Sky High

Well now Zoo Freaks, the Zoo Crew has just dropped the needle on "Sky High" from Atlanta Rhythm Section's 1976 album A Rock and Roll Alternative, and that opening piano lick rolls right into a full-throttle Southern rock declaration that music itself is the ultimate high. Penned by the core writing team of Buddy Buie, Dean Daughtry, Ronnie Hammond, and Robert Nix, the track lays it out plain: whether it's a symphony or a simple three-chord rocker, any kind of music can lift you sky high and blow you away. Barry Bailey's lead guitar cuts through with that raw yet polished edge the boys always carried, turning the song into a statement of purpose that set the whole album in motion. Fans who caught them live in the late seventies remember how the driving rhythm and those soaring vocals from Hammond made it a natural set-opener, something that locked the room in before they even hit the bigger radio numbers.

The album itself marked the breakthrough after years of grinding it out. Released in December of 1976 on Polydor, A Rock and Roll Alternative climbed to number eleven on the Billboard charts and went gold, fueled by the smash "So Into You" that followed later on the record. "Sky High" never grabbed the same chart spotlight as that single or later hits like "Imaginary Lover," but it stayed a fan favorite for the way it showcased the band's tight musicianship and their ability to blend hard-rocking grit with a smooth melodic swing. Live versions turned up on the 1979 double album Are You Ready!, and a Pittsburgh performance from 1977 even made it onto the more recent Time Machine collection. One listener recollection that surfaces in fan circles is how the song's lyrics about putting a song in your heart when life gets heavy resonated hard at big outdoor shows, including the 1977 Dog Day Rockfest at Georgia Tech where the band shared the bill with Bob Seger in front of a massive crowd. The dual guitar work from Bailey and J.R. Cobb gave it that layered bite that still holds up next to the heavier Southern rock outfits of the era without losing the radio-friendly polish that set Atlanta Rhythm Section apart.

That polished edge came straight from the way the band got started in the first place. Back around 1970 in the small town of Doraville, Georgia, just outside Atlanta, songwriter and producer Buddy Buie was putting together Studio One with partners including Rodney Mills. He wanted a reliable house band that could handle sessions for other artists while building something of their own, so he pulled together some of the sharpest Southern players he knew. Several came from the Candymen, the group that had backed Roy Orbison on the road, and others from the Classics IV, the outfit behind hits like "Spooky" and "Stormy." Rodney Justo came over as the original singer after time with the Candymen, along with guitarist Barry Bailey, keyboardist Dean Daughtry, bassist Paul Goddard, and drummer Robert Nix, with J.R. Cobb joining on guitar. They spent long hours in that studio, sometimes working from afternoon straight through until the next day, laying down tracks for folks like Joe South while carving out their own material on the side. Justo has talked in interviews about how they even helped with the physical work of soundproofing and laying carpet in the place, treating the whole setup like a creative home base rather than just a job.

The name Atlanta Rhythm Section stuck even though some of the early members were not crazy about it, since a rhythm section usually just means the drums, bass, and keys. Buie liked how it tied them to the city and encouraged local support, and the players went along once the music started flowing. Justo handled vocals on the debut album in 1972 before stepping away, which opened the door for Ronnie Hammond to take the mic for the classic run that included A Rock and Roll Alternative. Hammond had been hanging around the studio cutting demos, and Buie decided he was the voice that fit the more sophisticated yet still rock-solid direction the band was heading. By the time they cut "Sky High," the lineup had locked in that blend of studio precision and road-tested energy that let them stand apart from the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd crowds while still sharing stages with them. Interviews with Justo over the years describe those early days as pure excitement, working twenty or thirty hours at a stretch because the music felt that important, and learning lessons about treating people right from his time around Orbison.

The band kept that foundation going through lineup shifts and the decades that followed, with Justo eventually returning to the front in later years to help carry the legacy forward. What started as a session crew assembled by Buie to support his songwriting vision turned into a group that could deliver both the hard edges on tracks like "Sky High" and the smoother grooves that filled the rest of the album. Zoo Freaks who dig into the history will see how those long studio days in Doraville shaped the sound that still gets spun on freeform stations. For more on the full story, the discography, and current tour dates, head over to the official Atlanta Rhythm Section site. You can also catch updates and fan memories on their Facebook page and Instagram. Fans keep the conversation going over at the Atlanta Rhythm Section Tribute Page group. And if you want to hear more deep cuts like this one spinning free and commercial-free, tune in to THE ZOO where the Zoo Crew keeps the rock and roll alternative alive for all the Zoo Freaks out there.