Justin Heat: Naughty, But Nice

Justin Heat was formed by former HARD KNOX bassist Don Murray and lead guitarist the late Mark West in 1986 in Oak Ridge, TN. Murray and West were high school friends and had been in a band together named SORCERER, so their chemistry was immediate. West was an incredibly talented guitarist that had toured in the rock club circuit with Armored Charm. Murray and West penned the original four songs that became Justin Heat classics like the straight ahead rocker “Just In Heat,” the hook laden melodic rocker “Feel The Passion,” the haunting metal ballad “Eyes Of A Killer,“ and the riff filled groove rocker “Running From Reality.” These four songs remained JH staples throughout the five year history of the band.

Next, the duo enlisted the vocal talents of Robert Leath, a charismatic seasoned vet of the Knoxville club scene to be lead vocalist. Robert’s amazing vocal range and confident front man ability would lend itself well for Justin Heat. Robert actually coined the moniker for the band Justin Heat. Next, they brought in rock solid drummer Cliff Greene.

The rock scene in Knoxville wasn’t moving fast enough for Murray and Leath, and West had other offers touring with local cover bands. Murray and Leath set their sights on Music City, Nashville, TN. The two immediately started auditioning guitarists and drummers and found Matt and Scott Williams who had also recently moved to Nashville from Charlotte, NC and the original Nashville version of Justin Heat was born. They were immediate headliners at clubs like Music Row Showcase and The Cannery. The four recorded an eight song demo. In addition to the original Justin Heat material the band recorded new songs including “White Noize,” “Time To Show,” “Tables Have Turned,” and “One Man Against The World.”

Difference in opinions about musical style and direction soon followed and Leath and Murray parted ways with the Williams brothers. After a couple of personnel changes the two finally found the perfect guitarist in Jeff Allen. His melodic guitar style was perfect for Justin Heat’s now commercial glam rock style. Murray and Allen immediately teamed up to write JH classics like “Rockin All Nite,” “Talkin This City,” “Naughty But Nice,” “Dirty Women,” “Right On Time,” and “Make Your Move.” Next, the band hired phenomenal drummer Jim Phipps. After constant gigging in the Nashville club scene, Leath left to pursue other interests and former Hard Knox vocalist Gene Hadley was enlisted for lead vocals. Hadley’s over the top stage presence and raspy vocal style was a welcome addition to the new Justin Heat now involved in record negotiation with several major labels. “Rocking All Night” and “Takin This City” were recorded as a two song demo and things looked very promising. Hard Knox came calling for Hadley’s services and he decided to return home to his former band Hard Knox. At that point, Murray, Allen and Phipps were a band without a front man with gigs already booked, a management team in place and major label interest. Enter former Hard Knox vocalist Rick Ruhl. Ruhl and Hadley essentially traded gigs and JH entered the studio with a new arsenal of material to record with Ruhl’s vocals. The results were no less than impressive. Ruhl and Phipps broke away from JH shortly after the demo was completed however, to form Every Mothers Nightmare and went on to release two albums on Arista Records. Murray was back at ground zero. A bassist with a wealth of material, a huge local following and new songs like “Talk Of The Town” written. Murray and Leath reconnected at that point and brought in lead guitarist Tony “Bong” Paduano and drummer Trace Vickory. After a year of successful showcasing and a warm welcome from fans Justin Heat disbanded in 1990.