The Allman Brothers Band were an American blues-rock band that formed in Jacksonville, Fla., in 1969 around guitarist Duane Allman, singer-keyboardist Gregg Allman, guitarist Dickey Betts, bassist Berry Oakley, and drummers Butch Trucks and Jaimoe. Their recorded run began on Atco with The Allman Brothers Band and Idlewild South, then shifted to Capricorn for the […]
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American hard-rock boogie band from Jacksonville that released five albums and a live double-LP between 1972 and 1977 on MCA. Their 1973 debut, Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd, introduced their signature anthem “Free Bird” and established their national presence. Second Helping (1974) followed with the hit “Sweet Home Alabama” and cemented their popularity. […]
Little Feat are an American rustic funk-rock band from Los Angeles that released seven studio albums and a live double-LP on Warner Bros. between 1971 and 1979. Guitarist–bandleader Lowell George hailed from the Mothers of Invention. After his death in 1979, a revised lineup of Little Feat issued sporadic albums and toured constantly during the […]
Dixie Dregs were an American instrumental band that fused jazz-rock and bluegrass across six studio albums between 1977 and 1982. Their Capricorn-era titles—Free Fall (1977), What If (1978), and Night of the Living Dregs (1979)—featured guitarist Steve Morse and violinist Allen Sloan as primary soloists. After moving to Arista, they issued Dregs of the Earth […]
ZZ Top is an American hard-rock/blues trio from Houston that formed in 1969 and built its first run on five London albums issued between 1971 and 1976. The classic lineup paired guitarist-singer Billy Gibbons, bassist-singer Dusty Hill, and drummer Frank Beard across ZZ Top’s First Album, Rio Grande Mud, Tres Hombres, Fandango!, and Tejas. That early […]
The Marshall Tucker Band was an American rustic-rock band that released seven albums between 1973 and 1978 on Capricorn Records, followed by six further albums through 1983 on Warner Bros. Their gold/platinum Capricorn run produced crossover hits with “Fire on the Mountain” and “Heard It in a Love Song.” Members: Doug Gray (vocals, tambourine), Jerry […]
The Atlanta Rhythm Section was an American southern-rock boogie band that released two 1972–73 albums on Decca/MCA, followed by seven albums and a live disc between 1974 and 1980 on Polydor. Their popularity peaked with the 1977–78 albums A Rock and Roll Alternative and Champagne Jam and the hits “So Into You” and “Imaginary Lover.” […]
The Amazing Rhythm Aces were an American rustic-rock band from Memphis that released five albums between 1975 and 1979 on ABC and a sixth on Warner. They scored a country-pop crossover hit with “Third Rate Romance” from their debut album Stacked Deck, their first of four Top 30 albums on the Billboard Top Country Albums […]
Blackfoot was an American hard-rock/boogie band from Jacksonville that released the 1975 Island album No Reservations, followed by the 1976 Epic release Flyin’ High. Between 1979 and 1984, they released five Atco albums and scored FM hits with “Highway Song” and “Fly Away.” Members: Rickey Medlocke (vocals, guitar, Dobro, guitar synthesizer, percussion, drums, 1969-97), Charlie […]
Hydra was an American hard-rock/boogie band from Atlanta that released two albums on Capricorn in 1974/75 and a third on Polydor in 1977. Members: Wayne Bruce (lead vocals, guitar, bass), Spencer Kirkpatrick (guitar, vocals), Steve Pace (drums), Trip Burgess (bass, backing vocals, 1970-?), Orville Davis (bass, backing vocals, 1971-75) Background Hydra formed in Atlanta in […]
Grinderswitch was an American blues-rock/boogie band from Warner Robins, Ga., that released three albums on Capricorn between 1974 and 1976, followed by an album apiece on Atco, Auric, and Robox during the subsequent four-year period. Members: Dru Lombar (lead vocals, guitar), Larry Howard (guitar, 1972-80), Joe Dan Petty (bass, 1972-82), Rick Burnett (drums, 1972-82), Paul […]
Nitzinger was an American hard-rock band from Fort Worth, Texas, that released the 1972–73 Capitol albums Nitzinger and One Foot in History, followed by the 1976 20th Century release Live Better Electrically. Members: John Nitzinger (guitar, lead vocals), Linda Waring (drums, vocals), Curly Benton (bass, vocals), Bugs Henderson (guitar, vocals) Background The Nitzinger band formed […]
Point Blank are an American Southern rock band from Texas that released the 1976/77 Arista albums Point Blank and Second Season, followed by the 1979–82 MCA titles Airplay, The Hard Way, American Exce$$, and On a Roll. The last two spawned Billboard Rock hits with “Let Me Stay with You Tonight,” “Nicole,” “Let Her Go,” […]
The Outlaws were an American hard-rock band from Tampa that formed during the late 1960s and reached their first peak with the Arista albums Outlaws, Lady in Waiting, Hurry Sundown, Playin’ to Win, In the Eye of the Storm, Ghost Riders, and Los Hombres Malo. That first run also produced the 1978 live double-LP Bring It […]
Snakegrinder was an American jam-rock/boogie band from Newark, Delaware, that issued the private-press album …And the Shredded Fieldmice on Alligator Shoes in spring 1977 as a 500-copy local pressing. Members: Larry Adams (lead guitar, vocals), Dave Bennett (keyboards), Tommy Eppes (rhythm guitar, pedal steel, percussion), Steve Roberts (bass, acoustic guitar, vocals), John DiGiovanni (drums, percussion), George […]
Kill Devil were an American rustic-rock band from Merrifield, Virginia, that issued the 1977 private-press album Kill Devil. Members: Stuart McArthur (vocals, keyboards, guitar, harmonica), Denis Desloge (guitar), Rod Cannon (drums), Jim Stafford (bass), Rob Whyte (vocals, guitar), Ray Richardson (vocals, guitar) Background Kill Devil formed in Merrifield with singer–multi-instrumentalist Stuart McArthur, guitarists Denis Desloge, […]
Totty was an American hard-rock/boogie band from Tulsa that released two albums on self-press Our First Record Company between 1977 and 1981. The band centered on the musical partnership of brothers Dennis and Bryon Totty. Members: Dennis Totty (guitar, vocals, piano, synthesizer), Byron Totty (bass, vocals, synthesizer), George Cooper (drums), David Blue (drums), Roger Roden […]
Sea Level was an American jazz-rock band from Macon, Georgia, formed in 1976 by musicians from the recently disbanded Allman Brothers Band. The group recorded five studio albums between 1977 and 1980, including Sea Level, Cats on the Coast, and On the Edge, with the later Ball Room closing the original run. Sea Level scored […]
Afton was an American rustic-rock band that released the 1977 album First Day of Summer on local-press Lark Records, followed by the 1979 single “Cowboy Song” on self-press Lancer. Members: Dane “Do Do” Williams (electric guitar, vocals), Jim Dooley (keyboards, saxophone, acoustic guitar, vocals), Donnie Hughes (bass, vocals), Robert Campbell (drums, percussion, vocals), Skipper (percussion, […]
Nantucket was an American hard-rock band from Jacksonville, NC, that released three albums on Epic between 1978 and 1980, followed by an album apiece on RCA and Executive during the subsequent five-year period. The band’s rhythm section departed after the Epic trilogy for the rock trio PKM. Members: Eddie Blair (saxophone, keyboards, vocals), Mark Downing […]
