I'm a fan of "Southern Rock," but sometimes the lyrics make me wonder if i should drop it. Generally I listen more for music than message, but I don't want my kids hearing "be proud you're a rebel..."
“…cuz the South’s gonna to do it again.”
But man, that song rocks, especially the end. In a, you know, country way.
Put these in your music queue and let the streaming service find music based on them, there is a lot of newer southern rock and also country music that doesn’t have the baggage. I love that style of music too.
There are great recommendations already in this thread, so I’ll add one for Jason Isbell. Formerly of Drive-by Truckers, Southeastern is a good place to start with his solo work.
Bit late to this, OP, but you might want to check out Jim White, and especially his first album The Mysterious Tale of How I Shouted Wrong Eyed Jesus. It’s not rock exactly, more alt-folk, but it’s definitely Southern and it’s thoughtful, fun stuff.
Saturday night special is my favorite one to bring up to the “fans”. Like I can see how you don’t necessarily get the others, but how anybody can hear “a handgun is made for killing, ain’t no good for nothing else, so why don’t we take our handguns and throw them to the bottom of the sea” and think that this guy is just another good ol boy is beyond me.
Call me naive, but I always thought Curtis Lowe was about society not respecting bums who play good music for beer/wine money aka the starving artist. Even though the protagonist loved him as a mentor/entertainer.
Racism or the fact that he was black wasn’t the main factor in the issues the protagonist is singing about, just that he happened to be black… though I’m betting it didn’t help the way people/protagonist’s mom viewed the two of them spending so much time together
I always say him as an inspiration to Bleeding Gums Murphy and Lisa in the Simpsons.
Just my 2 cents. I agree with the rest of your list though.
The thing to keep in mind is that Curtis would have been an old black man in the early 60s so he had lived through quite a lot of the black experience to where the alcohol and music was an escape rather than being a starving artist’s expression
at a certain point southern rock & country changed from actual rebellion (Cops are bastards, Vietnam was a mistake, an unjust law needs a kick in the pants) to “I’m an oppressed martyr because someone told me I’m not allowed to be a dick to other people. America is great! jihad jihad jihad”
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