Atlanta Rhythm Section

External Links. Multi-Instrumentalist James Arthur Payne tours with the band, fills in vocal, keyboard, guitar, and harmonica parts, and is a fan favorite.
. Original drummer, Cary Bonnecaze, left the band after the release of Deluxe. Original lead guitarist, Joel Rundell, committed suicide in 1990.
. In addition to vocalist and guitarist Kevin Griffin, the current members of Better Than Ezra are bass guitar player Tom Drummond and drummer Travis McNabb. Buddy Buie, the band's manager and producer, shared songwriting credits on most of the band's songs. Better Than Ezra's independence and survival in a business that has chewed up and spat out many bands they used to jockey for chart position with seems to indicate that the band will be around to satisfy their fans' rapacious appetite for their music for many years to come.

After playing on other artists' recordings, they decided to become a true band in their own right. The members of the original band were Rodney Justo (singer), Barry Bailey (guitarist), Paul Goddard (bassist), Dean Daughtry (keyboardist) and Robert Nix (drummer). It is in large part due to this relentless touring schedule and the fan base it engenders that Better Than Ezra has managed to continue to produce new music, and remain extremely viable well past what many critics projected to be their shelf life. The band unoffically formed in 1970 as former members of the Candymen and the Classic IV became the session band for the newly opened Studio One in Doraville, Georgia, near Atlanta. Many of their fans follow the band religiously and attend scores of their performances. 'Atlanta Rhythm Section (sometimes ARS) is an American southern rock band. Part of the reason why is that the band has an extremely loyal fan base (who refer to themselves as "Ezralites") that have never cared whether radio plays the band or not. New Georgia Encyclopedia (http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-895). But unlike the majority of their contemporaries, Better Than Ezra has managed to avoid dropping off of the musical map or throwing in the towel.

Live at The Savoy, New York October 27, 1981 (2000). At least commercially (and in terms of mainstream radio play), the band has experienced slightly diminishing returns with each successive release. Eufala (1999). Like many bands in the then-burgeoning alt-rock movement of the mid-'90s, Better Than Ezra enjoyed their period of greatest chart success in the time following their debut major-label release ("Deluxe"), which spawned their highest-charting hits. Partly Plugged (1997). Upcoming releases include a Greatest Hits collection (Warner Brothers, March 15th, 2005), and a new album entitled "Before the Robots" (Artemis Records, April 15th, 2005.). Atlanta Rhythm Section '96 (1996). late 2004 saw the band simultaneously releasing an official live concert DVD, as well as an official live album, both entitled "Live at the House of Blues - New Orleans" (Sanctuary Records).

Quinella (1981). The band also released the B-Sides and rarities collection "artifakt" on its own "Ezra Dry Goods/Fudge" label in 2000. The Boys from Doraville (1980). Subsequent album releases include "Friction, Baby" (Elektra, 1996), "How Does Your Garden Grow?" (Elektra, 1998), and "Closer", (Beyond Records, 2001). Underdog (1979). That same year, "Good" became a major pop hit, reaching the #1 position on the Billboard chart. Are You Ready (1979). It was released on 2 different labels, the independent Swell Records first, and later national label Elektra Records.

Champagne Jam (1978). In 1994 they released their first album Deluxe in 1995. Red Tape (1976). In 1989 the band released a cassette-only album, Surprise. Atlanta Rhythm Section (1976). By 1988 Better Than Ezra had released a demo cassette tape, Chime Street Studio Demo Tape. A Rock and Roll Alternative (1976). The band was formed in 1987 by Kevin Griffin while he and the other original members were attending college at Louisiana State University.

Dog Days (1975). Better Than Ezra are an alternative rock trio based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Third Annual Pipe Dream (1974). For help, see How to Edit a Page and the Style and How-to Directory. Back Up Against the Wall (1973). After the article has been cleaned up, you may remove this message. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of article quality.