Jacksonville and the Roots of Southern Rock

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It was a gift. He loved it. Stated he knew of things that were in book brought back memories

Very good book

A great deep dive into the beginnings of most of the bands we think of as Southern Rock. I loved it and so will you.

As a life long Jacksonville resident who already was well steeped in local Southern rock lore,even I learned several new things. I can't wait for the WAPE book!

A must read for anyone that loves music! Highly recommend!

As a retired man from the US Navy who moved to Jacksonville and loves “Southern Rock”; FANTASTIC BOOK ABOUT MUSIC AND JACKSONVILLE!

A good read from an author who really knows his subject. Very informative.

This is a fascinating history about the young men who pioneered what came to known as "Southern Rock" -- the Allman Brothers, 38 Special, Lynard Skynard, Molly Hatchet, Derek Trucks, et. al. It is an enjoyable read for anyone interested in the evolution of American popular music.As the author acknowledges, the term "Southern Rock" was always problematic, and owed as much to the cynical marketing of the bad boy image of the musicians as anything inherent in the music. But the hard-living image was deserved. As Fitzgerald notes, alcoholism, drug addiction, and general hard-living defined the lives of many of these musicians. In the end, it extracted a terrible toll, including ill health, broken marriages, early deaths and suicide. What is particularly poignant are stories of musicians who nearly – but not quite – make it in the cut-throat world of rock music.The author is a media historian as well as a musician who has been involved in the Jacksonville music scene since the late 1960s. He was personally acquainted with many of the musicians he writes about here. I found striking his portrayal of the early Jacksonville club/bar scene, and the social milieu from which these bands emerged. Curiously, for many of these bands, along with the hard-living image was an unrelenting Protestant work ethic -- strange bedfellows to say the least. But as the author notes, for most of these young men, the music industry was the only way to fortune and fame.In uncovering the roots of Southern Rock, Fitzgerald has – not so incidentally -- evoked a world now long vanished. This is a book that holds the reader's attention from start to finish. I was appreciative too that the book contains a comprehensive bibliography and index -- essentials too often ignored in books about rock music. This will be the standard history of Southern Rock for years to come. Highly recommended.