Many of the architects of rock and roll in the 1950s, including Elvis
Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Little Richard, were Southerners who were
rooted in the distinctive regional traditions of country, blues, and
R&B. As the impact of the British Invasion and the psychedelic era faded
at the end of the following decade, such performers as Bob Dylan and the
Band returned to the simplicity of American roots music, paving the way
for Southern groups to reclaim their region's rock-and-roll heritage.
Embracing both Southern musical traditions and a long-haired
countercultural aesthetic, such artists as the Allman Brothers Band and
Lynyrd Skynyrd forged a new musical community that Charlie Daniels
called a genre of people more than a genre of music. Focusing primarily
on the music's golden age of the 1970s, Southbound profiles the
musicians, producers, record labels, and movers and shakers that defined
Southern rock, including the Allmans, Skynyrd, the Marshall Tucker Band,
Wet Willie, the Charlie Daniels Band, Elvin Bishop, the Outlaws, the
Atlanta Rhythm Section, .38 Special, ZZ Top, and many others. From the
rise and fall of the mighty Capricorn Records to the music's role in
helping Jimmy Carter win the White House and to its continuing legacy
and influence, this is the story of Southern rock.
