South Carolina Article Archives
Deep Water And Blue Souls: Roger Pinckney's Blow The Man Down
Deep Water And Blue Souls Roger Pinckney's Blow The Man Down By James Calemine "Got two reasons why I cry away each lonely read more...
Swampland's Top 25 Albums of 2011
As March fades and the first quarter of 2012 comes to a close, Swampland has used this moment to look back on 2011 putting together our list of last year's best music releases from the South. Although we've named 25 records on our Top 25 Albums of 2011, each one serves as read more...
The GRITZ Stone Ground & Southern Compilation Home Page
Welcome to the official information page for the GRITZ Stone Ground and Southern Music Compilation Series. We hope you will enjoy these free downloads, visit the band websites and order their albums. Please be sure to give us your read more...
The GRITZ Legends of Southern Rock Photo Scrapbook : Part 24, Jam 4 George 2007, The Lost Pictures
We recently ran across a whole new batch of photos from the 2007 Jam 4 George (McCorkle) in Spartanburg, SC, Visit our original story and photos
Expanding The NCAA Tournament Would Further Erode An Already Suffering Sport
It’s Championship week in college basketball, and it’s a thrilling time to watch teams from smaller conferences earn their way into the Big Dance. While few believe that the regular season is what it used to be (especially when compared to college football), the read more...
SEC, Big 12, & ACC Bowl Primer: Post-January 1 Edition
SEC 01/01 –.Auburn vs. Northwestern - Outback Bowl (11 am EST – ESPN) 01/01 – LSU vs. Penn State - Independence Bowl (1 pm EST – read more...
SEC, Big 12, & ACC Bowl Primer: Pre-January 1 Edition
SEC 12/27 – Kentucky vs. Clemson - Music City Bowl (8:30pm EST – read more...
Weekly Fever Review #5: The ACC Still Not Progressing Quickly Enough
As we head into October, we've learned quite a few things about this current college football season. SEC - This conference remains on top, not only for our Footprint, but also nationally. There are still 3 SEC teams in the top 5, and there are two teams read more...
Weekly Fever Review #4: NYC Bowl Hypocrisy, Etc.
It's going to be a briefer than normal weekly fever. We will take a look at some key games coming up and how they affect our teams and conferences as a whole, but first let's start with a subject that really has us a bit miffed.
Weekly Fever Review #3: The South "Officially" Becomes the Home of College Football
We would be remiss if we didn't start our Weekly Fever with some big news - the College Football Hall of Fame will relocate from South Bend, Indiana (home of Notre Dame) to Atlanta by read more...
Weekly Fever Review: College Football's Week Two - Big 12/ACC Struggles, etc
Now that week two of the college football season is behind us, we've learned a little more about our teams and what the season might have in store.
Weekly Fever Review: Reflections on College Football's Week One
We thought we'd provide a few thoughts after the first week of the college football season just before tonight's Clemson - Georgia Tech game. In the months that pass between each football season, certain things are put under the microscope by the media and the fans. Here read more...
Pat Conroy: An Affair to Remember
by Penne J. Laubenthal When I read my first Pat Conroy book, it was love at first paragraph. I have just finished reading the prologue to
The Marshall Tucker Band: Six Degrees of Swampland
Blending their Carolina country roots with r&b and jazz stylings, The Marshall read more...
Brad "The Animal" Lesley Guest Blog: Baseball & Marshall Tucker
I met Toy Caldwell for the first time at the Walnut Grove Opry House in Spartanburg, SC in the late 70's. Did my first shot/sip of moonshine that night as well - what a shock. I was playing with the Greensboro read more...
The GRITZ Legends of Southern Rock Photo Scrapbook
Sometimes, a picture truly is worth a thousand words... Welcome to the GRITZ Legends of Southern Rock Photo Scrapbook. This will be an ongoing, often updated, collection of classic and new Southern Rock photographs, many of which have never before read more...
The GRITZ Legends of Southern Rock Photo Scrapbook : Part 19, Memorials
Memorials, continued. Allman Brothers Band and Marshall Tucker Band. Duane Allman and Berry Oakley read more...
The GRITZ Legends of Southern Rock Photo Scrapbook : Part 15, 1971, Skynyrd, MTB, EQT
Ronnie Van Zant playing in the park in Jacksonville, 1971.
The GRITZ Legends of Southern Rock Photo Scrapbook : Part 16
Volunteer Jam: Toy Caldwell, Dobie Gray; Henry Paul; Jimmy Hall.
The True Era of Southern Rock 1969-1979
by Michael Buffalo Smith The definitive Southern Rock era began in 1969. In Macon, Georgia. Phil Walden, who had previously been known for his work with r&b acts like read more...
Billy Reid: A Touch of Southern Style in NYC
For lack of a better explanation the South is a place where city and rural cordially interact and blend daily. This makes for a very interesting environment and culture - Billy Reid Nestled within a construction-filled street in the NoHo area of NYC, read more...
The Legends of Southern Rock Photo Scrapbook : Part Ten; Winters Bros. Band, Charlie Daniels, Marshall Tucker Band
An ad from Rolling Stone.
The Legends of Southern Rock Photo Scrapbook : Part Twelve
The boys at their finest!
The Legends of Southern Rock Photo Scrapbook : Part Fourteen
Gregg Allman with The Allman Joys.
The Top 40 Moments From The Allman Brothers Band's 2009 Beacon Run
The 2009 Beacon Run was one for the books. Never have The Allman Brothers welcomed so many diverse guests onto their stage during a single run. And the results were read more...
The Legends of Southern Rock Photo Scrapbook : Part Eleven
Busted! But Duane kept on smilin!
The Legends of Southern Rock Photo Scrapbook : Part Nine, Skynyrd, Tucker and more
This series of pictures was sent to us by a reader. They were taken on May 20, 1974 at Santa Monica Civic read more...
The Legends of Southern Rock Photo Scrapbook, Part Two
THE RANTS: Toy Caldwell and George McCorlkle's pre-Toy Factory, pre-Marshall Tucker band. read more...
The Legends of Southern Rock Photo Scrapbook, Part Four
Mark Emerick (Commander Cody) jams with Dickey Betts & Great Southern.
The 25 Best Album Covers of Southern Rock
by Michael Buffalo Smith I am really excited about the recent comeback of vinyl records. I mean, not only is the old analog sound richer and warmer, but the big LP jackets were always a treat in and of themselves, from the liner notes and photos to the inserts. (Our read more...
Recruiting Never Ends in the South
When it comes to college football, just ‘Google’ the phrase “recruiting is the lifeblood” and you’ll see a ton of results. The fact that quality recruiting is the number one key for long-term success in the big-time world of college football has never read more...
Power Rankings: College Football Tradition By State
by Patrick Snow With the football season fast approaching, we thought it was time to take a State-by-State look at the schools and traditions that make up the religion that is college football in our Swampland footprint. Gold read more...
Rooting Out Kudzu the Spartanburg Way
by Dianne Smith Fergusson “Far Eastern vines. . . . prospered until rooted out.” James Dickey –
No Holds Barred: Ox Baker
by Michael Buffalo Smith One of my favorite wrestlers was always Ox Baker. I witnessed many a smack down at the hands of big Ox, the 6’5,” 342 pound Sedalia, Missouri export. Ox was born Douglas A. Baker on April 19,1934, and began his career in 1964 when read more...
Where Are They Now? Former Marshall Tucker Band Bassist Tim Lawter
by Michael Buffalo Smith Tim Lawter played the bass guitar in The read more...
The 25 Best Songs: The Mashall Tucker Band
by Michael Buffalo Smith I will never forget the first time I heard the music of The Marshall Tucker Band. Not only were they a blend of every kind of music I loved, from blues to country rock to jazz, they were from my home town of Spartanburg, SC. It was an immediate read more...
The 100 Defining Moments in Southern Rock: Part Six (Final Installment)
17. Bonnie Bramlett’s Run On Roseanne (1991) Bonnie (Then called Bonnie Sheridan) shows up as a waitress in a diner and a friend of Roseanne in both the third and read more...
GRITZ Presents: Buffalo Roaming
BUFFALO ROAMING
The 100 Defining Moments in Southern Rock: Part Five
by Michael Buffalo Smith And we continue.... 28. “Stompin’ Room Only” Released (2003) The “Holy Grail” for Marshall Tucker Band fans, read more...
The 100 Defining Moments in Southern Rock: Part Four
by Michael Buffalo Smith 39. Jammin’ for Danny Joe Brown - (July 18, 1999) An all star concert headed up by Riff West to raise money for
The 100 Defining Moments in Southern Rock: Part Three
59. “Freebird” The Movie Premiers (1996) Drawn mostly from Lynyrd Skynyrd’s 1976 show at Knebworth Fair in England. the movie also included footage from a few read more...
The 100 Defining Moments in Southern Rock: Part Two
79. Cameron Crowe Puts The Allmans On the Cover of the Rolling Stone (December 6, 1973) Cameron Crowe went on the road with The Allman Brothers at the age of 15, and read more...
A Southern Strategy For The NBA
Now that we welcome another NBA team to our Footprint (three cheers for OKC), it's time for the NBA to start making some other changes that will help this league's popularity continue to grow in our read more...
The 100 Defining Moments in Southern Rock: Part One
by Michael Buffalo Smith 100. “Pony Boy” Hand bone (1973) Dickey Betts brought country music sensibility into
The Ten Greatest Southern Rock Cities
by Michael Buffalo Smith 1. Jacksonville, Florida The birthplace of
Ten Great DVD's For Southern Rockers
by Michael Buffalo Smith 1. Almost Famous (2000) The semi-autobiographical story of read more...
The Greatest Songwriters of The Southern Rock Era
by Michael Buffalo Smith 1. Dickey read more...
The Greatest Instrumentalists of The Southern Rock Era
INSTRUMENTALISTS (OTHER THAN GUITAR/KEYS/DRUM KIT) by Michael Buffalo Smith
The SEC At A Crossroads: Don't Make NASCAR's Mistake
The SEC sets the pace in all of college athletics. The question is what will it do for an encore? Last week's meetings in Destin, FL ended up largely becoming a time to reflect on
Guest Blog: Henry Paul On Marshall Tucker
by Henry Paul My first recollection of The Marshall Tucker Band was hearing them on the radio and seeing read more...
The Greatest Keyboard Players of The Southern Rock Era
by Michael Buffalo Smith 1. Chuck Leavell Take one look at the Georgia boy’s
The Greatest Bass Players of the Southern Rock Era
1. Tommy Caldwell - According to all of the members of The Marshall Tucker read more...
Great Southern Record Producers
"There are three kinds of record producers. The first kind is the documentarian -- someone like Leonard Chess, who goes into a bar on the South Side of Chicago, sees Muddy Waters with a six-piece combo, then pulls him into the studio the next day and says, read more...
The Greatest Drummers of The Southern Rock Era
by Michael Buffalo Smith 1. Jakson Spires of Blackfoot In my opinion,
Top 25 Songs of The Southern Rock Era
by Michael Buffalo Smith 1. Freebird - Lynyrd Skynyrd As if there was any doubt read more...
The Greatest Vocalists of The Southern Rock Era
by Michael Buffalo Smith
The Top Ten Guitarists of the Southern Rock Era
The Greatest Guitar Slingers of The Southern Rock Era by Michael Buffalo Smith
GRITZ Southern Rock Lists
SWAMPLAND'S SOUTHERN ROCK LISTS
Southern Sporting "Events"
by Patrick Snow As I attended a Kentucky Derby function this past Saturday, it was never more evident that Southerners must throw a pretty good party. We are probably more known
Gritz Legends of Southern Rock
A handful of bands from the Southern Rock Era have earned the title of "Legend." These are the bands that defined the genre and set the bar for all other bands in their wake. These are the few, the originals, the Legends of Southern read more...
The BCS: A Friend to the SEC (and the Rest of the Footprint)
We at Tribal Fever find it odd that it would be the SEC who would call for a playoff system. We wonder how the SEC can be so blind to the fact that the BCS has been great for that conference. For those that love the idea of a playoff, we will list the reasons why most read more...
Snowman's 2008 Draft Wrap Up
The annual NFL Draft is now over, and the critics will have a field day with opinions on who did well and who faltered with their choices. I thought I would take a look at the Draft from the collegiate view and see who from our region will have the biggest impact on their new read more...
Record Stores of the Swampland Footprint
ALABAMA CD Cellar Anniston AL Oz Music Tuscaloosa AL ARKANSAS
Guest Blog by Charlie Daniels; Memories of a Friend
Memories of a Friend by Charlie Daniels I have the greatest respect for talented people who can take nothing and make something out of it. Such is the case of the songwriter. He pulls thoughts out of thin air
Getting Realistic About College Hoops Coaching Hires
It’s a who’s who of college basketball in San Antonio with all of the #1 seeds making the Final Four. While the games should be great, there may be just as much drama at the Coach’s Convention, which takes place in conjunction with the Final Four. Many tough read more...
The Top Ten Albums of Southern Rock According to...
On the heels of my own Top Twenty Five Southern Rock albums, we asked a few of our friends to share their own lists of Favorite Southern Rock albums, and we got a few real surprises, but one fact read more...
The Top Ten Albums of Southern Rock
Southern Rock’s Top Ten Welcome to a new feature at GRITZ called Southern Rock’s Top Ten, where we will be asking the stars an journalists associated with the genre, as well as some of today’s country music stars, to share
Legends of Southern Rock: Blackfoot
by Michael Buffalo Smith
Toy Story
This Ol' Cowboy Lives On: Remembering Toy Caldwell (1999) by Michael Buffalo Smith When Toy Caldwell graduated from Dorman High School in Spartanburg, South Carolina in the mid-1960's, he knew that he had a steady gig at the read more...
The Garfeel Ruff Story
by Michael Buffalo Smith From the book Carolina Dreams, 1997. When Rick Godfrey was six years old, he was playing the piano at his Grandmother’s house in Greenville, SC. read more...
SEC: Conference King Once Again
By Patrick Snow It’s an argument that will never end-whose Conference is better? Fans will debate this topic vociferously every season, and the answer always tends to lie close to your address. I’m not sure that the Bowl games are the best way to evaluate read more...
Huge Hires for the SEC Old Guard
By Patrick Snow It has already been quite the postseason in the SEC coaching ranks, and it’s only going to get more interesting. With the recent additions of Nick Saban and Bobby Petrino along with Houston Nutt and Les Miles staying in the conference, read more...
Goodbye, Babylon: A Patchwork Quilt of American Music
GOODBYE, BABYLON A Patchwork Quilt of American Music By James Calemine
SEC Coaching - None Better
In the end, it was a surprise. But the surprise came in the school chosen, no the destination - the SEC West. Bobby Petrino finally made it to the coaching promised land when he was named the head coach of Arkansas late last night. Fresh off of a Monday Night read more...
Reality Check
By Patrick Snow Some schools in our Swampland Region are currently learning a harsh lesson: if you are going to make a major change like firing your football coach, you must have a better alternative ready to go. Arkansas, Southern Miss(and Michigan on a national read more...
Coaching Carousel
By Patrick Snow The end of the college football season always brings with it unfulfilled goals which translates into coaching changes. There has been quite a bit of movement in our region. Some of the firings were inevitable while others showed us just how unrealistic read more...
The Great Southern Sportswriters Series
Writing and storytelling have always been deeply ingrained in Southern culture. The people that combined that art with the Swampland Footprint's passion for sports make the whole experience more special and unique. Swampland Sports is proud to offer this series of read more...
Enjoy the Season
By Patrick Snow Another college football season--another initial release of the BCS standings. This annual ritual seems to send everyone running to call a local talk show to scream about a Playoff system and how the middle letter should be removed from read more...
SEC: Top Level for Coaches?
By Patrick Snow Many of us who grew up in the South have always believed that the SEC was King when it came to sports and our allegiances. We watched and cheered for professional teams, but our passion was always at the collegiate level. For many years, read more...
A Modest Proposal: Southern College Conference Realignment
Now that Swampland Sports has launched Tribal Fever (TF), our dispatch dedicated to college sports in the South, we figured it was time to do weigh in on the current state of college football conferences. The college football conference landscape in the read more...
Athletic Directors: Be Ready To Ante Up
Southern college football-we live it and breathe it year-round, and it has become abundantly clear that the stakes of the game have been raised with some of the recent coaching hires. The ‘price of poker’ is increasing steadily, and if your school is not ready to ante read more...
Sunshine State Swoon
Sunshine State Swoon By Patrick Snow Has professional football hit its lowest point in the state of Florida? I’m not trying to overreact to three Week 1 losses, but one has to wonder what direction the franchises in the Sunshine State are going. read more...
Memories of George McCorkle
The first time I met George McCorkle, I was bagging groceries at a Community Cash store in Spartanburg, SC. During those days, many of the Marshall Tucker Band and their wives shopped at the store for read more...
Legends of Southern Rock: The Marshall Tucker Band
by Michael Buffalo Smith "I saw Marshall Tucker in Memphis at the Midsouth Coliseum back in - it must have been ‘73 or ‘74. They were the headliners and the other two acts were The Outlaws and The Charlie Daniels Band. Of course read more...
Capricorn Records
By Russell Hall April 2004 In a business where executives often achieve legendary status, Capricorn Records founder Phil Walden has always been something of an anomaly. Unlike say, Jerry Wexler or Ahmet read more...
Barney Barnwell, A Possum's Tale
What follows are some true-to-life tales told by a genuine mountain man, my friend Barney Barnwell of Campobello, S.C. (Camp'beller, that is.) Barney has lead The Plum Hollow Band as singer and fiddle player for over 25 years, playing a unique mix of bluegrass and rock and roll read more...
Retail Canned and Frozen Ready - to - Serve Southern Products
Company's Coming! Retail canned and frozen ready - to - serve Southern products A TRUE STORY by Ron Williams October 2001 (ring - ring) "Hello?"