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Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Southern Rock playlist

I grew up in Alabama.  Never listened to country, never listened to much rock. Mostly it was top 40, American Bandstand type stuff. In high school, it was more Elton John, Eagles, Who, and other groups of the early 70s.  Somewhere along the line in the mid 70s, I started acquiring these 'tastes' for things like country, folk and 'Southern Rock'.  Yep, it's its own genre with a fairly identifiable sound (to me, at least) usually featuring a virtuoso lead electric guitar and often a fiddle or pedal steel harmony.  Here's at least a pretty good representation, in no particular order.


  1. Can't you see - Marshall Tucker Band.  Great vocals, Long haired country boys, and a flute.  It's hard to pick just one MTB song.  'What that woman, Lord, she been doin' to me"
  2.  Blue Sky - Dickie Betts and Great South. Great guitar riffs.  I originally heard him do this in concert - awesome jam band.  Blue Sky is probably better known as an Allman Bros tune, but they often played the same shows. "Walk along the river. Sweet lullaby"
  3. Trudy - Charlie Daniels Band.  Daniels is known now as being sort of a country boy, but in his prime, he had one heck of a Southern rock sound. "Took half the cops in Dallas County, just to put one Coon Ass boy in jail." Still saws a mean fiddle.
  4. Whipping Post - Allman Brothers Band.  Like most of the Southern Rock bands, the Allman Brothers had a strong blues influence.  Unlike most bands, they had Duane Allman on lead. Screw the lyrics, listen to Duane.
  5. Hurry Sundown - The Outlaws.  "They were waiting on the ghost of an outlaw, Sundown was his name..."  Storytelling, shades of Texas, 1876.
  6. Doraville - Atlanta Rhythm Section.  A suburb of Atlanta - I don't think it's the same today, but in the 70s, it was the home of recording studios, bands, and parties.
  7. Keep on Smilin' - Wet Willie.  More laid back than the hard driving guitar leads of many bands. "Well they say you've got the blues..."
  8. Third Rate Romance - Amazing Rhythm Aces.  A little more country blues.  Really solid harmonies.  "Third rate romance, low rent rendezvous"
  9. Heard it in a love song - Marshall Tucker Band. Vocally and musically about as far from "Can't you see" and "Fire on the Mountain" as you can get.  Still big with the flute, but much more fluid, softer style.  "I never had a damn thing, but what I had, had to leave it behind. You're the hardest thing I ever tried to get off my mind"
  10. Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd.  Possibly the song most likely to be requested by barroom drunks regardless of venue.  And one of the most recognizable anthems for *any* rock genre.  "I'm as free as a bird, man. And this bird you cannot change, whoa oh oh,"
Enjoy. Comments always welcome.

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