Brown was replaced in 1980 in Molly Hatchet by vocalist Jimmy Farrar, a native of LaGrange, Georgia. The earlier albums seemed to some commentators to exhibit a distinct southern cultural influence; that sound changed with the addition of Farrar. Danny Joe Brown's stage persona, gruff voice, and cowboy horse-whistling was replaced by Jimmy Farrar's new vocal style, mixed with a new, harder-rocking sound. With the success of the next album, "Beatin' the Odds", released September 1980, the band ventured away from the Southern rock sound of their first albums. Nonetheless, Molly Hatchet toured successfully in support of "Beatin' the Odds", opening for bands like Blue Öyster Cult, AC/DC and The Outlaws, as well as headlining their own tour that was supported by the Michael Schenker Group and the Johnny Van Zant Band.