When 38 Special played before the largest crowd of their nearly half-century career, in June 1981 at the late, unlamented JFK Stadium before 98,000 fans, the band’s collective mind was blown.

“It was just a sea of people as far as you could see in Philadelphia,” frontman Don Barnes said in a phone call with Whatzup. “It was just incredible.”

A year prior to the mega-event known as The Roundup, which also featured such Southern rock heavyweights as The Allman Brothers Band, Marshall Tucker, The Outlaws, and Molly Hatchet, 38 Special were a struggling band, having released three albums that headed straight to the bargain bin. 

“The record company was like, ‘What are we going to do with these guys?’ ” Barnes said.

Well, the fourth time, er fourth album, 1981’s Wild-Eyed Southern Boys, was the charm for 38 Special. The catchy “Hold on Loosely” was their first tune to chart. 

“That song was about my first marriage,” Barnes said. “My marriage was going south. I wrote it with Jeff Carlisi and Jim Peterik from Survivor. Jim wrote (the Survivor smash) ‘Eye of the Tiger.’ I was at Jim’s house. I was sitting at the breakfast table and I had a book of song lines and song titles. I said, ‘What do you think of this title, ‘Hold on Loosely’? Jim said, ‘But don’t let go.’ It was the perfect couplet.”

That song and other 38 Special favorites like “Caught Up in You” and “Second Chance” are sure to be in the setlist when they visit Honeywell Center in Wabash on Saturday, May 18, with Revealed.

Staying true to selves

When it came to The Roundup, the crowd erupted when they recognized “Hold on Loosely.” It was evident 38 Special differed from the Southern rockers sharing the stage. The band combined the muscular rock riffs with a pop sensibility.

“We have Ronnie Van Zant to thank for our direction,” Barnes said of the late Lynyrd Skynyrd frontman. “Ronnie was someone we looked up to. We loved him and his band, Lynyrd Skynyrd. His brother Donnie Van Zant was in the band at that time. 

“Ronnie died in a plane crash (in 1977), but he made a huge impact with us. He told us to not be a clone of everything that was happening, which was Southern rock. He told us to find what kind of sound makes your heart sing, and for us it was the British invasion. It was bands like The Beatles and The Animals. So we came up with what we called melody and muscle with a good story over the top.”

38 Special, which also includes keyboardist Bobby Kapps, drummer Gary Moffatt, bassist Barry Dunaway, and guitarist Jerry Riggs, reached another echelon with the release of 1982’s Special Forces, which hit the Top 10 of the Billboard 200. The album was buoyed by the smash “Caught Up in You,” which was the band’s first single to crack the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. 

“We had toured for nine months and by the end of it, we were so scorched. We were extra crispy,” Barnes said. “But we were behind the eight ball. We had to write songs for a new album. It was difficult. 

“At first, it was like we were writing a book, and we started with, ‘It was a cold rainy night.’ We couldn’t get anywhere. I was dating a woman at the time, and I told her that I couldn’t get anything done. I told her, ‘I’m so caught up in you.’ It hit me. I was like, ‘That’s a song.’ It’s positive and I knew I had the bones of an idea. I groomed it and we had another hit.”

The band out of Jacksonville, Florida, have crafted a number of Top 40 tunes including “Rockin’ Into the Night,” “If I’d Been the One,” and “Back Where You Belong.”

Openers to closers

Since the turn of the century, it’s been primarily about touring and not writing and recording for the band, but Barnes was working on songs at the end of last month.

“We’re writing for a 50th anniversary package for next year,” Barnes said. “It was quite a week for us since we haven’t written songs in so long. We’ve been a live machine.”

The most recent studio release for the band is 2004’s Drivetrain. 

“I enjoy writing songs, but there’s nothing like being on that stage,” Barnes said. 

On the eve of the half-century anniversary of 38 Special, Barnes can’t help but look back. He laughed when reminiscing about how many recording artists that opened for them became arena rock monsters.

“So many bands that went on tour with us became bigger acts than us, and that’s totally cool,” he said. “We had Bon Jovi and AC/DC open for us, and they all became rock gods. I’ll never forget AC/DC with (vocalist) Bon Scott running around the stage with (guitarist) Angus Young on his shoulders. It was so early in their career. I remember a show in Detroit when the crowd was really rough on AC/DC. Bottles and trash were thrown at them. I remember how upset they were after the show, and I told them that they have to just keep coming back to these cities and win over the crowds. They obviously did that and became huger than huge.”

Barnes became close with Bon Jovi just as the band blew up 38 years ago. 

“Bon Jovi was becoming massive when they opened for us,” Barnes said. “They were selling 900,000 copies of their album (Slippery When Wet) a week. I’ll never forget seeing Jon Bon Jovi on a pay phone. I heard him say, ‘Really? That’s great!’ He hung up and I asked him what was up. He told me that their album just went to No. 1 on the charts. That gave me chills then and it still gives me chills now thinking about it. 

“I tried to help out younger artists since we received so much help like I said from Ronnie Van Zant.”

If it weren’t for Van Zant, perhaps 38 Special would have just been another Southern rock band. 

“The world didn’t need another group like that,” Barnes said. “There’s enough songs out there about evil women, whiskey, and alligators. Things worked out so well for us and we’re still standing.”

Down to Earth

Part of the reason 38 Special stay together is due to the unity in the group. 

“This band is our second family,” Barnes said. “All of us come from broken homes. We lift each other up and support each other. We love playing music but we really enjoy being around each other. It’s the best of all worlds.”

The members of the band are great with fans, but Barnes learned how to connect with aficionados after witnessing ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons deal with those who are crazy about that little ol’ band from Texas. 

“You take notes when you see how a guy like Billy is on and off stage,” Barnes said. “On stage Billy is 10 feet tall. I call him a cartoon character. Off stage, Billy is kinda quiet, but he’s so good with fans. He’s so gracious taking photos and all of that. He conducts himself in the proper way. 

“Billy is such a man of the people that he flies commercial. I asked him how he avoids being recognized with that beard. He told me that he tucks his massive beard inside his shirt and puts on a cap and sunglasses. I’ve been so fortunate to have been around people like Billy and all of the rest throughout this career, which has taken me to so many places.”

Such as Wabash.

“Some of the most passionate fans we’ve played for are in Indiana,” Barnes said. “I have some nice memories of playing Fort Wayne and that area. It’s always fun to go back there.”

Barnes drifts back to The Roundup, playing in front of a city’s worth of fans. 

“That’s such a great memory,” he said. “I still have the jacket from that show. They all gave us jackets. Not that I need it because I’ll never forget playing to that many people.”