American Culture: lesser-well known rockers, mostly Southern

Some time back I promised Admin an article, when I was on fire about something; but the rant-mood passed before I could get anything worth reading down on electrons. Besides, I’m not sure I want my first article on TBP to be a rant; I don’t spend every day screaming, crying and carrying on about whatever has pissed me off the latest.

So instead, here’s an article on some of my favorite music. Some of you will try to figure out something about me from these, but really it’s just the ones I could readily find on YouTube. There are some really strange and obscure discs in my collection, but until I can figure out how to get tracks copied off (in decent quality) from vinyl to CD they’ll have to wait. These were chosen mainly for audio quality, although some have interesting images as well; if all you see is a single still image, that’s because it was the best sounding version I could find. Also, this post has exceeded the limits, so some are being left as links to fit the entire post into the editor.

I invite those who remember good music from whatever era to post their favorites in the comments, smile / bitch about mine, or remember an artist who didn’t get the “respeck” you think they deserved.

If America ever adopts Japan’s “National Treasure” system, surely Joe Bonamassa will be on it:

And just because I really like his work, which often speaks directly to my heart (like that cut above), here’s another:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiVDvF2Rqgo

Another choice would have been “Tennessee Plates”, just to show not all his work is dark and sad.
But then, sometimes you get a song that captures the hard times; Greg Allman did it for me back in the 1970s, I first heard this one on WSM-FM out of Nashville, when I was young and thought I was the only teenager with troubles. This is a more recent version, after all Duane died in a motorcycle crash back in the (1990s?), but it fits in well with my memories:

Being young and ignorant, your rebellion is reflected in your music:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZkl_lEDxTc

And sometimes you wonder what the future has in store for you:

Lest you think I’m all doom-and-gloom, here are a few from Atlanta Rhythm Section, like their memory of quite a gal:

Or probably a better-known waking dream (studio version was better IMO, but couldn’t resist the visuals):

Sometimes, the “B” side of the single is better: this is Gary Wright, and I learned how to play bass guitar (mostly) duplicating the keyboard licks on this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5VUGhq9ycM

Later on at college, I met my future wife. The night I proposed to her, this was playing on the jukebox in the student grill / restaurant:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM4MBKjg0qk

One of the groups that came to campus for a concert was Firefall:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-b79Kj5sZ0

And this was probably their biggest hit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt6lYiKcik8&list=RDi-b79Kj5sZ0&index=5http://

My wife was listening to Yes during her college days (no, not Southern rock, but fun):

I’ve liked their old and more recent music:

There are times when you have to travel, but you don’t have to like it; Bob Seger caught the feeling perfectly in this one:

Later days on the road for work, I used to recall this one, with one of the hardest-working (and best sounding, sorry, Jethro) flautists in rock and roll:

There’s another interesting version of that one from February 18 of this year, but I liked the original better. I also remember their goodbye song, one of the loneliest I know:

Life wasn’t all pain and torment, there were other things going on:

Well, that’s a start (I have lots of old vinyl to cross over to CD) and more than two hours of music (videos) from the soundtrack of my life. Perhaps you will be kind enough to grace us with some of yours!
Cheers!
JtW