Staying Fit
Scooter Brown of the War Hippies performs on stage in 2022.
Getty Images
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Music and the military go back a long way, from Elvis getting drafted into the Army at the height of his career to Pvt. 2nd Class Jimi Hendrix of the 101st Airborne playing his red Silvertone Danelectro guitar in the barracks at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Johnny Cash, B.B. King and George Strait served our nation in uniform. In more recent years, famous musicians who are veterans include Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit, Maynard James Keenan of Tool, rappers Ice-T and Shaggy, and country artists Jamey Johnson, Craig Morgan, Josh Gracin and James Otto.
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Here are some veterans making the very best music out there.
War Hippies
Scott “Scooter” Brown, a former Marine, and Donnie Reis, who was in the Army, first met during the pandemic when their lives as touring country musicians had come to a halt.
Scott 'Scooter' Brown and Donnie Reis make up the War Hippies.
Courtesy War Hippies
Both age 42 and combat veterans of the Iraq War, they decided to get together in Reis’ studio in Nashville, Tennessee, and War Hippies was born.
“I like the saying, ‘It’s better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war,” Brown told AARP Veteran Report. “We believe in peace and love, but if anyone threatens to take away our freedom and loved ones, we’ll fight you for it and do anything to protect it.”
Iraq helped shape him. “Serving in combat taught me the importance of listening,” he said. “I realized prior to that I had never really listened to the words of songs. It turned me into a songwriter.”
He added, “I prefer to write based on real-life experiences, whether it’s a Western-themed song telling a story, such as ‘Hangman,’ or ‘Make It Out Alive,’ which is about a promise I made to God when I got out of Iraq.”
Silence & Light
Silence & Light was founded by Jason Everman and Brad Thomas.
Courtesy Silence & Light
Another combat-seasoned band that’s been getting a lot of attention recently is Silence & Light, founded by former Nirvana and Soundgarden guitarist Jason Everman.
After having the gut-wrenching distinction of being kicked out of two of the most successful bands of the ’90s, Everman, now 55, became an Army Ranger and served with distinction in Special Forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.
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