Rockpedia

Compare

Two genres, side by side. The ratings are editorial judgements on a ten-point scale, not measurements. Where they come out level, the difference is in the prose underneath them.

First genre

Blues rock1963

Second genre

Southern rock1969

Head to headBlues rock vs Southern rock
Blues rock: heaviness 4, melody 8, speed 5. Southern rock: heaviness 4, melody 9, speed 5.Heaviness4 / 4Melody8 / 9Speed5 / 5
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Southern rock keeps the blues and adds country harmony and a second and third lead guitar playing worked-out parts together.

Both are sung cleanly and move at much the same pace, around 90 to 140 bpm. To hear the difference, play Cream next to Lynyrd Skynyrd. Southern rock grew out of blues rock, six years later.

Put together from each genre's vocals, tempo, song length, key acts and place in the tree.

In figures

Heaviness
Blues rock4
Southern rock4
level
Speed
Blues rock5
Southern rock5
level
Melody
Blues rock8
Southern rock9
+1

Blues rock

1963 · London / Chicago · 7 subgenres

Where it sits

Rock › Blues rock

In short

Electric blues played louder, longer and with improvised solos. The direct bridge between Muddy Waters and Black Sabbath.

How it sounds

  • Pentatonic scales and long bends inherited straight from B.B. King and Buddy Guy.
  • Amplifiers driven into natural saturation - the distortion comes from volume, not a pedal.
  • Long songs with room for live improvisation.

Key acts

  • Cream
  • The Yardbirds
  • Jimi Hendrix
  • Fleetwood Mac

Start here

The pickCream - Sunshine of Your Love. The riff that showed how thick a trio could sound.

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Southern rock

1969 · Southern USA

Where it sits

Rock › Blues rock › Southern rock

In short

Blues rock with a Southern accent: two or three lead guitars, slide playing and songs as long as a Georgia highway.

How it sounds

  • Two or three lead guitars playing harmony at once - the Allman Brothers signature.
  • Slide guitar in open tuning with a Hammond organ underneath everything.
  • Long songs that end in a jam, and lyrics about specific Southern places.

Key acts

  • Lynyrd Skynyrd
  • The Allman Brothers Band
  • ZZ Top

Start here

The pickThe Allman Brothers Band - At Fillmore East. The best live rock album there is.

Full page →