Many of the architects of rock and roll in the 1950s, including Elvis Presley, J
erry Lee Lewis, and Little Richard, were Southerners who were rooted in the dist
inctive regional traditions of country, blues, and R&B. As the impact of the Bri
tish 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 S
kynyrd forged a new musical community that Charlie Daniels called "a genre of pe
ople more than a genre of music." Focusing primarily on the music's golden age o
f the 1970s, Southbound profiles the musicians, producers, record labels, and mo
vers and shakers that defined Southern rock, including the Allmans, Skynyrd, the
Marshall Tucker Band, Wet Willie, the Charlie Daniels Band, Elvin Bishop, the O
utlaws, the Atlanta Rhythm Section, .38 Special, ZZ Top, and many others. From t
he 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, thi
s is the story of Southern rock.
