“The Jules Whites?” Nah. “The Preston Blacks?” Nah.

On this day in 1982, the 4 prodigal sons of the Unholy Trinity of Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and Chuck Berry made their public debut with their first-ever show at Bottom’s Up in NYC.

They had spent months wood-shedding their sound, and after flirting with “Night Train” as a band name, settled on “The Del-Lords” in tribute to the director of The Three Stooges shorts. Who knew that 28 years later they would still be omitting the slow ones and hitting the fast ones?

The set list from that first night:

1. Club Song
2. Paramour
3. Folsom Prison Blues
4. Joanne
5. Jumping in the Night
6. Bartender Blues
7. Love Among the Ruins
8. Hand to Mouth
9. Drug Deal
10. Double Life

— Salvi C.