Number 209

 The 9 Best Southern Rock Bands: A List by Nora

Defining "Southern" rock was my first challenge. Of course I already had a general sense of both the 'sound' and the bands I would be encountering, but I felt the need to quantify what that meant. I decided (for reasons both lazy and aesthetic), to keep my definition simple: Rock 'n' roll music that incorporated both country and blues influences. There also needed to be a strong American pedigree to the band's music: a feeling that "Only bands from the U.S. sound like this." It didn't hurt if the band had a little swing in their music, too, as the ability 'jam' on longer songs is also a hallmark of this genre (for instance, songs marked with 'fb' indicate a particular band's attempt at a "Free Bird" type anthem). The next step was to choose and rank-order the bands. Some of the comments that follow may seem dismissive, but I enjoy the music of all these bands - take everything I say with a grain of salt. So here we go. 

9.     The Outlaws Probably the most generic band on this list. They recorded a kick ass version of "Ghost Riders in the Sky." "Green Grass & High Tides(fb)"is their best song.

8. Blackfoot: Their guitarist and main songwriter is Rickey Medlocke. He was in a very early version of Skynyrd before forming this band. Of all these bands, they are the least 'southern' with a sound more akin to 'hard' rock. "Fly Away," "Train, Train" (with a jamming harmonica prelude), and "Highway Song (fb)" are songs worth checking out.

7. Molly Hatchet: No offense intended but the best way to describe this band is Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jr. The biggest difference is the lack of keyboards which rendered their sound a little more one dimensional. Still, songs like "Gator Country," "Flirtin' with Disaster," "The Rambler (fb)," and "Dreams I'll Never See," are worth checking out.

6. Charlie Daniels Band: "Uneasy Rider," "Long Haired Country Band," "Legend of Wooley Swamp," and, of course, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." Of all these bands, they probably had the most swing, with several songs bordering on jazz.

5. Gov't Mule: Southern rock's Phish. Check out "Soulshine" and a whole bunch of cover versions of songs you love.

4.    The Marshall Tucker Band They lose points because their music lacks a necessary aggression that the two higher ranked bands have. "Heard It In a Love Song," "Can't You See," and "Take the Highway (fb)" are all good examples of their sound.

3. .38 Special: "Hold on Loosely," "Caught Up in You," "Rockin' Into the Night," "Chain Lightnin'," and "If I'd Been the One," are all good songs to check out.

And now we arrive at the essential debate. Skynyrd or the Allmans? There's really no wrong answer (and for the record, I'm talking about pre-crash Skynyrd). For me, this is what it came down to. While Lynyrd Skynyrd has probably influenced more southern rock bands than the Allman Brothers., I believe that the Allman Brothers have probably been a bigger influence on rock 'n' roll as a whole. I'm not going to bother listing songs for either band because, what's the point. You probably know them all anyway, and if you don't, what are you waiting for?

2. Lynyrd Skynyrd

1. The Allman Brothers Band

Originally, I had twelve bands listed, but I ended up pulling three of them - The Black Crowes, ZZ Top and Creedence Clearwater Revival - off the list. All three have a strong 'southern' sound and/or identity, but I finally decided there was something about each band that precluded identifying them as southern rock bands. That said, if they were included, they all would have ranked pretty high. And finally, if you disagree with me, that's fine, make your own list. You'd be wrong, but that's your perogative.