''Southern Rock Opera'' is the third studio album by the American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

Drive-By Truckers Drive-By Truckers are an American rock music, rock band based in Athens, Georgia. Two of five current members (Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley (American musician), Mike Cooley) are originally from The Shoals region of northern Alabama and met as ...

, released in 2001. A

double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording ...

covering an ambitious range of subject matter from the politics of race to 1970s stadium rock, ''Southern Rock Opera'' either imagines, or filters, every topic through the context of legendary Southern band

Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd (, ) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964. The group originally formed as My Backyard and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (vocals), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom ...

. The record was originally self-released on Soul Dump Records. The album was re-released on July 16, 2002 by

Lost Highway Records Lost Highway Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. Formed by Luke Lewis in 2000, Lost Highway Records operates as a country music label, based out of Nashville, but the label also issues music by alternative rock and alternativ ...

. The album was financed by issuing promissory notes in exchange for loans from fans, family and friends of the band. The album's artwork was done by

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

artist

Wes Freed Wes Freed (April 25, 1964 – September 4, 2022) was an Americana Culture artist. His works appeared on album covers of Lauren Hoffman and numerous American rock bands, including Cracker and the Drive-By Truckers. Early life Freed was bor ...

Origin and making of the album

The idea for ''Southern Rock Opera'' pre-dates the band's formation in 1996. ''Southern Rock Opera'' began in a long discussion between Drive-By Truckers'

frontman The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

Patterson Hood and former Truckers

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), keyboard bass (synth bass) or a low br ...

and producer Earl Hicks, during a road trip. The pair discussed writing a semi-

autobiographical An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

screenplay A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...

about growing up in the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

and about the plane crash that almost ended the career of the rock band

, taking singer

Ronnie Van Zant Ronald Wayne Van Zant (January 15, 1948 – October 20, 1977) was an American singer, best known as the founding lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He was the older brother of Johnny Van Zant, the cu ...

, guitarist

Steve Gaines Steven Earl Gaines (September 14, 1949 – October 20, 1977) was an American musician. He is best known as a guitarist and backing vocalist with rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1976 until his death in the October 1977 airplane crash that claime ...

, and Gaines' back-up-singer sister

Cassie Gaines Cassie LaRue Gaines (January 9, 1948 – October 20, 1977) was an American singer, best known for her work with Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. Biography Gaines was invited by JoJo Billingsley and Ronnie Van Zant to join Lynyrd Skynyrd as a ...

. Soon after this discussion, Hood formed Drive-By Truckers. The Truckers recorded two

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

s and one

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th centur ...

during the four years between their formation and the actual recording of ''Southern Rock Opera''. During these years, Drive-By's principal songwriters Hood, Mike Cooley, and Rob Malone continued to contribute songs to "The Rock Opera", as they had come to call it. After the release of their live album '' Alabama Ass Whuppin''', Drive-By Truckers began recording what they hoped would be their

magnum opus A masterpiece, , or ; ; ) is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, skill, profundity, or workmanship. Historically, ...

: ''Southern Rock Opera''. According to Patterson Hood, "(the album) was recorded in Birmingham, upstairs in a uniform shop during an early September heat wave, with no air-conditioning. We had to turn the fans off when we were recording, and we worked from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. So ''Southern Rock Opera'' was fun to write, but we had a miserable time making it." After the album was finished, however, the troubles continued for The Truckers when they ran out of funding for the immense project. To resolve the problem, and to avoid "any fine print crap", as Hood put it, the band took a non-traditional approach. The Truckers made a prospectus and solicited investors, with a promise of 15% interest, to pay for the manufacturing and distribution of ''Southern Rock Opera''. The approach worked. Through their fan-based online news group and by sheer word of mouth, The Truckers were able to raise $23,000. This allowed them to print about 5,000 copies of the album, and buy a "new" used van for touring. ''Southern Rock Opera'' was finally released on September 12, 2001 on

Soul Dump Records The soul is the purported immaterial aspect or essence of a living being. It is typically believed to be immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that describe the relationship between the soul and the body ...

Critical reception

The album was voted the 22nd best of the year in the Pazz & Jop music critic poll of 2002. The poll founder, Robert Christgau, named it his 23rd favorite album of 2001. ''

Rhapsody (online music service) Napster is a music streaming service based in Seattle, Washington, United States. Until 2016, the service was known domestically as Rhapsody before rebranding as Napster, the same name brand that was used by Roxio's Napster. Napster started a ...

'' ranked the album #6 on its "Rock's Best Albums of the Decade" list. The album was also included in the book ''

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die'' is a musical reference book first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. Part of the ''1001 Before You Die'' series, it compiles writings and information on albums chosen by a panel of music criti ...

''.

Re-release

The critical praise for ''Southern Rock Opera'' created no shortage of buzz around the album and the band. The Truckers did not have the means to press the necessary number of copies of the album on their own. In order to meet demand, Drive-By Truckers signed a large-scale distribution deal with

. ''Southern Rock Opera'' was re-released, this time worldwide, on July 16, 2002.

Track listing

Disc one: Act one: Betamax Guillotine

Vinyl releases have tracks 1–5 on side A, and 6–11 on side B. Some early vinyl printings lack ''Moved''.

Disc two: Act two

Vinyl releases have tracks 1-5 on side C, and 6-9 on Side D.

Personnel

Band

* Mike Cooley – lyrics, guitar, ambience, vocals *Earl Hicks – bass * Patterson Hood – lyrics, guitar, ambience, vocals, storytelling *Rob Malone – lyrics, guitar, ambience, vocals *Brad Morgan – drums

Guest performers

Kelly Hogan Kelly Hogan (born January 11, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter, often known for her work as a member of Neko Case's backing band, as well as for her solo work. Early and personal life Hogan was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the daughter of ...

– backing vocals on "Cassie's Brother" and "Angels And Fuselage" (as Cassie Gaines) *Anne Richmond Boston – 1st group vocal *Jyl Freed – 2nd group vocal *Amy Pike – 3rd group vocal

Crew

*David Barbe, Dick Cooper, Drive-By Truckers – production *Rodney Mills – mastering *Dick Cooper, Earl Hicks – engineering *Wes Freed, Patrick Hood – artwork, photography, cover art *Patterson, Lilla Hood – art direction, design, adaptation, liner notes

References

External links

Lyrics
* ttp://www.losthighwayrecords.com/home.html Lost Highway Records' official websitebr>Patterson Hood's MSN Music article on Lynyrd Skynyrd's 2006 Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame induction
{{Authority control 2001 albums Drive-By Truckers albums Rock operas