.38 Special: Guitar heroes then and now

David Lindquist

August 29, 2008 by David Lindquist

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Don Barnes says he sees the same thing whenever his band, .38 Special, plays a show: Audience members high five each other and sing along to every song.

"We're fortunate," the singer-guitarist says. "We've been able to accumulate 18 or so hit songs that take people through their past and into the present."

The band made its mark in the 1980s, by finding a balance between Southern rock and Top 40 sheen. On Monday, .38 Special will close Rib America Festival at Military Park.

Signature song "Hold On Loosely" -- a No. 3 single on Billboard magazine's rock chart in 1981 -- is reaching new listeners thanks to the track's inclusion in video game "Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s."

"Kids come to shows all the time, and they're out there playing air guitar," Barnes says. "It reminds us of us when we were 12 years old. They're blown away, and it warms your heart because that's the new generation."

Florida-based .38 Special first garnered attention because vocalist Donnie Van Zant is the younger brother of late Lynyrd Skynyrd singer Ronnie Van Zant.

But it's Barnes, though, who's the voice of "Hold On Loosely" plus .38 Special standards "Caught Up in You," "If I'd Been the One" and "Rockin' into the Night."

Barnes says he battled a case of insecurity while co-writing "Loosely" with Survivor vocalist Jim Peterik.

"I was having relationship troubles. She was trying to keep me under her thumb, and I was trying to be somebody, you know," Barnes says with a laugh. "I told Jim, 'I have this thought about people that need to give each other room to be themselves. What do you think about this title: "Hold On Loosely"?' He said, 'Oh, yeah, but don't let go.' As soon as he said that, I thought, 'Wow. This is going to be good.'."

Rib America Festival

Who: Ted Nugent, .38 Special, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Peter Frampton, Jonny Lang, Dennis Young, Blue Oyster Cult and others.

When: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Aug. 29, 11 a.m. to midnight Aug. 30, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Aug. 31, noon to 8 p.m. Sept. 1.

Where: Military Park, New York and West streets.

Info: Visit www.ribamerica.com.

Forum: Music

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Rib America Festival, .38 Special

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