Atlanta Rhythm Section
By All Music Guide
By All Music Guide
Buie soon became an invisible fifth member of the fledgling band; he served as their manager and producer, in addition to providing a major hand in the songwriting department. Finding time between sessions to record their own original material (which was initially, entirely instrumental), an early demo wound up landing the band a record deal. The groups first few albums failed to generate much chart action (1972s Atlanta Rhythm Section, 1973s Back Up Against the Wall, 1974s Third Annual Pipe Dream, 1975s Dog Days, and 1976s Red Tape), but it was during this time that Justo was replaced with newcomer Ronnie Hammond, which would eventually pay dividends for the group. Although they had gained quite a bit of radio airplay down south, their record company began to put pressure on the quintet to deliver a single that would break them nationally. The demand worked -- the Atlanta Rhythm Section scored a Top Ten single, So Into You, on their next release, 1976s A Rock and Roll Alternative, which was the groups first album to reach gold certification.
But this wouldnt be the groups commercial peak, as they scored the highest charting album of their career in 1978, the Top Ten Champagne Jam, which spawned two hit singles -- Im Not Gonna Let It Bother Me Tonight and Imaginary Lover. To keep up their high profile, the Atlanta Rhythm Section soon became one of the hardest touring bands of the entire Southern rock genre (including a performance at the White House for then-president Jimmy Carter). But the groups commercial success would be fleeting -- it appeared as soon as mainstream rock fans embraced the Atlanta Rhythm Section, they just as quickly forgot about them. Each subsequent album -- 1979s Underdog and live set Are You Ready, 1980s The Boys from Doraville, and 1981s Quinella -- sold less than the previous one, resulting in the bands split shortly thereafter.
In the wake of their split, the Atlanta Rhythm Section has reunited sporadically for tours (although only a few original members would be present), and issued their first all-new studio album in more than a decade in 1999, Eufala. Additionally, some of country-rocks biggest names have gone on to record Atlanta Rhythm Section covers -- Travis Tritt, Wynonna Judd, and Charlie Daniels, among others.
