All too often Southern music is dismissed as country music written about rowdy out-of-the-way bars, moonshine made in the backwoods, and fast women. While these elements do work their way into almost all Southern music, it does not encapsulate the energy, swagger, musicianship and sheer fun of Southern Rock, which experienced its heyday in the 1970s. Incorporating influences taken from the blues, boogie rock, folk, rootsy rock n’ roll, country and funk, Southern Rock is an amalgam of music that has its traditions firmly rooted in the good ol’ USA.
Although titans like Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers Band are the most renowned examples of Southern Rock, there is a huge catalogue of unsung heroes of the genre who never managed to escape the large shadow cast by their big-name musical cousins.
Although ZZ Top may now be more associated with its more polished 1980s hits such as “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs,” they began as a trio in 1970 that played a riveting bloozy Texas-stomp. In fact, I have heard that Jimi Hendrix once commented that Billy Gibbons was the best guitarist he ever saw. Other bands such as Molly Hatchet and Blackfoot (both from Lynyrd Skynyrd’s hometown of Jacksonville, Florida), Black Oak Arkansas from (you guessed it) Arkansas, The Marshall Tucker Band from Spartanburg, South Carolina and Atlanta Rhythm Section from Doraville, Georgia all achieved considerable success, but nowhere near the level of Skynyrd or the Allman Brothers. Southern Rock being the unwieldy category it is, allowed for each of these bands to drift along the musical spectrum from Atlanta Rhythm Section’s softer and more pop-oriented vibe to Blackfoot’s more hard rock sound to Dixie Dregs’ funky, jazz fusion heard on “Refried Funky Chicken.” Finally, I couldn’t leave off the legendary Willie Nelson, who straddles the increasingly blurry line between country and rock on “Shotgun Willie.” Nor could I overlook the present-day embodiment and torch bearer of all these artists’ legacies – The Black Crowes.
Finally, you don’t necessarily need to be born in the South to play Southern-styled music. While hailing from California, Little Feat’s sound was quintessential Southern boogie rock. Even The Doobie Brothers, who are from San Jose, California, were able to craft a masterful fusion of Southern bluegrass (the fiddle plays a crucial component of the song’s Southern aesthetic) and more traditional rock with its 1974 classic, “Black Water.” I guess, like anything, Southern Rock is more a state of mind than anything else.
Give it a listen and enjoy.
Track Listing
1) Time Loves a Hero (4:20) – Little Feat
2) Dimples (Live)(5:02) – The Allman Brothers Band
3) Swimmin’ In Quicksand (3:21) – Black Oak Arkansas
4) The Ballad of Curtis Loew (4:55) – Lynyrd Skynyrd
5) Champagne Jam (4:36) – Atlanta Rhythm Section
6) Waitin’ For The Bus (2:59) – ZZ Top
7) In My Own Way (7:25) – The Marshall Tucker Band
8) Shotgun Willie (2:37) – Willie Nelson
9) Black Water (4:20) – The Doobie Brothers
10) Country Girl (3:14) – Ozark Mountain Daredevils
11) Train, Train (2:58) – Blackfoot
12) Refried Funky Chicken (3:18) – Dixie Dregs
13) Sweet Dixie (3:57) – Molly Hatchet
14) Remedy (5:23) – Black Crowes
I'm currently working on an overhaul of Music Hound in the hope that I can make it bigger and even better. With that said, I may have to take a short break with respect to crafting new mixtapes/episodes. However, this is a great opportunity to take a step back and check out some of the older mixtapes I have labored over in the last year. Simply peruse through the archives and enjoy the mixtapes you may have missed or forgotten about.
Another year is about to be put into the books. I suppose this is as good a time as any to thank any and all of you who have stopped in here at Music Hound throughout the year to check out the podcasts and random tracks of new, old, and/or different music. Please continue to drop in from time to time to see what I've come across lately and don't forget to COMMENT, COMMENT, COMMENT. Otherwise, I have no idea if people are enjoying the episodes and other assorted odds and ends or if I'm simply screaming into the wind.
Check out my interview for The Silver Tongue with Givers, an amazing quintet from Louisiana who blew me away both times I've seen them live at the Knitting Factory. If you don't know, now you know...
December is upon us and the Arctic chill has set in. So, I decided to feature a track that will certainly keep you warm because your body will have no alternative other than to bump and shake in rhythm to this Curtis Mayfield soul/funk groove from his 1971 album, Roots. Funk doesn't get much thicker. So stay warm and enjoy this one from the incomparable Curtis.
