I'd like to delve into the genre of Southern Rock. Obviously MAJORLY influenced by blues, but so was "Rock". So what's the difference? To my knowledge, Rock and Southern Rock both are riff oriented, and both have a tendency to float away from the traditional 12 bar blues structure. I think the bands that are labeled "southern rock" tend to have a more laid-back guitar solos, where rock is "in-your-face" shredding. Am I off the mark, or what do you think?
And the plot thickens:
If you search Wikipedia (who will let anybody write up a subject) you also get the genre of "Blues Rock". I would like to be bold here and say that it may be impossible to decipher exactly between Southern Rock, (early)Rock, and Blues Rock.
To take it a step further: In the 90's you had successfull acts in Country music like the Kentucky Headhunters (named after Muddy Water's band) and Travis Tritt who stirred the Rocked-up-blueseyness into country music. Now is this just Southern Rock re-packaged for a new audience, or yet another genre?
The infuence of the blues apparently knows no bounds, and when mixed with something else, makes it hard to categorize.
Heavy blues influence may describe some southern rockers, but what about The Outlaws? Southern rock, but not bluesy...or laid back. I don't know what it is that makes them sound "southern." Do they stay with the country scale?
Lynyrd Skynyrd sounds very country to me. The melodies (country scale?), the slide guitar sound, the accent.
I've heard Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers referred to as "southern", but they don't sound at all southern too me. I guess it's just that they're from the south.
As far as origin, you can't get very much further south than Beaumont and Port Arthur, TX. Those are where Janis Joplin and Johnny & Edgar Winter are from. I don't know about y'all, but I don't consider them to be "southern rock." Just blues rock and blues.
Surely there's a way to define southern rock, but I don't know what it is. I just know when I hear it. I think.
Some southern rock is blues oriented and some is mostly country influenced. My favorite southern rock band next to the Allman Brothers is Wet Willie, a great band that never got the recognition they deserved. They were mainly R&B oriented with a heavy Muscle Shoals influence and were led by Jimmy Hall who is great harmonica player.
