Top 35 Southern Rock Songs

Like so much rock ‘n’ roll from the earliest and most formative years, Southern rock took a little bit from here and a little bit from there.

Not to be confused with its lighter-touched country rock cousin, Southern rock mixes blues, soul and country and spins it through heavy rock’s affinity for loud guitars and improvisational spirit for a genre truly distinct in tone and style.

In the below list of the Top 35 Southern Rock Songs, as chosen by the UCR staff, the twin pillars of the music – the Allman Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd – are well-represented, checking in, in one form or another, with more than a third of the entries. But Southern rock doesn’t end with them, even if the story begins there. Records from the ’70s through the ’00s all find a place. As the late Ronnie Van Zant famously once asked, “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 motorcycle 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” before his sibling died (the group had started recording its third album, Eat a Peach, too); he then penned new lyrics for an anthem about living every day to the fullest and moving 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 result paid off with their only No. 1. Written by guitarist Dickey Betts for his infant daughter, the instrumental  “Jessica” (shortened by nearly half of its album length when released as the follow-up single to “Ramblin’ Man”) became a concert showcase for Betts and the Allmans.

 

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

More than any other Southern rock band, Jacksonville, Florida’s 38 Special benefited from MTV’s introduction in 1981. Their pop hooks went a long way to getting the band’s videos in heavy rotation on the nascent music video network. “Caught Up in You,” the lead single from their fifth LP, was their first Top 10 hit and like most of the group’s other chart songs it’s sung by Don Barnes, who cowrote the song with members of Survivor.

 

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

Formed by Rickey Medlocke, an early and then later Lynyrd Skynyrd member, Blackfoot rarely reached the commercial highs of many of their Southern rock peers. They hit their peak on 1979’s Strikes, which includes their only Top 40 single, “Highway Song.” For the follow-up, they chose a song written and first recorded by Medlocke’s grandfather, Shorty. “Train, Train” powers along a rhythm as old as the South.

 

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

Southern rock draws as much from the region’s vintage soul music as it does from the boogie-laced guitars that can be traced to rock ‘n’ roll’s blues connection. Three key tracks from Lynyrd Skynyrd’s genre-defining debut are rooted in ’60s soul, starting with “Tuesday’s Gone,” the slow-burning second song on (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd) that includes adorning strings supplied by producer Al Kooper‘s Mellotron.

 

READ MORE: Top 35 Country Rock Songs

 

 

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

Hank Williams Jr. has always played a tougher form of country music than his peers and trailblazing father. But his 1984 hit “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight” grazes the edges of Southern rock with its blazing guitars and raucous subject. The song took on a life of its own later in the decade when it was tapped as the opening theme song to Monday Night Football, a position it held for the next two decades.

 

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

38 Special was more pop-oriented than many of their Southern rock brethren, unafraid to go for the big hook when needed. Inspired by an equal mix of the Cars and Lynyrd Skynyrd, the group’s first Top 40 single was one of three songs on their fourth LP, Wild-Eyed Southern Boys, not sung by Donnie Van Zant, the younger brother of late Skynyrd singer Ronnie. Vocal duties 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 covered in a dark cloud. As band members’ drug and alcohol abuses increased, singer Ronnie Van Zant stood back and assessed the situation in a song that warned of the dangers of their excess. “That Smell” even references an incident where guitarist Gary Rossington wrecked his car. Three days after Street Survivors‘ release, a plane 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 around them, Lynyrd Skynyrd infused Street Survivors songs with horns and backing vocals, recorded parts of it at Muscle Shoals and enlisted Tom Dowd to produce. The opening track and first single “What’s Your Name” is a life-on-the-road tale punctuated with an R&B base that crosses the line from the band’s usual Southern rock. A new era cut short (see above entry).

 

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

The Dan Baird-led Georgia Satellites came out of the South in the mid-’90s with a sound equally informed by college radio as the Southern rock of the ’70s. Structured as a basic 12-bar blues, “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” (the band’s debut single) seemed like an anomaly in 1986: a throwback rock ‘n’ roll song 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 were returning from a two-year break that marked a world of difference for the Texas trio. No longer chained to the Southern boogie of their first five records, the band, particularly Billy Gibbons, discovered new inspiration in the punk and new wave sounds they were hearing, as well as developing technology. “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide” links their old and new styles.

 

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 song “Hard to Handle” a Southern rock makeover on their 1990 debut, Shake Your Money Maker. The band so effortlessly slid into their role that the track is barely distinguishable from their originals. After a couple of tries, the Crowes’ version peaked at No. 26, their highest ranking ever on the main singles chart.

 

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

With two new members (including ace guitarist Paul Barrere) added in 1973, Little Feat arrived at the classic lineup that was together until the death of leader Lowell George in 1979. Their first album as a sextet also set them on a course for a thicker mix of R&B and Southern rock, exemplified by many of their live performances from the era. George’s “Fat Man in the Bathtub,” a highlight of Dixie Chicken, became a live staple.

 

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

Kings of Leon‘s fourth album, Only by the Night, is best known for containing the hits “Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody” that helped drive the Tennesseeans into the Top 10 for the first time. The record’s closest tie to the group’s Southern heritage appears later: At a compact three minutes, “Notion” doesn’t seem to share much with the band’s Southern rock forebearers, but 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 status among modern American blues guitarists a decade earlier. As a solo artist, he’d been blending blues, soul and Southern rock on albums since the late ’60s. Future Jefferson Starship singer Mickey Thomas was a backing vocalist in Bishop’s band at 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 stages for their fourth album, and first following the breakthrough of 1973’s Tres Hombres, they were torn between the obligatory live release and their next studio record. So they compromised and made a side consisting of each. The studio half, Side Two, includes their first Top 40 hit, “Tush,” as well as “Heard It on the X,” a fan favorite about influential border radio station X-Rock 80.

 

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

At nearly 10 minutes, the closing song on Outlaws‘ debut album comes on like a shaggy sibling of both the Allmans and Skynyrd. Named after a Rolling Stones compilation and inspired by late rock ‘n’ roll artists, “Green Grass and High Tides” quickly became a showpiece in Outlaws’ barnstorming concerts, often stretching past the 20-minute marker. The twin guitar solos owe a debt to Southern rock peers, especially Skynyrd.

 

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

“In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” – named after a headstone spotted in the Allmans’ hometown of Macon, Georgia – first appeared on the band’s second LP in 1970, Idlewild South. A year later the group included an expanded version on their breakthrough live album, At Fillmore East, where the instrumental takes on truly epic proportions as guitarists Duane Allman and Dickey Betts weave in and out of each other’s notes.

 

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

The Black Crowes came on like a mix of the Stones and Faces ran through a Southern rock filter on their debut album in 1990. Their first Top 40 single, however, brings the stew to a simmer with a semi-acoustic ballad about heroin abuse. “She Talks to Angels” fits in with tradition, though, going back to the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s penchant for ballads and acoustic songs about deeper and darker subjects.

 

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

Lynyrd Skynyrd’s third album is often overlooked when judged against their other LPs. Still, Nuthin’ Fancy was their first to make the Top 10. “Saturday Night Special,” the record’s only single, takes a staunch anti-gun stance that still 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 tough, 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 got more than a third guitarist in their Skynyrd-like attack. They also got a singer-songwriter whose words 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,” advice passed down from one generation to the next.

 

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

After a somewhat rocky start on their first two albums, neither of which captured the dynamic energy of the in-sync trio, ZZ Top zeroed in on their collective strengths for their 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” like it’s a new statement of purpose.

 

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

Using Lead Belly’s 1930s recording of an old folk song as its basis, “Black Betty” wasn’t even attached to a group when it was recorded by ex-Lemon Piper Bill Bartlett in 1975. Two years later, producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffry Katz built a band for Bartlett as a vehicle for the song. Ram Jam released two albums; only their debut charted. “Black Betty” was their only hit single, making the Top 20 before the group broke up.

 

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

Jacksonville, Florida’s Molly Hatchet came on heavier and harder than most of their Southern rock contemporaries, peaking on their second album, Flirtin’ With Disaster from 1979. The title song sealed their legacy. Trimmed 60 seconds from its five-minute album length, the single stopped short of the Top 40, robbing the band of its only big hit. No matter, the song is a rock radio favorite that kept Molly Hatchet busy into the ’80s.

 

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

The Black Crowes collected lots of Faces and Rolling Stones comparisons with their debut album; they didn’t stop with the follow-up, though the band aligned more closely with its Southern roots, especially on “Remedy,” The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion‘s first single. With a hip-shaking rhythm and snaky swagger, the song is ’90s-style Southern rock – a boiling pot of influences that’s more than mere tribute.

 

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

More than any other Southern rock band of the era, Lynyrd Skynyrd played up the Southerness of their roots – from the barroom honky-tonk politics of “Gimme Three Steps” to the bottle-tipping “Poison Whiskey,” both from their debut album, a cornerstone of the genre. “Simple Man,” however, could be the most Southern track on the LP, an advice song passed on from mother to son about not forgetting those roots.

 

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

Lynyrd Skynyrd’s debut plays like a greatest-hits record, from concert staples such as “Free Bird” to sleeper fan favorite “I Ain’t the One” found among its eight songs. Their debut single “Gimme Three Steps” got a boost with a rousing version found on the band’s 1976 live album, One More From the Road, but there’s an all-too-real sense of surprise to the studio take, complementary to the song’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 featuring the flute, not exactly the instrument of choice for Southern rock bands. The song was the group’s first single and stalled outside the Top 100; four years later a live version hit No. 75. It’s since become a favorite to cover, with Waylon Jennings and Zac Brown Band among its fans.

 

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 easy groove going forward, but it’s their third record where they finally put it all together, blending funk, soul, country and Southern rock with an assured grace that also translated effortlessly to the stage. Dixie Chicken‘s title track quickly became the band’s signature song, a distillation of their warm-to-hot allure in four sweat-escalating minutes.

 

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

Borrowing a rhythm base and vocal lines from John Lee Hooker’s classic blues “Boogie Chillen,” ZZ Top turbo-charge “La Grange” into something else by the end of the song. The highlight 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.