Pop/Rock » Rock & Roll/Roots » American Trad Rock

Although the sound of American Trad Rock is quite different than that of its British counterpart, it shares the same aesthetic -- namely, it is dedicated to keeping the sound and the spirit of classic '60s rock alive. Where British trad rock relies on the Beatles and mod influences, American trad rock is about Southern-fried boogie and blues-based improvisation. The Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers were the twin precursors of American trad rock, even though there are hints of the Stones and the Faces thrown in every once in a while as well. The very first U.S. trad rockers -- the Georgia Satellites and the Black Crowes -- appeared in the mid- to late '80s and had grown out of roots rock. By the early '90s, American trad rock had begun to take shape as Allman soundalikes like Widespread Panic began cultivating followings, and by the middle of the decade, there was a loose collective of similar-minded, neo-Dead bands (Blues Traveler, Phish) that had built a fanbase by touring constantly. Blues Traveler had these bands tour under the H.O.R.D.E. moniker, and by 1996 the travelling festival was rivaling its alternative counterpart, Lollapalooza, in popularity.