.38 Special

A long-lasting American band whose biggest hits successfully blend radio-friendly pop hooks with hard rock, .38 Special originated out of Jacksonville, Florida in the mid-1970s. Fronted by Don Barnes and Donnie Van Zant, they initially cast themselves in the Southern rock mold of Lynyrd Skynyrd, who were led by Donnie's older brother Ronnie Van Zant. After releasing a couple of albums in this vein, .38 Special revamped their sound to fall somewhere between country-fried blues-rock and driving, arena-ready hard rock. The result was a string of hit albums and singles in the earl...