Southern rock is its own distinct genre. From the "swamp rock" of Tony Joe White to the guitar-slamming Texas tunes of ZZ Top and Stevie Ray Vaughan, the rock 'n roll to come out of these largely small-town and rural areas had its distinct style — and its own distinct following.

So here, without further ado, are five great Southern rock bands and five of their best songs.

Black Oak Arkansas: Jim Dandy. These guys started out as "The Knowbody Else" in 1963 but soon changed the band's name to their hometown — Black Oak, Arkansas. They had a neat sound, but the song they are (rightly) best known for is almost certainly their rambunctious 1973 cover of "Jim Dandy" on the album "High on the Hog." This was a song that, when it came on the radio, had us all shouting the lyrics out of our pickup truck windows. It's a great song — no deep meanings, just good old rock.

Ozark Mountain Daredevils: Jackie Blue. The Ozark Mountain Daredevils had two major hits, "If You Wanna Get To Heaven" and "Jackie Blue." Of the two, the latter is my favorite. It combines great vocals and some great guitar work. What's interesting is that the song came about when band member Larry Lee, during the recording of the album "It'll Shine When It Shines," sat down at a piano and started singing a song about a mysterious woman he knew who sold drugs as a side job.The Marshal Tucker Band: Fire On The Mountain. Starting up in Spartanburg, South Carolina in 1972, the Marshall Tucker Band hopped across a lot of genres, including country, blues, and rock. Nowhere is that demonstrated better than in "Fire on the Mountain," which combined steel, electric, and acoustic guitar, great drum work, and even a fiddle and a flute in the course of this wonderful tune.

The Allman Brothers Band: Statesboro Blues. While the Allmans are generally referred to as a straight-up rock band, their Jacksonville, Florida origins and their style place them in the southern rock genre. While it's hard to pick out just one good Allman Brothers tune, I chose this one, a cover of a Blind Willie McTell tune originally recorded in 1928. The song refers to the town of Statesboro, Georgia, and was recorded live by the Allmans at Fillmore East in 1971, after which it became a concert staple.

The Charlie Daniels Band: Long-Haired Country Boy. This has to be the most libertarian song ever written and performed. Consider the refrain:

I ain't asking nobody for nothin',

If I can't get it on my own.

If you don't like the way I'm livin',

Then just leave this long-haired country boy alone.

You can't put it any better than that. The Charlie Daniels Band has been rocking the free world for a long time now; I saw the band in concert along about 1987 or so, and as the recent live take on this song that appears here, you can see that they still have it, just like they did back then. And the sentiment is still the right one.

Politically correct or not, Southern Rock will always be with us. And honestly, who cares about politically correct? I'm guessing that, if you're reading these words, political correctness vis-a-vis the southern United States isn't a major issue in your choice of musical entertainment. I could have easily doubled or tripled this list, and yes, I realize my omission of Lynryd Skynyrd will provoke a comment or two, but I just recently featured them and wanted to give a few other bands some exposure.

Any suggestions? The comments are yours!