Roots of The Outlaws

Confederate Railroad is an American country rock band founded in 1987 in Marietta, Georgia, by Danny Shirley, Michael Lamb, Mark Dufresne (drums), Chris McDaniel (keyboards), Warren "Gates" Nichols, and Wayne Secrest. After serving as a backing band for outlaw country acts David Allan Coe and Johnny Paycheck, the band signed to a recording contract with Atlantic Records, releasing their self-titled debut album that year. The band's debut album is certified as double platinum and their second album (Notorious) has also had platinum level sales. They have also had 18 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.

Mother's Finest is an American funk rock band, first formed in 1970 and led by the married vocal duo of Joyce "Baby Jean" Kennedy and Glenn "Doc" Murdock. Described by Classic Rock magazine as "Sly and The Family Stone-meets-Led Zeppelin," the band gained notice in the 1970s for their interracial membership and energetic live performances opening for both funk and rock bands. While the band did not find mainstream success during their heyday, they earned belated praise as a formative influence on later bands that combined funk and rock music, such as Living Colour and Red Hot Chili Peppers. They have also been noted as originators of funk metal.