Devynn Hart (Chapel Hart), Danica Hart (Chapel Hart), Rev. Willy G., JD Shelburne (“best man”), Trea Swindle (Chapel Hart)
Billy F Gibbons As His “Reverend Willy G” Alter Ego Officiates At Chapel Hart Video Wedding That Wasn’t By Troy Wilson The Reverend Billy F Gibbons is back again with a new video, or should I say, a starring role in a video. This time Billy teams up with another trio…. In fact, it’s the all female Country music trio, Chapel Hart. The members of the band Chapel Hart are Devynn Hart, Danica Hart, and Trea Swindle Don’t worry people, Billy’s not quitting his gig with ZZ Top. He’s just guesting as himself, the Reverend Billy F Gibbons, portraying a country preacher officiating over a wedding for singer Danica Hart in the video “Jesus And Alcohol.” For those of you who really didn’t know it, Billy F Gibbons is actually an ordained minister in the Universal Life Church. During his time as a minister he has actually joined together a lot of young… and old couples. He officiated at the wedding of Joe Walsh and his wife Marjorie Bach, the sister of Barbara Bach and the wife of former Beatle Ringo Starr, as well as Country music star Billy Joe Shaver and his wife Wanda Lynn Canady among several others. In fact, Billy tells us that his most memorable joining together of souls was when he officiated at the wedding of Paul and Patricia Burgess, which actually took place at an Ikea store in Houston. For Billy, the best part of the wedding was the Swedish meatballs that were served there that day.
In the video for the song “Jesus And Alcohol” Danica plays the role of a woman who gets jilted at the opera by her husband to be with her sister Devynn and Trea portraying the roles of bridesmaids. Other notable guests in the video include JD Shelburne (“Church Pew Barstool”) as the embarrassed best man along with Deborah Allen and T. Graham Brown as guests. As you can expect, with a name like “Jesus and Alcohol” the infamous beverage does rear its head here as Billy retreats to a room in the church’s rectory to console himself after the ordeal. At the same time, the rest of the wedding party proceeds to console themselves as well with a fifth of bourbon. Eventually the inebriated Reverend returns to console the wedding party with a passage from the bible. The passage chosen is Proverbs 31:6-7, which says
Billy Gibbons says, “I was happy to give the ladies of Chapel Hart my benediction in the video as well as in real life. They’ve got the talent so however unlikely this drive to make it in country music may appear, their ability is self-evident and I’m happy to pitch in and shine a light, so to speak.” Chapel Hart takes its name from Hart’s Chapel Baptist Church in their native Poplarville, Mississippi. Although some people would have expected a band with this name to be more of a gospel or R&B band, they lean more towards the Country music format that they grew up with. Trea Swindle says about the band, “There is a lot to deal with being African American and singing country music, even in 2020. Country music is simply just in our hearts.”
Billy says he might not be available to officiate over the wedding again should the groom ever return to Danica. “I been thinking about the plotline of ‘Jesus & Alcohol.” If Danica’s runaway groom ever comes to his senses and asks for a second chance I’m not sure I’d be willing to perform the service. Of course this is all followed by a The guy is missing out on someone terrific, performance where Billy straps on his guitar not to mention juxtaposition to certain and leads the wedding party in a song and a country stardom. I think he’s probably dumb drink, ending the video on a good note. or clueless or both and clearly unworthy of her.” October 2020 • Rock and Blues International 65 Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more
