Steve Hussey

Singer/songwriter/acoustic guitar/harmonica

Steve was born and raised in Parkersburg, WV. He was instilled with a love of music from a very young age. There was always music on around the house. Steve fondly remembers John Denver coming though the speakers of the family's big blue GMC van on a cross-country trek to California to visit cousins and friends from his father's side at age 5. The Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul and Mary and Paul Simon were staples in the Hussey household. Steve still loves that music to this day. 

In the fifth grade, Steve took up the trumpet to begin his musical career. He played in concert and jazz band all the way through high school. What he learned playing the trumpet formed the basis for his other musical ventures later in life.

Steve discovered the Eagles and Garth Brooks in high school and noticed something. All of the songs that he was drawn to had an acoustic guitar chugging along in the background. Steve was in love. He vowed to learn the acoustic guitar and be a songwriter someday. Strangely, the electric guitar never held any fascination for him and although he has tried to take it up on three different occasions, it never has worked. Steve decided to leave that to others.

So it was at age 19 Steve bought a brand new Yamaha FG acoustic guitar, a Garth Brooks and an Eagles songbook. He taught himself to play by listening to Garth and the Eagles and following along with the chords in the books 

He wrote his first song as soon as he could transition between G, C and D effectively. Since he has written or co-written hundreds of songs and recorded three full-length LPs. You Bet (1997) and The Basement Tapes (1999) were recorded with his first group Stuck On Amber. Unspoken (2004) was the Steve Hussey Band's debut album. It was released to rave local reviews and their track Morgantown (My Sweet Girl) can be heard all over WVU football tailgates and is their best selling track on iTunes Music Store.

drums/djembe/backing vocals

Todd has been keeping time since he was a little tyke in Denver. He played the violin for two years, then switched to the snare drum and learned to read the very complicated quarter notes resembling snare head strikes. Anne Murray, The Statler Brothers, Oak Ridge Boys, and Mac Davis supplied the sounds prior to the big move to the Mid-Ohio Valley at age 12. Hall & Oats, Van Halen, and break dancing music ruled Todd’s early teens. His love for drumming was strongly influenced by his freakishly talented step-bro and co-Prince fan Terrance McGee.

DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Warrant, Guns N Roses, and Def Leppard were among the tape collection during Todd’s post-graduation summer. At age 20 Todd and a high school buddy opened the first of three CD stores. In his 20’s Todd began tinkering with garage bands, playing out for the first time with Greathouse-McGee (of Mo’ Bigley fame) and recording an unreleased album with Professor John & The Class. Coinciding with SHB’s start in 2003, Todd lived for open mic nights where local talent poured in from seemingly nowhere. Todd’s most musically influential artists will eventually shake out to be U2, Prince, and Limp Bizkit; with Green Day, Eminem, and Boston getting honorable mentions.

Todd is currently the owner of a residential rental company and a recycled technology company. Along with music, Todd’s longtime passions include his family & friends, business, theatre (acting), boating, beer, soccer, and skiing. Recently acquired passions include P90X (Bring It!), snowboarding, and his djembe.

Bass Guitar/Mystic Sage/Coyotebrother

Scott was born in the foothills of the Appalachians in rural Jackson County, West Virginia. He was orphaned at birth and raised by a pack of wild coyotes. He was known among the coyotes as "He Who Smells of Rotten Apples".

At the age of eight he was discovered through pure chance by a team of biologists studying the giant whooping plant deep in the Jackson County woods. Dr. John Roland, leader of the expedition, lured Scott close by playing a small travel guitar he had packed for the trip. After many months and countless near misses, contact was finally made with Scott when he came close to Dr. Roland and pulled the guitar from his hands. Scott amazed eveybody by ripping out a perfect minor pentatonic scale in the key of A.

From there, he was taken to the Anthropology Department at Stanford University where he was studied. Dr. Roland taught him to read and write. Scott spent countless hours playing that little travel guitar through a small pignose amp. Eventually, Dr. Roland introduced Scott to the bass guitar, which became Scott's true passion.

At the age of 17 Scott grew weary of being studied all day and ran away. He wandered the boulevards of southern California. He learned the ways of the street. He hustled punks and became a pool shark. He spent a short amount of time as a gigolo until he figured out that pimping was an easier row to hoe (no pun intended).

One fateful night, Scott wandered into an open mic night at the famed Whisky-A-Go-Go in Hollywood. By pure chance he ended up on stage with Axl Rose, Izzy Stadlin, Slash and Steven Adler. It was hot magic. They formed the band Guns 'N' Roses and all holed up in a Hollywood Hills bungalow where they wrote the tunes that would become Appetite for Destuction. After they landed a record deal and recorded their eponymous debut album, they prepared to take the US by storm. Sadly, on the eve of their first gig, Scott was busted on 4 counts of "pimping ho's" and Guns were forced to replace Scott with Duff McKagan.

Shattered, Scott moved back to his native Jackson County where he worked odd jobs and ran with his coyote brethren at night. He eventually moved to Parkersburg when the steel mill went on strike.

On January 23rd, 2003, Scott dusted off his bass guitar after not playing for five years and wandered into an open mic night at JP Henry's. He ended up on stage with Steve Hussey, Todd Stubbe and Mike Smith. It was steaming funk bliss. Lightning had stuck twice. But this time there would be no ho's to haunt him. SHB was born.

And back in Jackson County in the dark, cold winter nights, "He Who Smells Of Rotten Apples" is now called "Thundergod".

SCOTT RANSON

Man of Many Talents

Lead player of anything that has strings on it

Dickie Thacker stems from a family of musicians dating from 1800s Kentucky to the hills of West Virginia. Dickie’s ancestors, when not shoveling coal or making moonshine (probably not in that order)-- were mainstays in the local WV coal camps for entertainment. The love of entertaining people and making good music has passed solely and honestly from his kin.

Dickie’s father was a perfected "Chet Atkins" style picker who started him out at the early age of 4 on guitar. His father played with such well known musicians as Hank Williams Jr. and Barbara Mandrell. Dickie first appeared on stage with his father at the age of 7 and there has been no looking back since. Dickie and his father entertained the public for many years together and it was their relationship and his fathers knowledge and wisdom that has made him the guitarist, as well as the man, that he is today. He owes every ounce of his ability to his father, who is sadly missed.

During the early 80’s, Dickie found his influences from Blues & Classic rockers alike, but "Hair Metal" stole his soul. Dickie’s first rock band was formed when he was 14 years old, but he and fellow SHB’er Scott Arthur hooked up when they were 16 and started a brotherhood that has led them to many other bands together. "We have literally known each other since kindergarten in Mrs. Wallen’s class!" Scott says.

Dickie was approached by Scott in the fall of 2004 on replacing SHB’s current guitarist and the rest is history. "Rockin' with Steve and the boys can be quite challenging due to the many styles and genres of music SHB plays", says Dickie. But thanks to the versatile musicianship of his past, Dickie has added his multi-ring of flavors to Steve’s songs which in turn have started yet another journey of providing KICK ASS entertainment for the masses.