Legends of Southern Rock: 38 Special
by Michael Buffalo Smith
The Legends of Southern Rock Series
38 Special was formed by neighborhood friends Don Barnes and Donnie Van Zant in 1975 in Jacksonville, Florida. Donnie's older brother Ronnie was lead singer for Lynyrd Skynyrd, a position now held by their youngest brother Johnny Van Zant.
The current 38 lineup consists of guitarist and co-lead singer Don Barnes, rhythm guitarist and co-lead singer Donnie Van Zant, guitarist Danny Chauncey, bassist Larry “L.J.” Junstrom, keyboardist Bobby Capps, and drummer Gary Moffatt.
According to the GRITZ interview with Don Barnes, there is quite a story behind the band’s moniker.
“There was an old truck called big blue that kept falling apart. It kept eating up all of our profits. I remember coming home with $30 after fixing this truck. Donnie and I would ride around and try to find an obscure place to rehearse. We would find these places for fifty bucks a month to rehearse, of course we had day jobs then. The guy could not figure out why we wanted to rent this place. There was manure, and we had to shovel it out of there and then get some pallets to stand on for a floor. We had the place fortified and had it vaulted up with 2 x 4’s and a big motorcycle chain that went through the hole in the door to lock it with this old rusty lock. Then we had to climb in a window to get in and out. One night we were rehearsing and heard someone banging on the door and when we looked, there were 12 constables banging on the door to get in. We were yelling and telling them we couldn’t open the door and one of them yelled that he had a .38 special to use on the door if we wouldn’t let him in. So when we had our first show, we had not thought of a name so we decided to use that name.”
By the early 1980s, the band began incorporating elements of blues-rock and arena rock into their sound, kicking off a string of successful albums and singles.
Among 38 Special's best-known songs are "Caught Up in You" (1982) and "If I'd Been the One" (1983), both of which hit #1 on Billboard magazine's album rock chart, and "Second Chance" (1989), a #1 hit on Billboard's adult contemporary chart, and sung by former member Max Carl who is now a member of Grand Funk Railroad. Other hit singles include "Hold on Loosely" (1981) which was featured in 2007's Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s and "Back Where You Belong" (1984).
In 2007, 38 Special was the opening act on Lynyrd Skynyrd and Hank Williams Jr.'s Rowdy Frynds Tour, and they joined Shooter Jennings and The Charlie Daniels Band for the 2008 Volunteer Jam Tour.
On September 27, 2008, 38 Special filmed a CMT Crossroads with country singer Trace Adkins, performing both artists hits from over the years.
FORMER MEMBERS OF 38
Jack Grondin
Jeff Carlisi
Steve Brookins
Max Carl
Scott Hoffman
Ken Lyons
Greg Morrow
Scott Meeder
DISCOGRAPHY
1977 38 Special
1977 Special Delivery
1980 Rockin' Into the Night
1981 Wild-Eyed Southern Boys
1982 Special Forces
1983 Tour de Force
1986 Strength in Numbers
1988 Rock & Roll Strategy
1991 Bone Against Steel
1997 Resolution
2001 Anthology
2004 Drivetrain
COMPILATION AND OTHER ALBUMS
1978 Wild Eyed & Live
1987 Flashback: The Best of 38 Special
1999 Live at Sturgis
2000 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of 38 Special
2001 Wild-Eyed Christmas Night
2003 The Very Best of the A&M Years (1977-1988)
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