Georgia Satellites

While the American music intelligentsia was mainly focused on the prominent jangle pop and college rock scene in Athens, Atlanta-based band The Georgia Satellites took rock’n’roll back to its roots with an unlikely one-hit wonder in the late 80s. Led by lead singer and guitarist Dan Baird, the group stormed the charts in 1986 with their eponymous major label debut and its lead single, “Keep Your Hands to Yourself,” a classic rock-by-numbers track that peaked at Number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Hot on the heels of their newfound success, they produced another charting single with 1988’s “Hippy Hippy Shake,” a cover of the The Swinging Blue Jeans' 1964 hit. It all went downhill from there, as Open All Night (1988) and In the Land of Salvation and Sin (1989) both failed to meet its predecessor’s success despite generally favorable reviews. The band dissolved shortly after the release of their third full-length, after which Baird embarked on a solo career and guitarist Rick Richards joined Izzy Stradlin’s Ju Ju Hounds. With Baird out of the picture, The Georgia Satellites reunited in 1993 and released Shaken Not Stirred (1997) a mix of old and new material that went largely unnoticed by critics and audiences alike.