ˈæftɚ hɪz fˈæmɪli mˈuːvd fɹʌm ˌæləbˈæmə tə dʒˈɔːɹdʒə, pˈaʊɛl ɐtˈɛndᵻd mək ˈiːtʃɚn hˈaɪ skˈuːl ɪn pˈaʊdɚ spɹˈɪŋz, dʒˈɔːɹdʒə, wˌɛɹ hiː mˈɛt lˈiː ænd bɪkˌeɪm ɪnvˈɑːlvd ɪn ɐ bˈænd nˈoʊn æz "nˈuːklɪɹ hˈoʊdaʊn".
After his family moved from Alabama to Georgia, Powell attended McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Georgia, where he met Lee and became involved in a band known as "Nuclear Hoedown".