The Bellamy Brothers: The Timeless Country Duo

It’s not often that a band can score hits throughout a 40 year period but that’s what the Bellamy Brothers have done with 2015 representing their 40th year as artists. To commemorate their anniversary, the duo chose 20 of their classic hits and 20 new songs on a two CD set to give fans a comprehensive overview of where they’ve been and where they’re going and since it’s been so long since they’ve released a full album of material (2002’s “Redneck Girl Forever”), the anniversary seemed like the best way to give the fans something new.

“We didn’t want rehash the [hit] songs again,” says Howard Bellamy. “So we added the 20 new songs…because our fans were due to get some new material from us.”

It is a reward of sorts for fans who have stuck with the often humorous duo from Florida who broke out with “Let Your Love Flow” in 1976 and released hits like “Kids of the Baby Boom,” “Old Hippie,” “If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body (Would You Hold It Against Me)” and “Redneck Girl,” just to make a few. All of those songs plus fan favorites from concerts are featured.

“We chose the hits based on what people request the most live,” said David Bellamy when discussing the thought process on selecting the 20 songs that make up disc one of 40 Years: The Album. It’s a process that was required because not every top hit was included for a band with enough hits and fan concert favorites to fill up a two disc, a 40 track album of just those. They wanted to give the fans more great material like “Dying Breed” and “Boobs.”

In fact, they hadn’t even thought of this concept when they were originally cutting the new material. “We just started recording for a new record…and later hit on the concept of 20 old ones and 20 new ones making up 40,” says David Bellamy.

It’s a concept that really gives fans a reason to purchase the collection. “I look at it like if I was a fan of an artist,” said David Bellamy. “I’d want to have a reason to buy a project like this and the album does that.”

When mentioning the new music and how it relates to being known for humorous songs in the past Howard Bellamy says, “The new songs go in every direction.”

But that’s not to say that the band didn’t inject humor as they respond to the bro-country and rap movement with their song “Boobs,” a song David Bellamy says was “inspired because Rolling Stone Country had called (us) the ‘Godfathers of Bro’.”

With this bit of news, it's plain to see why The Bellamy Brothers are still around 40 years after so many artist of their generation (and those after them) have come and gone. They’re able to make music that resonates with generations of fans and inspiring younger artists along the way.