Rusty Wier - Are We There Yet? (1997)

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"Are We There Yet?" is more classic Rusty Wier for you. Absolutely one of my all-time favorite Outlaws (along with Joe Sun) ever. Very tasty music, ideal for playing in the evening while mellowing down from rocking out all day long. Yeah right. Enjoy Rusty's distinctive voice, lovely melodies, great lyrics and fine picking. Quervo's Gold..

Black Creek Band - Live From Gainesville (1995)

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I had never heard of the Black Creek Band, but thanks to Cagey I now do. And I'm lovin' it! This is the kinda stuff that puts a smile on my face. No mindless Boogie here, nor faceless Hard Rock. This is very much in the vein of The Allman Brothers Band and Warren Haynes (circa his debut). not a bad song in sight. Lotsa geetarz, great improvisation and a guaranteed good time had by all. This is a live album with four bonus tracks in the form of a studio demo which was never released at all. The kind of treasure which makes running a blog like this so much worth spending my time on. I'm sure you will enjoy. So, thank you Cagey. Southride...

Blackfoot - Rick Medlocke & Blackfoot (1987)

♫ By the time this album was put out, it could hardly be called 'Blackfoot' anymore. Gone was the classic line-up with Charlie Hargrett, Greg T. Walker and Jakson Spires and gone was the haywire Southern Rock that graced classic albums like "Strikes", "Tomcattin'" and "Marauder". Enter the slick blandness that killed Southern Rock for good (or so they thought). So, you may wonder, should I dismiss this album right away? Well, that depends. It still has some good songs and it's all played by some of the finest pickers. It's just not very Southern anymore. On this release, Rickey had himself accompanied by Mother's Finest bassist Jerry "Wizzard" Seay, his brother Harold Seay on drums and keyboard player Doug Bare (all of which played on the Mother's Finest album "One Mother To Another". And they can play alright. They do a fine cover version of the Mother's Finest track "Rock 'n' Roll 2 Nite" (from the "Iron Age" record). And there's the somewhat odd choice of covering Dutch rock and roller Herman Brood's "Saturday Night". Ah, what the heck. Just give it a spin. Steady Rockin'.

Cate Brothers - Play By The Rules (2004)

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"Play By The Rules" was the last Cate Brothers studio album. Still playing their sweet blend of Funky Soul and Southern Rock, and every bit as good as the rest of their marvelous repertoire. This features a remake of the song "Yield Not To Temptation", which they previously recorded for my favorite album of theirs, "Cate Bros. Band" from 1977. And a hot version of The Band's song "The Shape I'm In", a band which they accompanied during live shows in the 80's. Alas, this jewel is no longer obtainable. But I hope there's a daring record label out there (Wounded Bird, you listening?!) brave enough to have a go at making this once again available for all you music lovers. Out on a limb!

Bent Creek Band - Treading High Water (1984)

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Thanks go out to Luc for this rip, he's been waiting for it. Bent Creek Band released this album in 1984 and it was recorded in North Carolina. On the internet I could not find anything about this Bent Creek Band, other than some sites having it for sale. The music is Southern Country Rock, well played and pleasing to the ear. Pickers on the album are: Morris Flynn - drums & percussion; Gary Hensley - bass & vocals; Scott Taylor - keyboards, harmonica & vocals and Edward Terry - guitars & vocals. Unfortunately the vinyl wasn't pristine, sometimes there's a little too much crackle and some skipping occurs. Besides that it sounds fine and it's sure to please any Southern Country Rock fan. Ramblin Country Fever.

Laidlaw - First Big Picnic (1999)

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Laidlaw were discovered by Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crue and they were from California. So, any sarcastic comment is expected. But don't let that hold you back from trying this out. These guys sound very Southern and they play some fine heavy rock. If you're into Blackfoot or Johnny's Skynyrd, you'll love this. Great songs, nothing sophisticated, all good fun. I love the vocals and playing. And besides this album, there's only one other release(?) and then: nothing. Short story, but there's not much more to add to this (unless you can think of something...). Get it if you like it loud. Southern Rock, that is. Burnin'!

Larry Jon Wilson dies at 69

Sad news. Larry Jon, may you rest in peace. You left quite a musical treasure. May your soul and your music live forever.

Southern Cross Band - Lady Killer & Outlaw (Josie Wales) (1982)

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Thanks to Jorge for this rare gem. It's a promo single from (New York?) Southern Rockers the Southern Cross Band. I tried to find information about this band on the internet, but found little more than the fact that both these songs had been released on sample albums which featured other bands as well ("The Apple WAPP FM" and "A Double Shot of Local Talent"). No doubt some people will ignore this, simply for being from up North, but if you can look past geographical boundaries, you just might find you get what you need. "Lady Killer" is the uptempo Southern Rocker, while "Outlaw (Josie Wales)" is a terrific classic Southern Rock song. Alas it suffers a few skips and some crackle, but all in all this is splendid stuff.

Joe Sun - Sundries (2006)

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"Sundries" is a collection of unreleased Joe Sun recordings. Thanks to Frank for providing this beaut. Here's the info from the text file: "Tracks 1-4 recorded at the time of the Interchord release. Cuts 5 & 13 recorded by Joe in the mid 80's after he wrote the songs with his lead guitarist of that time Max T Barnes.Track 6 written and recorded in the late 80's. Cuts 7 & 8 were recorded late 80's at a "a" list Nashvuille session. Track 9 witten with Swede Red Jenkins and recorded in 2002. Cuts 10-12 recorded just after the Hank Bogart album. No info' ref track 13. 14 written about his boyhood in Rochester Minnesota and recorded prior to 2006 tour. Album compiled to sell at 2006 UK tour."
Great to get a chance to hear this, otherwise unavailable, music. Like I said before, any Joe Sun is good Joe Sun. And this just proves my point. I ain't crazy!

The Charlie Daniels Band - Party In The Park (1979)

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Recorded in Elmont, New York in 1979, Party In The Park was broadcast on radio, and here you have it. A short set, 5 songs, this is mostly just Charlie Daniels and guitar. Decent recording, sounding sweet. There's a new song called "The Daybreakers", which I hadn't heard before. And I really love the song "Reflections" from the "Million Mile Reflections", also featured here. I have to admit, it still sent shivers down my spine hearing Charlie sing about Ronnie Van Zant. The last two songs feature the full CDB, Southside Johnny and David Bromberg. Check out this Long Haired Country Boy.

Don Bowman - Whispering Country (1970)

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On "Whispering Country" funny man Don Bowman has taken up the task of butchering 'Whispering' Bill Anderson's repertoire. And trust Don to do a thorough job at that. Even in an effort to keep things 'clean', there's enough here to raise an eyebrow or two. Guess I'll go somewhere and find myself a sheep...

Stillwater - Runnin' Free (1998)

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After having been off the radar for close to 20 years, Stillwater surprisingly reemerged with this great come-back album in 1998. "Runnin' Free" sounds like they never left and no time had past. Well, almost. The album kicks off with "The Big Payback", an original Causey/Walker song, which had previously been recorded by Molly Hatchet for their "Lightning Strikes Twice" album. And it's that distinctive Stillwater sound alright. What we get from there is a slightly updated version of the Stillwater we know from their two Capricorn releases from the 70's. And it's really cool to hear old Southern Rockers delivering the goods after so many years of absence. Though it doesn't grab me as much as the old albums did, I thoroughly enjoy listening to this album. I guess the main difference is that it all sounds somewhat poppier and there seems to be less room for extended soloing/improvisation. But that's the curse of the 80's music, which left its mark on most Southern Rock released after the 70's. It still rocks. And it still has enough Soul to have you believing this is the real deal. Enough diversity here to make repeat playing worth your while. Ready to rock?

Chris Anderson - Old Friend (1995)

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Chris Anderson is a name that could ring a bell with fans of The Outlaws. Chris played with The Outlaws from 1986–1989 and has rejoined in 2005. In between he also played with Blackhawk. This is quite different fare, though. Recorded in 1995, this was pretty much the thing to do at the time: record an album full of uneventful, contemporary Blues Rock. Much in the vein of the Gary Moore blues albums, this is slick, rather bland Blues Rock. Les Dudek made an album like that too, very forgettable. But there are some gems hidden here, which will make you pleased having taken the trouble getting it. And if you like (Southern) Blues Rock, this could knock you off your feet. I guess. My favorite track is "Jake's Song", which makes it pretty clear we're on Southern Rock turf here. And I basically enjoy the second half of this album very much. Thanks to Templar33 for bringing this to my (and your) attention. I lost some e-mails, so I'm not sure that's what he calls himself. Anyway, good stuff. Trust me.

Richard Torrance - Bit Torrance (2010)

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I'm a fan of Richard Torrance and I used to have some of his album posted here as vinyl rips. Then Steve sent me the "Living Today" rip and pointed out the fact that these days Richard was selling all of his albums on his homepage. Thank you Steve and you are right. Hence I pulled them all, instead offering you a sampler which features songs from all of his 70's releases. But wait, check out this video first:



Yes, Richard is still making music and performing. Again, check out his website. The music is not strictly Southern Rock (and he's really from North Dakota), but it has all the ingredients to cook up a nice Funky Southern-tinged musical stew. Dig in, I say. Tracks on this sampler come from the albums:
"Eureka" (1974)
"Belle Of The Ball" (1975)
"Living Today" (1976, European release only?)
"Bareback" (1977)
"Live At The Boarding House" (1977)
"Double Take" (1978)
"Anything's Possible" (1978).
Since then he's released a couple more CD's, all available at www.richardtorrance.com.
Richard's a great singer and musician and he sure deserves your attention. So, why don't you try a bit Torrance?!