.38 Special May 15, 2010

Initially, .38 Special were one of many Southern rock bands in the vein of the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd; in fact, the band is led by Donnie Van Zant, the brother of Skynyrd's fallen leader, Ronnie Van Zant. Formed in Jacksonville, FL in 1975, the band released a couple of albums of straight-ahead Southern boogie then revamped its sound to fall halfway between country-fried blues-rock and driving, arena-ready hard rock.

The result was a string of hit albums and singles in the early '80s, highlighted by “Hold On Loosely,” "Caught Up in You," "If I'd Been the One," “Rockin’ Into The Night,” "Back Where You Belong," “Fantasy Girl,” and "Like No Other Night." Although it would be 1989 before the band scored its biggest hit when “Second Chance,” off the LP Rock & Roll Strategy, went #1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart.

In 2007, .38 Special was tapped for the opening act on Lynyrd Skynyrd and Hank Williams Jr.'s Rowdy Frynds Tour, and in 2008 they filmed a CMT Crossroads special with country singer Trace Adkins, performing both artists' hits from over the years.

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