Southern Arena Rock
tagStarted 1979Peak 1981-1986Last big hit 1991From US South, United States
Located in 1 route
Southern rock scaled up for stadiums: gleaming twin-guitar harmonies, big sustained choruses, layered keyboards and AOR production aimed at mainstream rock radio. The grit of Skynyrd meets the hooks of Survivor-style pop-metal. Anthemic, fist-in-the-air material about freedom, the highway and holding on, built for lighters-up singalongs.
History
As founding Southern rock bands faded, Jacksonville's .38 Special hired outside writers like Jim Peterik and broke through in 1981 with 'Hold On Loosely,' defining the radio-friendly arena strain. Molly Hatchet and Blackfoot chased the same scale with anthemic epics, ramping up keyboards through the mid-1980s before the sound waned at decade's end.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/38_Special_(band)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hold_On_Loosely
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molly_Hatchet
- https://ultimateclassicrock.com/top-southern-rock-songs/