The Atlanta Rhythm Section, sometimes abbreviated ARS, is an American southern rock band. In 1970 former members of the Candymen and the Classics IV joined together and became the session band for the newly opened Studio One in Doraville, Georgia.The story of the Atlanta Rhythm Section began in Doraville, Georgia, a small town northeast of Atlanta, in 1970. Local Atlanta engineer Rodney Mills built a new studio in Doraville with the support of music publisher Bill Lowery, producer/songwriter/manager Buddy Buie, and songwriter/guitarist J. R. Cobb. The studio was dubbed Studio One and would become one of the preeminent studios in the Atlanta area. Over the years, artists who recorded there included Starbuck, Al Kooper, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Joe South, Bonnie Bramlett, Dickey Betts, B.J. Thomas, .38 Special, Lou Christie and Billy Joe Royal.
The Atlanta Rhythm Section members originally came together as the house band at Studio One. Buie recruited three musicians he had worked with previously in the Candymen (a group that had backed Roy Orbison), singer Rodney Justo, keyboardist Dean Daughtry and drummer Robert Nix. Buie, Cobb, Nix and Daughtry had been part of the group the Classics IV - remembered for such hits as "Spooky", "Stormy" and "Traces". Two talented local session players also joined in - guitarist Barry Bailey and bassist Paul Goddard. These musicians played on a number of other artists' records and the decision was made to make an album of their own in 1971.
It was during the recording of the first album that Ronnie Hammond came to Studio One as an assistant engineer for Rodney Mills. He was skilled on multiple instruments and most importantly, had a great singing voice. When singer Rodney Justo decided to leave the group later in 1972 to pursue a solo career, Hammond became the new lead singer.
This grouping would go on to make the next six ARS albums together. In 1972 the group tried to broaden their approach as they began work on their second album for MCA/Decca. They kept working hard, spending a lot of time in the studio.
For a time, Hammond and Daughtry even lived upstairs above Studio One. It was here that ARS first crossed paths with Lynyrd Skynyrd, who rolled in one night to work on their first album. Skynyrd's producer, Al Kooper, worked with Skynyrd at Studio One during the day while ARS would come in and work at night.
The second album, Back up Against the Wall, was released in 1973. These 11 new songs offered a mix of up-tempo tunes and ballads—an approach that would become a cornerstone of the group's future success.
In 1974 the band decided to leave MCA/Decca for Polydor Records (which ironically became a sister label to MCA in 1998). They also started to establish a reputation in the Atlanta area for their live shows by the time they went back into Studio One to work on their next album Third Annual Pipe Dream. ARS's third album presented a more accessible approach with a punched up but smoother sound and a variety of types of songs that would have both pop and rock appeal. It climbed to number 74 on the U.S. charts and gave the group their first regional hit, "Doraville", which reached the Top 40. "Angel" was also released as a single and reached number 75 as a regional hit.
ARS were developing a regional following, but they had yet to reach a national audience. At this time, the Allman Brothers Band had fallen on hard times and Lynyrd Skynyrd was leading the charge of guitar based Southern rock.While ARS shared some musical approaches with these contemporaries, their background as musicians-not performers and more pop oriented songwriting put them in a unique position along with but not truly a part of the Southern rock scene. ARS returned to Studio One in 1974 to work on their next album.
They built on the polished production of the previous album while working out a set of songs that were tighter than any they'd done before. As always, new songs were written on acoustic guitar or piano and brought into the studio before being done in concert. In the studio the band would try multiple takes to try different approaches.
It was a style that stressed discipline over spontaneity and helped ARS to develop their unique sound which was now coming together. Dog Days, released in 1975, was ARS's fourth album and still held up as a favorite of many fans. Overall, it was a faster paced album than what had come before, featuring six up-tempo songs and two ballads, all originals. But despite the outstanding material, there were no breakout singles or large increases in national attention.
ARS faced increasing pressure for sales and chart success, and this came to a head in 1976. They had been taking three months to record each album, but now were given an ultimatum from their record company to deliver the next album in 45 days----or else.
While road weary from touring non-stop for most of the year, they nevertheless went back to Studio One and wrote, recorded, and produced the next album, A Rock and Roll Alternative in 30 days. Whether it was the deadline pressure or the natural evolution of the group, they indeed created a rock and roll alternative that would carry them to new heights.
The band attained a new level of critical acclaim and popular appeal with this album when it was released in December 1976. It included seven originals and a cover of a blues classic, "Outside Woman Blues", previously recorded by Cream. While a few songs featured shorter arrangements similar to the last album, most of the songs went back to the longer format of previous albums.
The first single from Alternative, "Neon Nites", got close to the Top 40 . But it was the next single, "So Into You", that proved to be the breakthrough. It rose to number seven on the charts and was a staple of rock radio during the summer of 1977.
The album made it to the Top 10 on the charts and went Gold. Popularity now carried ARS out of the clubs and into stadiums. On September 4, 1977 they played their biggest show yet, the Dog Day Rockfest at Atlanta's Grant Field on the campus of Georgia Tech.
Heart and Foreigner were the opening acts and Bob Seger co-headlined. After this point, for the next several years, ARS was on the road for 250 plus shows a year. And when they came off the road, they were right back in the studio working five days a week. For the first time, the band had popular success to build on, but this also meant increased expectations to top themselves.
Champagne Jam, released in January 1978, was the breakthrough album that marked the zenith of music-making, critical support and popular acclaim for ARS. Eight songs were showcased with the smooth pop production the group had been refining for years. The songwriting and musicianship maintained the superior standards the band had established through its previous albums. The songs continued the pattern of blending beautiful melodies with shifting tempos and each of the songs clocked in at a moderate three to five minutes.
The album proved to be very popular, hitting the Top 10 and quickly going Gold. The title track was released as a single and "I'm Not Gonna Let it Bother Me Tonight" made it into the Top 20. But it was "Imaginary Lover" that proved to be the band's biggest hit, reaching number seven on the charts. A story (possibly an urban legend) has been told of a New York DJ who accidentally played the 33 rpm album cut of "Imaginary Lover" at 45 rpm and was inundated with calls asking about the new Stevie Nicks-sung Fleetwood Mac song. Whether the story was true or not, the single and album both hit the Top 10, with the album going Platinum.
By the early 80s, the music business had gone down other roads, including one marked New Wave. ARS continued on as the Southern rock scene faded. When they went to record their next album there was again pressure to come up with a success. Quinella, released in 1981, featured the song "Alien" which was a Top 30 single in the U.S and the band continued to play live.
Their 1981 tour to promote Quinella was capped with tragedy when the band's 33 year old lighting director, Paul Crockett, was killed after a lighting truss he was standing on collapsed and fell 30 feet to the stage right before a concert at the Stargate Theater (current Baker Theatre) in Dover, NJ.
In 1995 the group re-recorded some of their classic songs for a new collection that was recorded in North Carolina and the resulting live-in-studio sound of Atlanta Rhythm Section '96 (released on CMC International in April 1996) presented a different, less polished take on some of their best known tunes and captured the sound of their live performances from this period. It was around this time that ARS was elected to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. The band was so honored at a September 1996 induction ceremony at the Georgia World Congress Center.
The occasion provided an opportunity for a reunion performance of some of the band's former members. Building on the momentum of this event and the impending 25th anniversary of the group, ARS recorded a new album, Partly Plugged (which was released in January 1997 on the independent Southern Tracks label). It featured some new songs and more remakes of some classics done the way they had been written---unplugged on acoustic guitar and piano.
On December 28, 1998 there was a close call with tragedy.
Singer Ronnie Hammond, who had battled alcoholism and depression off and on over the years, got into a confrontation with the police in Macon, Georgia and forced an officer to shoot him. Hammond was seriously injured, but survived the injury and dealt with the depression.
In 1999, while Hammond was still recovering in the hospital, Andy Anderson returned after twelve years to front the band until Hammond was well enough to return (He would return again in May 2000 to sub another show for Ronnie). But in 2001 Ronnie decided to take a gig with another group, Voices of Classic Rock, that conflicted with ARS's schedule, forcing him to make a choice between the two. Ronnie chose to stay with VOCR but left the touring business altogether soon afterward to focus on family and songwriting.
In 2006, Barry Bailey, who was suffering from ill health, decided it was necessary to no longer travel with the band that was founded to showcase his phenomenal guitar playing. Steve Stone, after being ARS's rhythm guitarist for 18 years, now took up the Herculean task of filling Bailey's shoes as lead guitarist. To support Steve in his effort, the band asked Andy's long-time Billy Joe Royal bandmate and golf buddy, Allen Accardi, to lend a hand. Allen, a Nashville veteran, would play for more than a year with the band.
It was clear, however, that Barry's edge was still keenly missing and a player with more of a rock sound was needed. David Anderson, who had played in the band Brother Cane and had had a very active career recording and performing was then tapped. David had known drummer Keeling since playing in high school bands together and had impressed Dean Daughtry with his talents after Dean had moved to Jim and David's hometown of Huntsville, Alabama.
On March 26, 2008, Andy Anderson suffered a heart attack just before he was to catch a plane to Las Vegas to join the band for a two-night stand at The Gold Coast. Andy's friend, Steve Croson (who'd played alongside him for years in Billy Joe Royal's band), fortunately, lived in Vegas and was able to step in for his buddy on short notice. In April and May, original singer Rodney Justo returned, joined by ARS's 1987-88 singer Shaun Williamson, until Andy was healthy enough to return later in May.
Ronnie Hammond passed away Monday, March 14, 2011 in Forsyth, Georgia of heart failure. He was 60. His interment was in cemetery Monroe Memorial Gardens.
In the late spring of 2011, it was announced that singer Andy Anderson and bassist Justin Senker had graciously stepped aside to make way for the return of original members Rodney Justo and Paul Goddard.
While ARS did not reach the commercial success of Lynyrd Skynyrd or The Allman Brothers, the group had a strong following in the South and charted a number of hits. These include their two top ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, "So Into You" and "Imaginary Lover", both of which peaked at #7 on the Hot 100 in 1977 and 1978, respectively.
Other top 40 hits on the Hot 100 chart were "Doraville" (#35, 1974); "I'm Not Gonna Let It Bother Me Tonight" (#14, 1978); "Do It or Die" (#19, 1979); "Spooky" (#17, 1979); and "Alien" (#29, 1981)
The band maintains a website and still tours with some of its original members, playing mostly festivals and other nostalgia-themed concerts. Former drummer Roy Yeager is involved in a controversy concerning the destruction of a Tennessee landmark.