Growing up in and around Chester County, PA, Brett Hellings began playing guitar at 14 after his brother Christian – and future bandmate -- took him to see a life changing Stone Temple Pilots concert. He led a fascinating double life throughout his teen years, playing in the band at Calvary Fellowship Church and later leading worship while rocking out at home to Nirvana, STP, Oasis and other rock greats of the era. After participating with several bands in musical competitions in high school, Hellings attended a summer performance program at Berklee College of Music in Boston, sticking around for one semester as a vocal performance major before realizing in a songwriting class that the “best way to learn how to write was to just go out and live life.”
That’s a bit of an understatement when it comes to following the colorful geography as he pursued his rock and roll dreams. First, Hellings moved to Nashville, where he achieved some local success with Lover’s Red, the Southern Rock band he formed. During this formative stage of his career, he recorded his solo debut, Restless (under Brett Hellings) in Florida with engineer Joe Smith. Hellings and Christian then hightailed it to NYC, living in a closet sized apartment on the Lower East Side for a year before the siblings chased their passions out West. Settling in Los Angeles, they formed Hellings, recorded their debut album Electric Drag (2007) and held court for two years playing at iconic Sunset Strip clubs like The Whisky, Key Club and Roxy.
Their manager booked opening slots for Steel Panther and Buckcherry, among other bands, and Hellings was offered several major label recording deals – which they ultimately turned down due to creative differences. He wanted to stay organic and sing a certain way the suits didn’t vibe with. Hellings later served as lead singer for several L.A. based bands, including The Nasty Souls. Leading up to and beyond the release of Ride, the band Hellings has been a rotating collective of players – and the singer has put together a new lineup for upcoming shows. In 2020, rock legend Alice Cooper played Hellings’ party anthem “Here to Have a Good Time” on the Deja Nu segment of the globally popular radio show “Nights with Alice Cooper” – opening up an exciting opportunity for Hellings to record during the pandemic with a band of rock all-stars including Tommy Henriksen, Richard Fortus, Buck Johnson, Billy Sheehan and Kenny Aronoff. The group’s first single “Kill Me to Keep Loving You,” featuring Hellings on lead vocals and a lead guitar solo by Fortus, is set for release this Fall.