BOOKS
Southbound; An Illustrated History of Southern Rock by Scott B. Bomar (Backbeat Books)
For years I
have been think- ing about put- ting together the “ultimate” Southern Rock book. Some- thing a friend used to refer to as the “Southern Rock Bible.” I never got a chance to do it, but now I no longer have to
worry about it, because Scott B. Bomar has done it, and done it right. The day this doorstop of a book arrived, I
honestly felt like it was Christmas and my birthday all rolled into one. I dropped what- ever I was doing at the time, and for the next hour went through page by page, grinning like a stuck pig. There were so many great photographs, some I had seen, but many I had not. Of course, the photos are only half of the
joy of Southbound. Bomar has tirelessly re- searched all the major (and some lesser known) bands and gathered information, quotes from various past media interviews, as well as from interviews of his own, to tell the story of Southern Rock from the ground floor up. Starting with the formation of The Allman Brothers Band and the opening of Capricorn Records in Macon, Georgia, along with the
rumblings of Lynyrd Skynyrd down in Jack- sonville, Florida, he carries us through the al- ways interesting history of these seminal bands with great detail. Of course, there has been more than one book written on The All- man Brothers Band as well as Lynyrd Skynyrd, but they are only the jumping off point for Bomar’s book. He tells the stories of the other top acts of the genre, Wet Willie, The Marshall Tucker Band and The Charlie Daniels Band, and digs into one of my per- sonal favorite bands, Cowboy. There’s plenty of history and photographs on The Outlaws, Molly Hatchet, Blackfoot, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Black Oak Arkansas, Grinderswitch, Bonnie Bramlett, 38 Special, Elvin Bishop and ZZ Top. And here’s where he digs a little deeper. Included in the book are great acts like Hydra, The Winters Brothers Band, Eric Quincy Tate, and Barefoot Jerry. The history even brings us full circle to great Southern Rock bands of today like Blackberry Smoke. Besides his tireless tribute to Southern
Rock bands, Bomar also treats us to the early movements in r&b, country and blues that were the seeds from which Southern Rock bloomed. There’s a really interesting chapter on Muscle Shoals and the “Swampers,” an- other town that played an important role in the beginnings of the genre. Southbound is an essential for any lover of
Southern Rock as well as for anyone wishing to explore the rich musical heritage of the Southland. Highly recommended.
-Michael Buffalo Smith
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