“So In to You” (Atlanta Rhythm Section)

Today’s classic song of the day is a mid-70s soft rock track by the Atlanta Rhythm Section. The song, “So In to You,” was released in January of 1977 and went to #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, #5 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #11 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. It was the group’s biggest hit.

“So In to You” was written by Buddy Buie, Robert Nix, and Dean Daughtry. Buie was the manager for the group and co-wrote most of their songs. Nix was the band’s drummer and also co-wrote several of their songs. Daughtry was the band’s keyboardist.

The Atlanta Rhythm Section is kind of an offshoot of the Classics IV. That first group included Atlanta Rhythm Sectioners Dean Daughtry and guitarist J.R. Cobb and was managed by Buddy Buie, who co-wrote many of that group’s hits too, including “Spooky,” “Stormy,” and “Traces.” Buie was the one who got Daughtry and Cobb together with drummer Robert Nix, who had played with Daughtry in another group, the Candymen. They added Barry Bailey to play another guitar and Paul Goddard to play bass and became the house band for the newly-opened Studio One recording studio in Atlanta, of which Buie was a co-owner. Their work as a rhythm section-for-hire led to their adding vocalist Rodney Justo and calling their new group the Atlanta Rhythm Section.

The group subsequently got a recording contract with Decca Records, although their first album was not a success. That resulted in singer Rodney Justo leaving the group, replaced by Ronnie Hammond. That’s Hammond’s voice you hear on “So In to You” and the band’s other hits, including “I’m Not Gonna Let It Bother Me Tonight” (#14 in 1978) and “Imaginary Lover’ (#7 in 1978). The band also did a remake of the Classics IV song “Spooky” that went to #17 on the charts in 1979.

“Spooky” was the group’s last big hit and they underwent a ton of personnel changes over the years. Still, there is an Atlanta Rhythm Section out there touring today, with Rodney Justo (who rejoined the group in 2011) as the only original and the only surviving member.

But let’s travel back in time to 1977 and watch today’s daily bonus video of the day, the Atlanta Rhythm Section performing “So In to You” on the BBC. There was voodoo in the vibes…