The South's Gonna Do It
Charlie Daniels name checks the bands of the South
The South’s Gonna Do It
Well, the train to Grinderswitch is runnin' right on time And them Tucker Boys are cookin' down in Caroline People down in Florida can't be still When ol' Lynyrd Skynyrd's pickin' down in Jacksonville People down in Georgia come from near and far To hear Richard Betts pickin' on that red guitar So gather 'round, gather 'round chillin' Get down, well just get down chillin' Get loud, well you can be loud and be proud Well you can be proud, hear now Be proud you're a rebel 'Cause the South's gonna do it again and again Elvin Bishop sittin' on a bale of hay He ain't good lookin', but he sure can play And there's ZZ Top and you can't forget That old brother Willie's gettin' soakin' wet And all the good people down in Tennessee Are diggin' Barefoot Jerry and the C.D.B So gather 'round...
Guitarist and fiddle player Charlie Daniels had been around for a good while as a rock and roller, songwriter and a session musician, notably playing on Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline and Leonard Cohen’s Songs Of Love And Hate. After a few solo albums in the early 70s he adopted the original Allman Brothers Band template of two guitars, two drummers, bass and keyboards for his new lineup. Their second album Fire On The Mountain (Kama Sutra 1974), opened side two with The South’s Gonna Do It, a song that name checked the Southern rock bands on the same touring circuit, some of whom who would go on to achieve major international success while others would fade from view.
Take a listen...
I first heard this song on Honky Tonk, Charlie Gillett’s unmissable Sunday morning BBC Radio London show. It’s a runaway train of rock and roll meets Western swing leading with Daniel’s fiddle and rousing vocal with fine solos from guitarist Barry Barnes and pianist Taz DiGregorio. The song’s spirit links to a new wave of optimism in the South that was a factor in Georgia’s Senator Jimmy Carter making a successful run for President with many of the bands giving their support.
So, who were the bands Charlie was talking about?
Grinderswitch featured guitarist/vocalist Dru Lombar and ex Allmans roadie Joe Dan Petty on bass and were the perennial support band. They are best known for their cover of Elmore James’ Pickin’ The Blues that became John Peel’s radio theme. As for best album? I like Macon Tracks (Capricorn 1975).
The Marshall Tucker Band were named after a local blind piano tuner and were led by the outstanding guitarist Toy Caldwell and featured a strong singer in Doug Gray. The eponymous first album (Capricorn 1973) is their finest, featuring the original version of their best song Can’t You See and the fast fingered Ramblin’.
Lynyrd Skynyrd should need no introduction, from Freebird to Sweet Home Alabama they became the biggest stars of the Southern rock genre until a 1977 plane crash killed guiding spirit and singer Ronnie Van Zandt, new guitarist Steve Gaines and his sister, backing singer Cassie Gaines. Best album? Second Helping (MCA 1974).
Richard ‘Dickey’ Betts was one of the original members of The Allman Brothers Band, by their own admission not a Southern rock band but a ‘rock band from the South’, who through relentless touring had broken through and inspired others to follow. After losing both Duane Allman, the finest guitar player of his era, and driving bassist Berry Oakley in separate motorcycle accidents one year apart, Betts took artistic control of the band, redefining their direction and his own guitar sound to become the flag bearer for Southern guitar players. Best album? At Fillmore East (Capricorn 1971) is one of the best live albums ever made.
Elvin Bishop was an original member of The Paul Butterfield Blues Band before moving to San Francisco, eventually hooking up with the Capricorn label and a having a worldwide hit with Fooled Around And Fell In Love featuring vocalist Micky Thomas. Best album is probably Let it Flow (Capricorn 1974) but the man is a great guitar player and can do no wrong. He’s still making fine blues records today.
Z.Z. Top - Texans Billy F. Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard went from the Southern rock circuit to international superstardom the second MTV started playing their videos featuring great songs, huge guitars, squashy synths, hot cars and pretty girls in the early 80s. Best album? Tres Hombres (London 1973).
Wet Willie played the funkier side of Southern rock led by Jimmy Hall on vocals, harmonica and saxophone. They had a US Top Ten hit with Keep On Smilin’ and should have had more success. The best album? The early live set Drippin’ Wet (Capricorn 1973).
Barefoot Jerry were some of Nashville’s finest session musicians led by guitarists Wayne Moss and Mac Gayden, previously members of Area Code 615 whose Stone Fox Chase was the theme for BBC’s The Old Grey Whistle Test. ‘Country meets prog’ was their approach and they made some wonderful albums, especially Watchin’ TV (1974) and You Can’t Get Off With Your Shoes On (1975) for Monument.
The Charlie Daniels Band - we’ve kind of done them already, although later on they had a major hit with The Devil Went Down To Georgia from the triple platinum album Million Mile Reflections (Epic 1979). Best album? I always liked Saddle Tramp (Epic 1976) with the wonderful song It’s My Life.
There were other name check songs, notably Molly Hatchet’s Gator Country five years later which mentioned many of the same artists. But by the end of the 70s and the demise of Capricorn Records, Southern rock as Daniels’ song had defined it had largely run its course and the music had moved on.
Added 15th February:
The weapon of choice for Southern rock guitar players was almost exclusively Gibson, primarily the Les Paul, then 335s, SGs and Firebirds. Fenders didn’t make much of an impression (except for bass guitars), but when they did they made a major impact, think Ed King and his Stratocaster intro and solo on Sweet Home Alabama or Billy F. Gibbons’ Stratocaster on Jesus Just Left Chicago.