The Charlie Daniels Band - Volunteer Jam III (1977)

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I think the Volunteer Jams, hosted by Charlie Daniels in the 70's, were the culmination of everything that's good about Southern Rock. Like a celebration of brotherhood and good music, with loads of different artists teaming up, regardless of musical background or preferences. Actually, I think these shows are what Southern Rock used to be all about: a big melting pot of different styles of music, all played with that distinctive feel that makes you recognize it for what it is. Great music from the South played by great musicians from the South and from outside. The original files I got from friendly former blogspot Tell It To The Devil. Those files came with the original commercials in between songs. It gave a nice impression of radio in the 70's, some commercials are quite hilarious to hear now. And it's very nice to hear Ray Charles sing praise to Scotch audio tapes. You can get the original files here.. However, for repeated listening enjoyment, I found they become annoying after a few spins. Therefore I edited those out as much as possible, and tried creating one big show lasting over 90 minutes. Pure ear-candy for the rugged Southern Rock ear. Obviously it starts off with The Charlie Daniels Band doing their thing. Hey, this is 1977, and The Charlie Daniels Band is having their finest hour. A nice set, featuring songs like 'Cumberland Mountain Number Nine', Sweet Louisiana, Roll Mississippi and High Lonesome. Then it's time for Willie Nelson to come up with the goods. And he does with classics like 'Stay A Little Longer' and Good Hearted Woman. Killer track of this show, in my opinion, is 'Green Grass & High Tides' by The Outlaws. Throughout the artists are helped out by people like Bonnie Bramlett, Jimmy Hall,Mylon LeFevre, Chuck Leavell and the boys from Grinderswitch. There's one song by Papa John Creach, of which I don't know the title (help me out here). Toy Caldwell of The Marshall Tucker Band closes up with a little help from a lot of people. All in all, this is a perfect example of what Southern Rock was really all about. Can't You See?!

Bonnie Bramlett - Sweet Bonnie Bramlett (1973)

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I haven't posted much Bonnie Bramlett before, but this was requested. So, here you have. It's Bonnie's first solo album and it's a very Soulful affair. Not my rip and I'm hoping for an upgrade in the future. Nevertheless, this is the voice alright. You might know her from her work with Delaney, you might know her for being the only white Ikette, but diehard Southern Rock fans will surely know her from contributions as a back-up singer for many Southern Rock releases in the 70's. And what a voice this woman has! Though this rip of the album is somewhat crackly, it's still well-worth checking out. Fired up Southern Soul Rock, guaranteed to show you a good time. And Bonnie Bramlett is still a force to be reckoned with. For those of you reluctant getting this: if you dig Wet Willie, you will surely dig this as well! Good vibrations!

Various Artists - Hotels, Motels & Road Shows (1978)

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Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! It's the holiday season coming up alright. Yet another bag of goodies here. This album is the perfect example of what I dig about Southern Rock. Ladies and gentlemen: it's the jackpot!
I knew about this album for a long time, and I wanted it really bad. But I never found a copy. But how cool is that? To find it's everything I'd expected, and then some..
"Hotels, Motels & Road Shows" is a compilation album, chockful of Capricorn recording artists. But this is no cheezy-cheapo-cash-in greatest hits of the label. No, no, no, no. It's a 1978 Rebel Jam! All exciting live performances, classic Southern Rock, and a guaranteed good time. And these tracks haven't been released on albums by the artists themselves. And some artists never released a live album to begin with. The artists: Stillwater, Elvin Bishop, The Allman Brothers Band, Bonnie Bramlett, Dickey Betts, Grinderswitch, Sea level, , The Marshall Tucker Band, Wet Willie and Dixie Dregs. You get the whole spectrum of Southern Rock on one album. Well, it gets very close to that. This is really, really good. Up among the bestest. For real!