10 Best Albums To Turn People On To Southern Rock

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Our 10 Best Albums to Turn People on to Southern Rock presents a list of albums that, for the most part, have always been classified as Southern rock and roll. Now, of course, there are some bands that have denied that they should ever be labeled as Southern rock—the Allman Brothers Band being one of them. Nonetheless, I think if we had to come up with some sort of label, putting the Allman Brothers Band under the Southern rock label would probably be the most appropriate, although all big-time Allman Brothers fans know they were a band that blended many different genres of music: jazz, country, rock, and more.

Of course, there are some bands that are just strictly Southern-sounding, like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Charlie Daniels Band, and even the Outlaws. The Marshall Tucker Band had a nice Southern sound, although there were some Northern elements to their music addition too. So, if you know somebody who doesn’t know too much about Southern rock or kind of doesn’t understand the whole genre itself, we figured we would put together a list of ten of the best albums that featured not only the best Southern rock bands of all time but some of their best work.

The one rule that we utilized on this list was that we would only allow “one album per band” so that we could get a wide assortment of musical acts on the list to showcase.

# 10 – The Whippoorwill – Blackberry Smoke

Who says all the best Southern rock albums had to come out in the ’70s and ’80s? Southern rock is alive and well, and you can thank bands like Blackberry Smoke for keeping it alive. While a major portion of this list was designed for younger people to help them discover the classic Southern rock bands, this entry may help some of the older fans discover new bands. If you haven’t heard Blackberry Smoke, these guys are worth checking out.

The band is led by the stunning Charlie Starr on lead vocals and guitar; this man really kicks it. It’s also got Richard Turner on bass, Paul Jackson on guitar, Brandon Still on piano, and Brit Turner on drums. Blackberry Smoke brings a fresh yet authentically gritty Southern rock sound that bridges the gap between the genre’s past and its future.

# 9 – Wild-Eyed Southern Boys – 38 Special

For a while in the early ’80s, Southern rock took a bit of a turn towards the pop side of things. This slight change was fueled by the band 38 Special, who experienced major success on MTV with a few of their single releases. 38 Special is an interesting band because at heart, they were a Southern rock group, led by Donnie Van Zant, who was the younger brother of Johnny and Ronnie Van Zant. He was stone-cold Southern rock. However, the band was also led by Don Barnes, who brought a more pop-rock feel to the group, and it was Barnes’ music, along with Jim Peterik of Survivor, who would write some of their biggest pop tunes.

This album is more Southern than pop, but it’s an interesting mix and probably a pretty essential listen for people who want to discover what was happening as Southern rock music headed into the big ’80s, and the sounds of electronics and dance would soon play a major role in pop culture.

# 8 – Raunch ‘N’ Roll Live – Black Oak, Arkansas

The Complete Raunch 'N' Roll Live (2-CD Set)

Everybody needs a little “Jim Dandy” in their lives, and I’m not talking about the Friendly’s ice cream sundae. Black Oak Arkansas’s live album, Raunch ‘N’ Roll Live, was so perfectly titled. These guys hit you in the face as hard as they could and just laughed at you. This live album was released in February 1973 and was produced by the great Tom Dowd. Raunch ‘N’ Roll Live was Southern rock and boogie at its finest.

The band was led by Jim “Dandy” Mangrum on lead vocals. Like many Southern rock bands, Black Oak Arkansas was driven by three guitarists—in this instance, Ricky Reynolds, Harvey Jett, and Stanley Knight. Pat Daugherty played bass, and Tommy Aldridge was on drums.

# 7 – Flirtin’ with Disaster – Molly Hatchet

Molly Hatchet was Southern rock for the ’80s, although their first two albums were released at the end of the seventies, including this one which was released in 1979. The band’s first three albums—Molly Hatchet, Flirting with Disaster, and Beatin’ the Odds—all went platinum in sales and all broke into the Billboard Top 200 album charts, with Flirting with Disaster peaking at number 19 as the highest charting album of their career. This is a roaring Southern rock record that took the genre to a whole new level, adding a bit of a heavier sound. People loved it.

Songs like “Whiskey Man,” “Gator Country,” “It’s All Over Now,” and “Flirting with Disaster” must be heard. This album was led by Danny Joe Brown on vocals, Dave Hlubek, Duane Roland and Steve Holland on guitars, Banner Thomas on bass, and Bruce Crump on drums—these guys kicked butt.

# 6 – Drippin’ Wet – Wet Willie

Landing in the number six spot on our 10 Best Albums to Turn People On to Southern Rock list, we present an album from the marvelous band Wet Willie. Dripping Wet is a live album released by the group in March of 1973. This rocking live album was recorded on New Year’s Eve in 1972. Wet Willie definitely has not gotten the love that they should have in classic rock history. This band took Southern rock, mixed it with a little bit of soul and blues—just like the Allman Brothers Band did—and created their own distinctive sound. The band was fueled by Jimmy Hall’s wonderful vocals and tremendous saxophone playing. Initially, the group utilized the talents of Ricky Hirsch and Wick Larsen on guitars, John David Anthony on keyboards, Jack Hall on bass, and Lewis Ross on drums. Wet Willie is a band that you should definitely check out.

# 5 – Fire on the Mountain – Charlie Daniels Band

I think if you asked many Charlie Daniels Band fans to name their favorite songs, there’d be a handful of them that you’d find on this album. The second Charlie Daniels Band album, released in 1974, featured a couple of the band’s biggest hits of their career. Songs like “The South’s Gonna Do It,” “Long Haired Country Boy,” and our favorite Charlie Daniels Band song of all time, “Trudy.” This is a spectacular Southern rock album led by Charlie Daniels on guitar, fiddle, and lead vocals. While almost the entire album consists of studio recordings, the last two songs on side two, “No Place to Go” and “Orange Blossom Special,” were live recordings. This is a great one.

# 4 – Where We All Belong – The Marshall Tucker Band

The Marshall Tucker Band’s album Where We All Belong is the first of two double albums on this list that consists of both a live album and a studio album. This format was quite popular in the 1970s as it allowed bands to release a bit more music at once than if it were just all studio material. This is one of the best. Led by Doug Gray, Toy Caldwell, Tommy Caldwell, George McCorkle, Jerry Eubanks, and Paul Riddle,

The band was on fire on this record. It also featured additional guests who were legends in their own right, like Charlie Daniels playing fiddle on “24 Hours at a Time” and “This Ol’ Cowboy,” and the legendary Elvin Bishop playing slide guitar on “Where a Country Boy Belongs.” This is a rocking album that should be in everybody’s collection. It was released in a great gatefold jacket with a spectacular black and white cover that just felt good in your hands. Where We All Belong was released in November of 1974, with live recording taking place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

# 3 – Bring It Back Alive – Outlaws

Bring It Back Alive is the first of three live albums in a row that close up this list. Southern rock is all about jamming, attitude, and performance, and that’s why these three live albums close out this list. The Outlaws were one of the most popular Southern rock bands. One of the reasons behind their popularity was this two-record set released in 1978. They had already had hits before this, but it was the live version of “Green Grass and High Tides” that put them over the top. The album also features great songs by the band such as “Hurry Sundown,” “There Goes Another Love Song,” and “Stick Around for Rock and Roll.” Led by Hughie Thomasson on guitars and vocals, this man was a force to be reckoned with in the 1970s.

# 2 – Eat A Peach – The Allman Brothers Band

The Allman Brothers Band’s Eat a Peach was released on February 12, 1972, just six months after Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident in October of 1971. For those who don’t know, Eat a Peach is an album filled with brand new studio recordings and live recordings captured at the Fillmore East. While the At Fillmore East double album is often seen as a much superior record and one of the greatest live albums of all time, for this list, we thought Eat a Peach would be more appropriate because of the new recordings that had an even more Southern flair to them.

Tracks like “Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More,” “Blue Sky,” and “Melissa,” in addition to the outstanding 20-minute version of “Mountain Jam,” showcase this Southern essence. Duane Allman’s presence is felt all over this record on all the live tracks. Of course, he’s not on the new recordings, but his spirit is alive in this record. From the title to the cover design, the feel of the album jacket, the brilliant playing, and the wonderful songs—all just scream Southern rock.

# 1 – One More From The Road – Lynyrd Skynyrd

Lynyrd Skynyrd - One More From The Road - MCA Records - 82.004-2

It doesn’t get more Southern rock than Lynyrd Skynyrd’s phenomenal live album One More from the Road. Recorded at the Fox Theater in the Southern city of Atlanta, Georgia, One More from the Road defines Southern rock music at its finest. But it wasn’t just the songs—it was the performances; this was a band known for their rowdiness both on and off the stage. Even when we interviewed Ted Nugent and asked him about what it was like performing with Lynyrd Skynyrd back in the ’70s, he pretty much said, well, off the stage, I kind of stayed by myself because those guys were crazy. Those aren’t his exact words, but that’s pretty much how he summed it up.

We loved the original lineup of Skynyrd, and this album brought us much joy in the 1970s, and still does. I remember seeing them in the ’70s on that Ted Nugent tour, and when they played “Free Bird,” it was just one of those religious moments that you never forget as a kid. The album is filled with all their best songs before Street Survivors—hits like “Workin’ for MCA,” “Tuesday’s Gone,” “Saturday Night Special,” “Gimme Three Steps,” the massive hit single “Sweet Home Alabama,” and, of course, a song that would become legendary from this album itself, “Free Bird.” If you want to turn people on to what Southern rock was all about in the 1970s and you only had one chance, this is the album to put on that turntable of yours.