Dryewater - "Southpaw" - 1974

Now a highly regarded collectors piece by fans of early 70's hard rock, Dryewaters "Southpaw" was released to little fanfare on the J.T.B. Label (independant) in 1974. The North Carolina four piece pressed only 500 copies of the album (fewer still with covers!), if that isn't bad enough, the band destroyed copies that didn't sell, adding an even bigger obstacle to obtaining one.
Maybe they had higher expectations for the album, as the songwriting would lead you to believe. The ten original compositions show a very confident release by a very prolific lineup. Strong rythm guitar dominates the L.P. but also evedent is some melodic slightly progressive keyboard work that both underpins the occational acid guitar solo maintains the overallmomentum of the work.
With a strong rhythm section and great vocals this album makes for a strong roller coaster ride.
(Forced Exposure mailorder)

Personnel:
Garland Walker Stidham
Richard Drye
Robert Blair
Shaye Drye