“To survive in this game, we had to get away from the 10-minute guitar solos”: the story of .38 Special, Blackfoot and the Southern Rock/AOR crossover

Marshall Tucker, Johnny Van Zant and Rickey Medlocke.

While punk rock was rearing its ugly head and usurping the UK charts back in 1976, something more interesting was happening across the pond: Adult Oriented Rock was dominating the American singles charts. 

Bands like Aerosmith (Dream On), Boston (More Than A Feeling), Eagles (Take It To The Limit), Kiss (Beth), Heart (Crazy On You), The Doobie Brothers (Takin’ It To The Streets) Steve Miller (Rock’N’Me) and Blue Öyster Cult (Don’t Fear The Reaper) all showed just how rich in talent the American airwaves had become.