Elite 8: Vote now to pick Jacksonville's best musical act

The votes have been tallied and some Jacksonville favorites bowed out in the first round of Jacksonville's Best Musical Act Challenge.

The first round of the contest paired up 16 acts with roots in Jacksonville and asked readers to pick their favorites. The highest-seeded act won all eight of the contests, and only one was close.

No. 1 seed Ray Charles easily outpolled No. 16 Pat Boone, collecting 89 percent of the votes cast. Other winners were No. 2 seed the Allman Brothers Band over No. 15 Classics IV (92 percent), No. 3 seed Lynyrd Skynyrd over No. 14 Rita Coolidge (86 percent), No. 4 seed the Tedeschi Trucks Band over No. 13 Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (76 percent), No. 5 seed Shinedown over No. 12 Mase (70 percent), No. 6 seed .38 Special over No. 11 Blind Blake (80 percent), No. 7 seed Limp Bizkit over No. 10 JJ Grey & Mofro (55 percent) and No. 8 seed Molly Hatchet over No. 9 Yellowcard (68 percent).

Winners advance to the next round. Vote for your favorites at jacksonville.com before polls close at 2 p.m. Thursday.

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1: Ray Charles

Jacksonville connection: Charles moved to Jacksonville as a teen after spending time at Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine, living on Church Street where the LaVilla School of the Arts now stands. He sat in with bands at Jacksonville’s Genovar Hall and Two Spot club and was a regular at St. Pius Catholic Church. But he evidently didn’t love Jacksonville; a 1998 biography describes an incident where Charles reportedly asked a friend to find him the farthest place in the U.S. from Florida and subsequently moved to Seattle.

Accolades: 5 gold albums, 3 platinum albums, 37 Grammy nominations (17 wins), Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, Georgia Music Hall of Fame, Kennedy Center Honors, Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame, Country Music Hall of Fame, pictured on 2013 U.S. Postal Service stamp.

Songs you know: “Hit the Road Jack,” “Georgia on My Mind,” “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” “What’d I Say”

8: Molly Hatchet

Jacksonville connection: Formed in Jacksonville in mid-1970s and became one of the leaders of the Southern rock scene.

Accolades: 1 gold album, 4 platinum albums

Songs you know: “Flirtin’ With Disaster,” “Gator Country,” “Dreams I’ll Never See,” “Satisfied Man”

Using the app? Click here to cast your vote.

4: Tedeschi Trucks Band

Jacksonville connection: Guitarist Derek Trucks is a Jacksonville native and played with his uncle, Butch Trucks, in the Allman Brothers Band from 1999-2014. Trucks and his wife, singer/guitarist Susan Tedeschi, live in Jacksonville and were chosen by the Jaguars to play the National Anthem before the 2023 NFL playoff game against the Chargers. Their 12-piece band was the headliner when Daily’s Place opened in 2017 and has opened its summer tour there every non-pandemic year since.

Accolades: 2 Grammy nominations (1 win), 4-time Blues Music Awards Band of the Year

Songs you know: “Midnight in Harlem,” “I Am the Moon,” “Made Up Mind,” “Bound for Glory”

5: Shinedown

Jacksonville connection: Formed in Jacksonville in 2001 around singer Brent Smith. The band has a headlining show scheduled at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in April.

Accolades: 3 gold albums, 3 platinum albums, 7 iHeart Music nominations, 29 Top 5 songs on U.S. Mainstream Rock charts.

Songs you know: “Second Chance,” “45” “Bully,” “Monsters”

Using the app? Click here to cast your vote.

2: The Allman Brothers Band

Jacksonville connection: The band formed in a Riverside house -- where you can still stop by and read the historical marker – and included drummer Butch Trucks, who was born and raised in Jacksonville. The band’s first shows were in Willowbranch Park and at the Jacksonville Armory.

Accolades: 2 gold albums, 1 platinum album, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 8 Grammy nominations (1 win), Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award,

Songs you know: “Jessica,” “Midnight Rider,” “Whipping Post,” “Ramblin’ Man”

7: Limp Bizkit

Jacksonville connection: Formed in Jacksonville in mid-’90s, came up through city’s music scene.

Accolades: 1 gold album, 4 platinum albums, 3 Grammy nominations, 3 MTV Europe Video Awards, 2000 Top Modern Rock Artist from Billboard Music Awards

Songs you know: “Nookie,” “Behind Blue Eyes,” “Break Stuff,” “Take a Look Around”

Using the app? Click here to cast your vote.

3: Lynyrd Skynyrd

Jacksonville connection: Formed in Jacksonville, came up playing clubs and dances in ‘60s and early ‘70s. Named for Leonard Skinner, former Lee High teacher who bothered band members about their haircuts. Two DVD packages, “Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd & Second Helping Live” and “Last of the Street Survivors Tour Lyve,” were recorded in Jacksonville.

Accolades: 7 gold albums, 13 platinum albums, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Songs you know: “Free Bird,” “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Gimme Three Steps,” “That Smell”

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6: .38 Special

Jacksonville connection: Formed in Jacksonville in early ‘70s from ashes of Sweet Rooster, named for an incident where a police officer threatened to shoot the lock off their rehearsal space with his .38 Special revolver.

Accolades: 1 gold album, 4 platinum albums, 13 Top 10 U.S. Mainstream Rock singles

Songs you know: “Wild Eyed Southern Boys,” “Hold on Loosely,” “Caught Up in You,” “Second Chance”

Using the app? Click here to cast your vote.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville's Best Musical Act: 1st round winners, 2nd round voting