38 Special to bring hit-packed playlist to fair next month

Since 1976, 38 Special has been churning out hits, and local fans will be able to see the band live next month at the SEMO District Fair's Grandstand.

Lead singer Don Barnes calls the show "a big, explosive celebration" and said it unfolds the history of the band through the songs 38 Special has released during the years.

"It's instant gratification," he said. "People are singing along a lot."

Barnes said the band had a slow start back in the 1970s, and it wasn't until the group's third album was released that they stumbled into a hit, "Rockin' into the Night."

In 1982, the band released "Hold on Loosely," and in 1983, "If I'd Been the One," both ranked No. 1 on Billboard magazine's Album Rock Tracks chart.

"It was hit after hit after hit," Barnes said.

Throughout the years, the band has had about 15 songs that ranked in the Top 10 or Top 20 songs by Billboard.

Although a couple of the original band members are no longer with the group, even their youngest replacement, drummer Gary Moffatt, has been around 25 years.

Other band members, guitarist and singer Danny Chauncey, keyboardist and singer Bobbie Capps and bassist Barry Dunaway, are long-standing members.

Donnie Van Zant, Barnes' original partner in 38 Special, has not toured with the band since 2012 because of health-related issues and officially left the group in 2013, when he retired from music.

(Submitted photo)

The band experienced the advent of MTV and was the 13th band to play on the first day MTV started to air music.

"Back then, we had hair down to our waists," Barnes said. "We've trimmed up since then."

Barnes said the band calls Nashville, Tennessee, its headquarters, but he and another band member reside in Atlanta, where they have a studio, while one of them lives in Orlando and another in Jacksonville, Florida, the city where 38 Special first was formed.

Barnes said 38 Special is looking forward to coming back to Missouri next month.

People who come to the show can be sure they will have a good time, he said.

"The gang is coming to town, and the gang is bringing the party," Barnes said. "We're going to light them up."

He said the band plays about 150 shows each year.

"All total, we're on the road about seven months a year," Barnes said, although they usually travel from Thursday to Sunday and have time with their families during the week.

Barnes said fans always come up after a show to tell band members how pleased they are to hear the songs they love presented so well.

The process of improving the quality of the show has continued throughout the years, enabling them to present high-quality performances, he said.

"We want to make the show clean," he said. "We've honed our act."

Barnes said the fact fans enjoy the show so much makes it fun and feeds into the excitement of each performance.

"It's the greatest job in the world to be able to bring that kind of joy to people," he said. "We do it because we want to show our appreciation to all those people who have made us a part of their lives all these years."

38 Special will perform at 8 p.m. Sept. 14 at the SEMO District Fair Grandstand in Arena Park in Cape Girardeau.

Pertinent address:

Arena Park, Cape Girardeau, Mo.