Book Review: LARGE TIME: On the Southern Music Beat, 1976-1986
Marcus Twine 
LARGE TIME: On the Southern Music Beat, 1976-1986 by Bill King (Published by GoodyPress)
Bill King’s LARGE TIME: On the Southern Music Beat, 1976-1986 is a raucous, revelatory deep dive into the golden age of Southern rock, R&B, and country-funk—a decade when the South’s musical identity was being forged in honky-tonks, festival fields, and sweaty clubs. As a musician, journalist, and insider, King doesn’t just document the era; he lived it, and his book reads like a backstage pass to the parties, recording sessions, and breakout moments that defined Southern music’s heyday.
A Front-Row Seat to Southern Music’s Explosion
King’s firsthand accounts are the book’s greatest strength. He doesn’t just name-drop—he jam-drops, sharing stories of playing with, interviewing, or just drinking alongside legends. While he covers giants like The Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Little Feat, the book truly shines when spotlighting lesser-known but pivotal acts. Here are a few more bands that deservedly (or should’ve) made the cut in King’s wild ride:
- The Dixie Dregs – King touches on Southern fusion, but this prog/jazz/rock outfit (featuring a young Steve Morse) was rewriting the rules of instrumental virtuosity.
- Wet Willie – The Mobile, Alabama, funk-rockers were a bridge between soul and Southern rock, and their live shows were legendary.
- The Amazing Rhythm Aces – A cult favorite blending country, blues, and rock with sharp songwriting (“Third Rate Romance” is a classic).
- Cowboy – Often overlooked despite their ties to the Allmans, their Bella Blue album is a Southern folk-rock gem.
- Grinderswitch – The Allmans’ unofficial “little brother” band, delivering greasy, roadhouse-ready blues-rock.
- Bonnie Bramlett – A force of nature post-Delaney & Bonnie, her solo work and collaborations (like with Gregg Allman) deserved more ink.
King does right by The Marshall Tucker Band, Wet Willie, and Dr. John, but a deeper dive into the women of Southern rock (beyond Etta Britt and Bonnie Bramlett) would’ve been welcome—where was Ruby Starr (of Grey Ghost) or Donna Rhodes (Blackfoot’s backing vocal powerhouse)?
The Writing: Part Memoir, Part Time Capsule
King’s prose is loose, conversational, and often hilarious—like swapping stories at a bar after a gig. He captures the chaos of the era: the coke-fueled recording sessions, the last-minute festival gigs, the behind-the-scenes feuds (Skynyrd’s drama gets juicy treatment). But he also nails the sound: the way Muscle Shoals R&B bled into Southern rock, how New Orleans funk infected country, and why Texas blues-rock stood apart.
The Verdict
LARGE TIME isn’t a sterile history—it’s a love letter to a lost era, warts and all. If you want a polished, academic take, look elsewhere. But if you crave road stories, studio lore, and a feel for how Southern music really went down, King’s book is essential.
Score: 4.5/5 – A must-read for Southern music fans, though a few missed opportunities (more women, deeper dive into Texas/Austin’s scene) keep it from perfection.
Final Thought: After reading LARGE TIME, you’ll dig up albums you’ve never heard—and that’s the highest praise.
What’s Next? If King does a Volume 2 (1986–1996), we’d demand chapters on Widespread Panic, The Kentucky Headhunters, and Lucinda Williams’ rise.
The LARGE TIME Southern Deep Cuts Playlist
To soundtrack your reading (or just to dive into the era), here’s a killer list of underrated gems:
Grinderswitch – “Pickin’ the Blues”
Cowboy – “Please Be with Me” (later covered by Clapton)
Wet Willie – “Keep On Smilin’” (live, Drippin’ Wet version)
The Amazing Rhythm Aces – “The End Is Not in Sight”
Bonaroo – “You Sure Love to Ball”
The Dixie Dregs – “Take It Off the Top”
Jason & the Scorchers – “Shop It Around”
Bar-B-Q Band – “Too Much Fun”
Mose Jones – “Georgia Pines” (Atlanta’s lost power-pop heroes)
Col. Bruce Hampton & the Aquarium Rescue Unit – “Fixin’ to Die” (early version)
If this playlist doesn’t make you hunt down a battered tour van and hit the road, nothing will.