Southern Region

The Southern Region

            For modern society, there are many different definitions of what the south is considered. For a modern definition, we will assume that the following states are included: Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Texas.

History of Music in the Southern Region

White and black individuals developed the musical heritage in the south. The start of southern traditional music predates the Civil War. Southern music found its roots with songs from the African Slaves and other traditional music that had been brought over from both Britain and Ireland. More towards the start of the 20th century, blues music was developed in the rural south by many of the African Americans. As history dictates, the following genres either found their birthplace in the south, or were developed in the region: country, blues, rhythm, soul, funk, beach, bluegrass, jazz, ragtime, rock n roll, gospel music, spirituals, and Appalachian folk music.
White individuals are said to have influenced the black individuals and vice versa. However, in general, country music is said to be based primarily on the folk music from the white southerners, whereas blues is based primarily on the African American southern forms. Gospel music sees a true overlap of traditional forms of whites and blacks in the south.

The Birthplace of an American Staple

Rock n’ roll is an American staple no matter how you swing it. It is said to have originated in the southern United States in the in the late 1940s or early 1950s. There are many main early rock n’ roll musicians that came out of the south; they are as follows: Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Bo Diddley, Fats Domino, Little Richard and Carl Perkins, among many others.
                                           Elvis Presley's Greatest Hits

                                                          The Best of Ray Charles      

             Country music also became an influence in rock n’ roll music. Traditional country singers such as Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Hank Williams played a significant role in the development of rock music. These country singers gave rise to a crossover form of music called “rockability”.

                                                                Rockability Songs

       Since the start of rock music in the south, it has continued to produce rock music for future decades. Specifically in the 1970s, there was an influx of southern rock and blues-rock groups that emerged, including Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, 38 Special, and The Allman Brothers Band.


                                                              ZZ Top's Greatest Hits

From Rock n’ Roll to Alternative Rock

            Alternative rock finds its roots in the south as well. Many large alternative rock groups have found their origins in the south including the B-52s, R.E.M., and Indigo Girls. In the south it is known that alternative rock thrives in major cities such as Austin, Knoxville, Nashville, and Atlanta.

                                                             Love Shack -The B-52s

A Quick Peek into the Underground Scene of the South

            The underground scene of the south is quite surprising if you ask me.  Heavy metal music is large in the south in the underground world. It is also said that death metal music has its origins in Tampa, Florida. Major bands such as Morbid Angel, Six Feet Under, and Cannibal Corpse have developed from this underground scene. Because of this underground scene, the term southern metal has been coined a term, which is well received in other metal circles and around the world.

                                        Blessed are the Sick (Full Album)- Morbid Angel

Most Recently….

           Rap music has recently spread to the south, however with this revolution being so new there is not much to know on this subject. We do know however that the influx of rap music in the south has led to a sub-genre of the “Dirty South”. Major centers of hip-hop culture in the south include Atlanta, Houston, Memphis, Miami, and New Orleans.