Brent Hinds, who spent 25 years as lead guitarist for the popular heavy metal band Mastodon, died in an Aug. 20 motorcycle accident in Atlanta, Georgia. He was 51 years old. Performing with the group from its 2000 inception until March 2025, his mark on the music industry reached far beyond the metal community. Grammy-nominated Marcus King recently added his voice to the growing list of online tributes for Brent Hinds.
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Marcus King Previously Collaborated With Brent Hinds, Mastodon
Taking to Instagram Thursday (Aug. 21), Marcus King shared a carousel of photos depicting his time onstage with Brent Hinds. According to Atlanta police, Hinds died when a BMW struck his Harley-Davidson motorcycle after the driver failed to yield while making a turn at the intersection of Memorial Drive and Boulevard Wednesday night.
The “F— My Life Up Again” crooner, 29, met Hinds at a show in Atlanta through mutual friend Matt Hughes, who owns Banker Custom Guitars. Hinds was “blown away” by the South Carolina jazz legacy’s talent, Hughes said.
Their bond was instant, according to King. The late guitarist even stood by his side during his February 2023 wedding to wife Briley Hussey.
“Brent Hinds became one of my best friends the moment we met and a brother soon after,” the blues guitar virtuoso wrote. “I’ll always be thankful to have lived at the same time as such an incredible person and musician. St. Peter dont [sic] judge him too harshly, his heart was golden.”
In July 2020, Hinds joined King and his band onstage in Nashville for their Four of a Kind, Live From Nashville concert streaming series.
“It may not be a musical union that many would have envisioned, Hughes said. “But the two of them are undoubtedly kindred musical spirits.”
Check out their rocking version of Black Sabbath’s “Electric Funeral” below.
Brent Hinds Left Mastodon Shortly Before His Death
Marcus King and Brent Hinds shared an equal respect for the other’s musical prowess. In a November 2021 interview with Guitar.com, Hinds praised King’s 2020 solo album El Dorado as “ZZ Top on methamphetamines.”
“He’s like a trained jazz ninja,” he gushed. “I love Marcus.”
Hinds’ death came just five months after Mastodon announced they were parting ways with him after a quarter of a century together.
Featured image by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images
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