Jacksonville and the Roots of Southern Rock

by Michael Ray FitzGerald

Overview

The enduring achievement and legacy of a rock movement

Florida Book Awards, Bronze Medal for Florida Nonfiction

The Allman Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd helped usher in a new kind of southern music from Jacksonville, Florida. Together, they and fellow bands like Blackfoot, 38 Special, and Molly Hatchet would reset the course of seventies rock. Yet Jacksonville seemed an unlikely hotbed for a new musical movement.

Michael FitzGerald blends eyewitness detail with in-depth history to tell the story of how the River City bred this generation of legendary musicians. As he profiles essential bands alongside forerunners like Gram Parsons and Cowboy, FitzGerald reveals how the powerful local AM radio station worked with newspapers and television stations to nurture talent. Media attention in turn created a public hungry for live performances by area bands. What became the southern rock elite welded relentless determination to a ferocious work ethic, honing their gifts on a testing ground that brooked no weakness and took no prisoners.

FitzGerald looks at the music as the diverse soundtrack to a neo-southern lifestyle that reconciled different segments of society in Jacksonville, and across the nation, in the late sixties and early seventies. A vivid journey into a crucible of American music, Jacksonville and the Roots of Southern Rock shines a light on the artists and songs that powered a phenomenon.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813080352
Publisher:	University Press of Florida
Publication date:	09/05/2023
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	1,014,067
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Michael Ray FitzGerald is a media historian, musician, and former journalist based in Jacksonville, Florida.

Table of Contents

Contents

Preface: Jacksonville Blues

Introduction: What Is Southern Rock?

1. Gram Parsons: A Walking Contradiction

2. The Bitter Ind/31st of February

3. The Allman Brothers Band

4. Cowboy

5. Lynyrd Skynyrd: Bad-Boy Chic

6. Blackfoot: Southern Metal

7. 38 Special: Holding on Loosely

8. Molly Hatchet: Southern Spinal Tap

9. Derek Trucks: Channeling Duane

10. Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography

Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Finally Jacksonville is recognized for its role as the source for some of the greatest recorded American rock and roll. FitzGerald’s book launches a hundred guitar-crunching earworms. Maybe Skynyrd should have called its song ‘Sweet Home Florida.’”—William McKeen, author of Everybody Had an Ocean: Music and Mayhem in 1960s Los Angeles

“At long last, we have a detailed account of not only the beginnings of Jacksonville’s pride, Lynyrd Skynyrd, but also the seeds that were planted to grow The Allman Brothers Band, Cowboy, Molly Hatchet, and all of the other greats of southern rock. Jacksonville and the Roots of Southern Rock tops my list of must-read books for anyone looking to discover the very roots of the music.”—Michael Buffalo Smith, author of The Road Goes on Forever: Fifty Years of The Allman Brothers Band Music (1969–2019)

“Deftly illuminates the backstories of several rock bands with deep roots in Jacksonville, including The Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, 38 Special, and Molly Hatchet, all with platinum record sales. Insights into the concept of southern rock include the influence of Elvis, Gram Parsons, and Ray Charles in this informative and enlightening music history.”—Marty Jourard, author of Music Everywhere: The Rock and Roll Roots of a Southern Town

Editorial Reviews

"Fun and informative. . . . Fans of southern rock will appreciate Fitzgerald's entertaining survey."--Publishers Weekly

"[An]
enjoyable book that's part memoir and part music history. . . . Offers entertaining glimpses into the development of a music scene and music style."--No
Depression

"Extensively researched and engagingly written, it's by far the most comprehensive account of this aspect of Jacksonville history ever published."--The Jaxson

"Anyone with an interest in music history,
southern culture, or the bands included in this book will certainly enjoy what Jacksonville and the Roots of Southern Rock
has to offer."--Journal of Southern History


"Media historian Fitzgerald (Swamp Music) positions the north Florida port city of Jacksonville as the crossroads for southern rock in this fun and informative study. He writes that southern rock 'has no discernible sound or musical character; it can primarily be recognized by its subject matter, which has to do with the provincial men--and occasionally women--of the so-called heartland.' Fitzgerald smoothly weaves the stories of bands forming and at times moving on from Jacksonville (the Allman Brothers moved to Macon, Ga., to record at Capricorn Records, also the label for the Marshall Tucker Band). Many of these stories are familiar--the Allman Brothers history is well-known, for example--but Fitzgerald does introduce lesser-known artists such as Scott Boyer and Tommy Talton of Cowboy and keyboardist Reese Wynans, who played with bluesman John Mayall and country singer Trisha Yearwood. Along the way he digs into the origin of 'bad boys' Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blackfoot (whose singer, Rickey Medlocke, 'is one of the most talented singers to emerge from the city'), 38 Special (formed by Donnie Van Zant, the younger brother of Lynyrd Skynyrd singer Ronnie Van Zant), and Molly Hatchet (whom he labels 'Southern Spinal Tap'). Fans of southern rock will appreciate Fitzgerald's entertaining survey."--Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

07/13/2020

Media historian Fitzgerald (Swamp Music) positions the north Florida port city of Jacksonville as the crossroads for Southern rock in this fun and informative study. He writes that Southern rock “has no discernible sound or musical character; it can primarily be recognized by its subject matter, which has to do with the provincial men—and occasionally women—of the so-called heartland.” Fitzgerald smoothly weaves the stories of bands forming and at times moving on from Jacksonville (the Allman Brothers moved to Macon, Ga., to record at Capricorn Records, also the label for the Marshall Tucker Band). Many of these stories are familiar—the Allman Brothers history is well-known, for example—but Fitzgerald does introduce lesser-known artists such as Scott Boyer and Tommy Talton of Cowboy and keyboardist Reese Wynans, who played with bluesman John Mayall and country singer Trisha Yearwood. Along the way he digs into the origin of “bad boys” Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blackfoot (whose singer, Rickey Medlocke, “is one of the most talented singers to emerge from the city”), 38 Special (formed by Donnie Van Zant, the younger brother of Lynyrd Skynyrd singer Ronnie Van Zant), and Molly Hatchet (whom he labels “Southern Spinal Tap”). Fans of Southern rock will appreciate Fitzgerald’s entertaining survey. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly