acoustic guitar, and almost every time it was played, out spilled a Johnny Cash song. Although country was Overbey’s initial entry into music, it took years of punk rock and rock n’ roll rebellion before he came to recognize and appreciate the genre’s influences on him. Overbey’s first success in the music industry came when his cowpunk outfit Custom Made Scare landed a deal with Side One Dummy Records in the late 90’s. But before the band’s debut album dropped, Overbey had been on the run from the law for years finally turning himself in and spending a year in prison. The very same week he was released, the band hit the road immediately and toured heavily into the new millennium alongside seminal punk acts such as Suicidal Tendencies, Social Distortion, Agent Orange, Zeke, and REO Speedealer.
In addition to music, Overbey found a creative outlet in fashion. What started as a hobby of making eye-catching glam rock head attire for himself, has turned into the very successful bespoke fashion company Lone Hawk Hats of which Overbey is the sole craftsman. Each hat is handcrafted from vintage shells from the early 20’s through the 70’s, which according to Overbey was a time when “quality was held dearly above quantity.” Each piece is like a sculpture, inspired by its muse, the customer, and crafted using environmentally safe materials. Overbey’s Lone Hawk pieces have been worn by artists such as Blackberry Smoke, Marcus King, Lainey Wilson, members of the Foo Fighters, Sheryl Crow, the cast of 1883, and were the focal point in in a Stella McCartney campaign. There are select styles and pieces available online at the Lone Hawk website and in person at the Honeywood Vintage shops in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Highland Park and just outside of Santa Fe in Madrid, New Mexico.
