Southern-fried Tuneage: Can't forget the Allmans

You can't spend a week examining Southern-style music without capping it off by taking in the music of The Allman Brothers Band.

Without the music of the Allmans, chances are we wouldn't be celebrating Southern music the way we know and love it today.

Gone too soon was guitarist Duane Allman, one of the greats.  Carrying on the foundation laid down along with his brother is organist and vocalist Gregg Allman.  Surrounding them have been some of the most rock-solid players you could find anywhere:  Dickey Betts, Butch Trucks, Berry Oakley, Jai Johanny "Jaimoe" Johanson, Chuck Leavell, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks ... among the best.

The Allmans are rock, jazz, jamming, blues, country.  They've had one of the best live albums ever made, "At Fillmore East."

When they can pull themselves together, they can still draw in legions of hard-core fans to live shows.  They've had some serious staying power, through some major ups and downs.

With the Allmans, the road goes on forever.

 

Southern-fried Tuneage: The Mars Volta? Dixie Martians?

I have to admit, it's a bit tougher to find musicians from down South who play progressive rock.  And, mind you, I said it was tougher, not impossible.

Do a Google search on "southern progressive rock" and you might come up with a few relatively unknown bands.

But then there was The Mars Volta from El Paso, Texas.  The sad word here being "was."  But that's the sad thing about music.  Bands come and bands go, even the good ones.

The Mars Volta wasn't just good.  It was tail-kickin'.  Coming from Texas, the land of cowboy boots, that's not surprising.

Just don't expect much in the way of "good ol' boy" flavoring from these guys.

Southern-fried Tuneage: Jazz fusion, Dixie style

Southern boys can do jazz fusion.  Man, can they ever do jazz fusion.

A breathtaking fusion outfit originated out of Augusta, Georgia, back in the early 1970s, starting with a guitar player named Steve Morse and a guy on bass named Andy West.  At first, they were in a band called Dixie Grit.  From there, they became a duo known as The Dixie Dregs.

The band continued to evolve.  Allen Sloan jumped in on violin.  At the band's peak, it also featured T Lavitz on keys and Rod Morgenstein on drums.  Later, after Sloan left to pursue a career as a doctor, Nashville session cat Mark O'Connor took over on violin, followed at times by Mahavishnu Orchestra veteran Jerry Goodman.

They were a blend of jazz, Southern rock, classical, and some mighty fine hoedown sounds.  These guys could do it all.  Morse became known as one of the best guitar players alive today, settling in to the all-important guitarist's spot with rock legends Deep Purple and reigniting a flame in them.

The fire started down in Dixie.

Southern-fried Tuneage: Lynyrd Skynyrd

I do dig that Southern style when it comes to music.  It goes well beyond country, into rock and blues and progressive rock and even jazz fusion.

Like a fine pair of boots, it's got some real kick to it.  It can get my toes to tappin'.

It wasn't that long ago that I happened to tune the radio to a station just in time to hear some Lynyrd Skynyrd in a three-song block.  There's a band that has the South dripping from its veins.  They've gone through fame, hard living, tragedy, and a comeback.  They've had two Van Zants -- Ronnie and his little brother Johnny -- as lead singers.  They've had the layered, dueling guitar sound that's a staple of Southern rock.

They've had some hits.  Oh, yeah, they've definitely had some hits.  It's classic rock, timeless music that will live on for years, even after one of the more tragic incidents in rock music history.

Timeless.