Like a lot rock ‘n’ roll from the earliest and most youth, Southern rock took a bit bit from right here and a bit bit from there.

Not to be confused with its lighter-touched nation rock cousin, Southern rock mixes blues, soul and nation and spins it by way of heavy rock’s affinity for loud guitars and improvisational spirit for a style actually distinct in tone and magnificence.

In the beneath checklist of the Top 35 Southern Rock Songs, as chosen by the UCR workers, the dual pillars of the music – the Allman Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd – are well-represented, checking in, in a single kind or one other, with greater than a 3rd of the entries. But Southern rock does not finish with them, even when the story begins there. Records from the ’70s by way of the ’00s all discover a place. As the late Ronnie Van Zant famously as soon as requested, “What song is it you wanna hear?”

35. The Allman Brothers Band, “Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More” (From Eat a Peach, 1972)

Two months after Duane Allman died in a 1971 bike accident, his brother Gregg and bandmates laid down this tribute to the late guitarist. Gregg Allman had already written the music for “Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More” earlier than his sibling died (the group had began recording its third album, Eat a Peach, too); he then penned new lyrics for an anthem about residing on daily basis to the fullest and transferring on amid tragedy.

34. The Allman Brothers Band, “Jessica” (From Brothers and Sisters, 1973)

Rebounding from the deaths of guitarist Duane Allman and bassist Berry Oakley, the Allman Brothers Band streamlined on their fourth album. The outcome paid off with their solely No. 1. Written by guitarist Dickey Betts for his toddler daughter, the instrumental  “Jessica” (shortened by practically half of its album size when launched because the follow-up single to “Ramblin’ Man”) turned a live performance showcase for Betts and the Allmans.

33. 38 Special, “Caught Up in You” (From Special Forces, 1982)

More than another Southern rock band, Jacksonville, Florida’s 38 Special benefited from MTV’s introduction in 1981. Their pop hooks went an extended technique to getting the band’s movies in heavy rotation on the nascent music video community. “Caught Up in You,” the lead single from their fifth LP, was their first Top 10 hit and like a lot of the group’s different chart songs it is sung by Don Barnes, who cowrote the track with members of Survivor.

32. Blackfoot, “Train, Train” (From Strikes, 1979)

Formed by Rickey Medlocke, an early after which later Lynyrd Skynyrd member, Blackfoot hardly ever reached the business highs of lots of their Southern rock friends. They hit their peak on 1979’s Strikes, which incorporates their solely Top 40 single, “Highway Song.” For the follow-up, they selected a track written and first recorded by Medlocke’s grandfather, Shorty. “Train, Train” powers alongside a rhythm as previous because the South.

31. Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Tuesday’s Gone” (From [Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd], 1973)

Southern rock attracts as a lot from the area’s classic soul music because it does from the boogie-laced guitars that may be traced to rock ‘n’ roll’s blues connection. Three key tracks from Lynyrd Skynyrd’s genre-defining debut are rooted in ’60s soul, beginning with “Tuesday’s Gone,” the slow-burning second track on (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd) that contains adorning strings provided by producer Al Kooper’s Mellotron.

READ MORE: 12 Rock + Country Artist Collaborations That Go Hard

30. Hank Williams Jr., “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight” (From Major Moves, 1984)

Hank Williams Jr. has at all times performed a more durable type of nation music than his friends and trailblazing father. But his 1984 hit “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight” grazes the sides of Southern rock with its blazing guitars and raucous topic. The track took on a lifetime of its personal later within the decade when it was tapped because the opening theme track to Monday Night Football, a place it held for the subsequent twenty years.

29. 38 Special, “Hold On Loosely” (From Wild-Eyed Southern Boys, 1981)

38 Special was extra pop-oriented than lots of their Southern rock brethren, unafraid to go for the large hook when wanted. Inspired by an equal mixture of the Cars and Lynyrd Skynyrd, the group’s first Top 40 single was one among three songs on their fourth LP, Wild-Eyed Southern Boys, not sung by Donnie Van Zant, the youthful brother of late Skynyrd singer Ronnie. Vocal duties right here fall to “Hold On Loosely”‘s cowriter Don Barnes.

28. Lynyrd Skynyrd, “That Smell” (From Street Survivors, 1977)

Lynyrd Skynyrd’s fifth album was coated in a darkish cloud. As band members’ drug and alcohol abuses elevated, singer Ronnie Van Zant stood again and assessed the scenario in a track that warned of the hazards of their extra. “That Smell” even references an incident the place guitarist Gary Rossington wrecked his automobile. Three days after Street Survivors‘ launch, a aircraft crash claimed the lives of Van Zant and others.

27. Lynyrd Skynyrd, “What’s Your Name” (From Street Survivors, 1977)

Using their fifth album to dip into the Southern soul music round them, Lynyrd Skynyrd infused Street Survivors songs with horns and backing vocals, recorded elements of it at Muscle Shoals and enlisted Tom Dowd to supply. The opening monitor and first single “What’s Your Name” is a life-on-the-road story punctuated with an R&B base that crosses the road from the band’s common Southern rock. A brand new period minimize quick (see above entry).

26. Georgia Satellites, “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” (From Georgia Satellites, 1986)

The Dan Baird-led Georgia Satellites got here out of the South within the mid-’90s with a sound equally knowledgeable by faculty radio because the Southern rock of the ’70s. Structured as a fundamental 12-bar blues, “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” (the band’s debut single) appeared like an anomaly in 1986: a throwback rock ‘n’ roll track with greasy Southern rock grit and even greasier intentions. That it made it to No. 2 is an achievement in itself.

25. ZZ Top, “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide” (From Deguello, 1979)

When ZZ Top arrived at their sixth LP, Deguello, in 1979, they have been coming back from a two-year break that marked a world of distinction for the Texas trio. No longer chained to the Southern boogie of their first 5 information, the band, notably Billy Gibbons, found new inspiration within the punk and new wave sounds they have been listening to, in addition to growing expertise. “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide” hyperlinks their previous and new kinds.

24. The Black Crowes, “Hard to Handle” (From Shake Your Money Maker, 1990)

Never shying away from their heritage, Atlanta’s Black Crowes gave Otis Redding’s posthumous 1968 track “Hard to Handle” a Southern rock makeover on their 1990 debut, Shake Your Money Maker. The band so effortlessly slid into their position that the monitor is barely distinguishable from their originals. After a few tries, the Crowes’ model peaked at No. 26, their highest rating ever on the most important singles chart.

23. Little Feat, “Fat Man in the Bathtub” (From Dixie Chicken, 1973)

With two new members (together with ace guitarist Paul Barrere) added in 1973, Little Feat arrived on the traditional lineup that was collectively till the demise of chief Lowell George in 1979. Their first album as a sextet additionally set them on a course for a thicker mixture of R&B and Southern rock, exemplified by lots of their stay performances from the period. George’s “Fat Man in the Bathtub,” a spotlight of Dixie Chicken, turned a stay staple.

22. Kings of Leon, “Notion” (From Only by the Night, 2009)

Kings of Leon’s fourth album, Only by the Night, is finest identified for holding the hits “Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody” that helped drive the Tennesseeans into the Top 10 for the primary time. The file’s closest tie to the group’s Southern heritage seems later: At a compact three minutes, “Notion” does not appear to share a lot with the band’s Southern rock forebearers, however the woozy guitar and chugging rhythm are pure South.

21. Elvin Bishop, “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” (From Struttin’ My Stuff, 1976)

As a founding member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Elvin Bishop had earned his standing amongst fashionable American blues guitarists a decade earlier. As a solo artist, he’d been mixing blues, soul and Southern rock on albums because the late ’60s. Future Jefferson Starship singer Mickey Thomas was a backing vocalist in Bishop’s band on the time and was given the mic on “Fooled Around and Fell in Love,” a No. 3 hit in 1976.

NEXT: Lynyrd Skynyrd Albums Ranked

20. ZZ Top, “Heard It on the X” (From Fandango!, 1975)

As ZZ Top entered into the planning phases for his or her fourth album, and first following the breakthrough of 1973’s Tres Hombres, they have been torn between the compulsory stay launch and their subsequent studio file. So they compromised and made a facet consisting of every. The studio half, Side Two, contains their first Top 40 hit, “Tush,” in addition to “Heard It on the X,” a fan favourite about influential border radio station X-Rock 80.

19. Outlaws, “Green Grass and High Tides” (From Outlaws, 1975)

At practically 10 minutes, the closing track on Outlaws’ debut album comes on like a shaggy sibling of each the Allmans and Skynyrd. Named after a Rolling Stones compilation and impressed by late rock ‘n’ roll artists, “Green Grass and High Tides” rapidly turned a showpiece in Outlaws’ barnstorming live shows, usually stretching previous the 20-minute marker. The twin guitar solos owe a debt to Southern rock friends, particularly Skynyrd.

18. The Allman Brothers Band “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” (From At Fillmore East, 1971)

“In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” – named after a gravestone noticed within the Allmans’ hometown of Macon, Georgia – first appeared on the band’s second LP in 1970, Idlewild South. A yr later the group included an expanded model on their breakthrough stay album, At Fillmore East, the place the instrumental takes on actually epic proportions as guitarists Duane Allman and Dickey Betts weave out and in of one another’s notes.

17. The Black Crowes, “She Talks to Angels” (From Shake Your Money Maker, 1990)

The Black Crowes got here on like a mixture of the Stones and Faces ran by way of a Southern rock filter on their debut album in 1990. Their first Top 40 single, nevertheless, brings the stew to a simmer with a semi-acoustic ballad about heroin abuse. “She Talks to Angels” suits in with custom, although, going again to the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s penchant for ballads and acoustic songs about deeper and darker topics.

16. Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Saturday Night Special” (From Nuthin’ Fancy, 1975)

Lynyrd Skynyrd’s third album is usually missed when judged in opposition to their different LPs. Still, Nuthin’ Fancy was their first to make the Top 10. “Saturday Night Special,” the file’s solely single, takes a staunch anti-gun stance that also managed to climb into the Top 30 in 1975. “Handguns are made for killin’ / They ain’t no good for nothin’ else,” Ronnie Van Zant matter-of-factly sings over powerful, chugging rock ‘n’ roll guitars.

15. Drive-By Truckers, “Outfit” (From Decoration Day, 2003)

When Drive-By Truckers added Jason Isbell to their lineup on their fourth LP, they received greater than a 3rd guitarist in their Skynyrd-like assault. They additionally received a singer-songwriter whose phrases belied his 24 years. “Don’t call what you’re wearing an outfit, don’t ever say your car is broke / Don’t sing with a fake British accent, don’t act like your family’s a joke,” he sings in “Outfit,” recommendation handed down from one era to the subsequent.

14. ZZ Top, “Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers” (From Tres Hombres, 1973)

After a considerably rocky begin on their first two albums, neither of which captured the dynamic vitality of the in-sync trio, ZZ Top zeroed in on their collective strengths for his or her third album, the breakthrough Tres Hombres. After the opening one-two punch of “Waitin’ for the Bus” and “Jesus Just Left Chicago,” Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard tear into “Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers” prefer it’s a brand new assertion of function.

13. Ram Jam, “Black Betty” (From Ram Jam, 1977)

Using Lead Belly’s Thirties recording of an previous people track as its foundation, “Black Betty” wasn’t even hooked up to a gaggle when it was recorded by ex-Lemon Piper Bill Bartlett in 1975. Two years later, producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffry Katz constructed a band for Bartlett as a car for the track. Ram Jam launched two albums; solely their debut charted. “Black Betty” was their solely hit single, making the Top 20 earlier than the group broke up.

12. Molly Hatchet, “Flirtin’ With Disaster” (From Flirtin’ With Disaster, 1979)

Jacksonville, Florida’s Molly Hatchet got here on heavier and more durable than most of their Southern rock contemporaries, peaking on their second album, Flirtin’ With Disaster from 1979. The title track sealed their legacy. Trimmed 60 seconds from its five-minute album size, the one stopped wanting the Top 40, robbing the band of its solely large hit. No matter, the track is a rock radio favourite that stored Molly Hatchet busy into the ’80s.

11. The Black Crowes, “Remedy” (From The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, 1992)

The Black Crowes collected numerous Faces and Rolling Stones comparisons with their debut album; they did not cease with the follow-up, although the band aligned extra intently with its Southern roots, particularly on “Remedy,” The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion‘s first single. With a hip-shaking rhythm and snaky swagger, the track is ’90s-style Southern rock – a boiling pot of influences that is greater than mere tribute.

10. Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Simple Man” (From [Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd], 1973)

More than another Southern rock band of the period, Lynyrd Skynyrd performed up the Southerness of their roots – from the barroom honky-tonk politics of “Gimme Three Steps” to the bottle-tipping “Poison Whiskey,” each from their debut album, a cornerstone of the style. “Simple Man,” nevertheless, might be essentially the most Southern monitor on the LP, an recommendation track handed on from mom to son about not forgetting these roots.

9. Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Gimme Three Steps” (From [Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd], 1973)

Lynyrd Skynyrd’s debut performs like a greatest-hits file, from live performance staples comparable to “Free Bird” to sleeper fan favourite “I Ain’t the One” discovered amongst its eight songs. Their debut single “Gimme Three Steps” received a lift with a rousing model discovered on the band’s 1976 stay album, One More From the Road, however there’s an all-too-real sense of shock to the studio take, complementary to the track’s out-of-his-depth narrator.

8. The Marshall Tucker Band, “Can’t You See” (From The Marshall Tucker Band, 1973)

The centerpiece of South Carolina’s Marshall Tucker Band’s self-titled debut, “Can’t You See” begins with an instrumental passage that includes the flute, not precisely the instrument of selection for Southern rock bands. The track was the group’s first single and stalled exterior the Top 100; 4 years later a stay model hit No. 75. It’s since turn out to be a favourite to cowl, with Waylon Jennings and Zac Brown Band amongst its followers.

7. Little Feat, “Dixie Chicken” (From Dixie Chicken, 1973)

Little Feat’s second album, Sailin’ Shoes from 1972, helped set the template for the band’s straightforward groove going ahead, nevertheless it’s their third file the place they lastly put all of it collectively, mixing funk, soul, nation and Southern rock with an assured grace that additionally translated effortlessly to the stage. Dixie Chicken‘s title monitor rapidly turned the band’s signature track, a distillation of their warm-to-hot attract in 4 sweat-escalating minutes.

6. ZZ Top, “La Grange” (From Tres Hombres, 1973)

Borrowing a rhythm base and vocal strains from John Lee Hooker’s traditional blues “Boogie Chillen,” ZZ Top turbo-charge “La Grange” into one thing else by the tip of the track. The spotlight of their breakthrough third album, Tres Hombres,” “La Grange” is part blues, part boogie and part Southern rock, gliding along a scuzzy guitar line rivaled by Billy Gibbons’ scratchy haw-haw-haw-haw vocal. A nod and a bridge from the past.

READ MORE: Allman Brothers Albums Ranked

5. The Allman Brothers Band, “Ramblin’ Man” (From Brothers and Sisters, 1973)

After Duane Allman died in 1971, the Allmans’ other guitarist, Dickey Betts, stepped up to learn his late bandmate’s slide parts and, in turn, progressed into one of the group’s most relied-upon players. Borrowing its title and country foundation from a Hank Williams song, “Ramblin’ Man” was demoed two years before its appearance on 1973’s Brothers and Sisters. It hit No. 2, the band’s only Top 10 hit in a decades-long career.

4. Gregg Allman, “Midnight Rider” (From Laid Back, 1973)

The Allman Brothers Band had already recorded, in what many may say is the definitive version, “Midnight Rider” on their second album, Idlewild South. When the song’s main writer Gregg Allman was putting together his first solo album in 1973, he rerecorded it as a moodier update that emphasized the dark nature inherent in the song’s groove. The new version went Top 20, surpassing the commercial peak of the earlier track.

3. Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Sweet Home Alabama” (From Second Helping, 1974)

Written as a reaction to Neil Young’s South-baiting “Southern Man,” “Sweet Home Alabama” quickly grew beyond its answer-song origins. Lynyrd Skynyrd’s debut was a modest hit, denting the Top 30, though it placed no songs in the Top 10. That changed with “Sweet Home Alabama,” which made the Top 10 (the band’s only single to do so) and provided the band with the steam to claim the Southern rock crown by mid-decade.

2. Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Free Bird” (From [Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd], 1973)

Lynyrd Skynyrd knew what they had with “Free Bird.” As the epic closing song on their debut album, it was designed as a showstopper and centerpiece of both their record and live shows. Not so surprisingly, “Free Bird” grew even more epic onstage, where it was expanded to 15-plus minutes, with dueling guitars acting as the cathartic moment when the wistful ballad becomes jam-band standard. A Southern rock milestone.

1. The Allman Brothers Band, “Whipping Post” (From At Fillmore East, 1971)

The Allman Brothers band made “Whipping Post” the closing anchor song of their self-titled debut album in 1969, but it didn’t become a Southern rock classic until it appeared on their 1971 breakthrough live LP At Fillmore East. In studio form, the song was one of Gregg Allman’s first compositions with the new family band formed with brother Duane. Riffing on old blues themes, and working along a fairly standard musical scale of the genre, “Whipping Post” took on another life on the stage. As the centerpiece of the band’s shows, the song was often pushed to the half-hour mark, allowing ample room for Duane’s mesmerizing guitar to weave itself in and out of the music. The 22-minute version found on At Fillmore East is truly an epic experience: a good song made masterpiece by Southern rock royalty operating at the peak of their powers.