Atlanta Rhythm Section

Comprised of former sessionmen, the Atlanta Rhythm Section smoothed out Southern rock's rough edges with studio sophistication. J.R. Cobb, Dean Daughtry, and producer/manager Buddy Buie had been members of the Classics IV. Daughtry, Rodney Justo, and Don Nix had also been in the Candymen, a group that at one time included Bobby Goldsboro, had backed Roy Orbison, and recorded two LPs (The Candymen, 1967, and Bring You Candypower, 1968). They met the other Section members while working together on a Roy Orbison session in 1970 and soon after formed the group, adding lead vocalist Justo for their debut LP. He was soon replaced by Ronnie Hammond, a former recording engineer. Though hampered by the lack of a distinctive frontman or a group identity and only moderate sales, the Atlanta Rhythm Section became established through frequent touring in the late ’70s. Beginning in 1977 the group had a string of hit singles that included “So in to You” (#7, 1977), “Imaginary Lover” (#7, 1978), “I’m Not Gonna Let It Bother Me Tonight” (#14, 1978), “Do It or Die” (#19, 1979), and a remake of the Classics IV hit “Spooky” (#17, 1979). A Rock and Roll Alternative and Underdog have been certified gold and Champagne Jam, platinum, but after Quinella peaked at #70 with only one charting single (“Alien” [#29, 1981]), the band members drifted apart.

A loose aggregation comprised of Buie, Hammond, Bailey, Daughtry, and a revolving door of other musicians re-formed as ARS in 1989 and performed sporadically over the next decade. Truth in a Structured Form (1989), an attempt to update the band’s trademark sound, flopped. Partly Plugged (1997) found a revamped Atlanta Rhythm Section using its original name again and celebrating its 25th anniverary by running through 11 of its hits and three new songs. Eufaula (1999) is an all-new studio recording.

from The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001)