Don Barnes was the singer for Southern rock band .38 Special, taking the lead on the group's major 1980s hits "Rockin' into the Night," "Hold on Loosely," "Caught Up in You," and "If I'd Been the One." He left the band in 1987, just as the group's hot streak appeared to be coming to an end, but he came back into the fold in 1992 and continued to record and tour with the band into the 21st century.

Barnes, Donnie Van Zant, Jeff Carlisi, Jack Grondin, and Steve Brookins formed .38 Special in 1974, signing with AM in 1977. The group didn't score a hit until 1980, when "Rockin' into the Night" just missed the Top 40, but 1981's Wild-Eyed Southern Boys turned into a platinum hit thanks to "Hold on Loosely." Special Forces gave them a Top Ten hit in the form of "Caught Up in You," and the group continued to chart in Billboard's Top 25 through 1986's "Like No Other Night."

Barnes left .38 Special after Strength in Numbers, the parent album of "Like No Other Night." He recorded a full album called Ride the Storm with co-producer Martin Briley for AM in 1989 but it was shelved due to record company restructuring; it would later be released by Melodic Rock Records in 2017. Barnes returned to .38 Special in 1992. Over the next few decades, Barnes and .38 Special toured regularly and released three new studio albums: 1997's Resolution, 2001's A Wild-Eyed Christmas Night, and 2004's Drivetrain. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi