Arguably the birthplace of modern music, the South has been home to icons in every genre. In a head-to-head 64-team bracket, who will emerge victorious? Over the next few weeks we need you to help us find the voice of the South. Vote for your favorites in every region and see the rules here.

When building out this bracket, we placed all 64 contestants onto a map to see how the regions might naturally shape up. We quickly found pairings that made sense -- Alabama-Georgia, Texas-Louisiana -- but then we were left with this grab bag of ACC states.

There are some major, important Southern voices that have emerged from Kentucky, Virginia, the Carolinas and Florida. Don't let the eclectic makeup of this region fool you, some of these artists could go on to win it all. Lynyrd Skynyrd? James Brown? Tom Petty? These are heavy hitters.

Vote for your favorites to emerge from the ACC. If you don't vote, then the Parrotheads win.

Vote in the other regions here:

Alabama-Georgia

Texas-Louisiana

Arkansas-Mississippi-Tennessee

Print a copy of The Ultimate Southern Music Bracket and play along at home.

REGION 3: ACC (VOTING ENDS JUNE 25, 11:50 P.M.)

(1) James Brown vs. (16) Chris Stapleton

It may feel a little early to throw Kentucky's Chris Stapleton into the mix of all-time Southern greats; after all, he's only released one solo album. Granted, that album was a spectacular, Grammy-winning debut, but the real reason he's on this list is that he has written more than 150 songs for just about every one of your favorite artists. Kenny Chesney? Yep. Adele? You got it. Darius Rucker, Sheryl Crow, Peter Frampton, Luke Bryan, Tim McGraw and Alison Krauss? Yeah, them too. You combine the power of all their hits together and he's basically Country Captain Planet.

But it'll take a little more than heart to knock down the Godfather of Soul. Born in a little shack in South Carolina, James Brown went on to invent the entire genre of funk music. His cape-clad concerts were basically religious experiences, baptizing congregants in a completely new sound. With a career spanning six decades, 16 No.-1 singles and an appearance in "Rocky IV" (I know Apollo Creed tragically died at the hands of Ivan Drago, but at least he got to have the greatest introduction of all time before going down), we are all living in James Brown's America. -John Hammontree

(8) Jimmy Buffett vs. (9) James Taylor

Oh man. This may be the toughest match up in the whole first round. It's an easy listening battle royale.

I mean, you've got James Taylor, who won five Grammys and sold more than 100 million records. He has a Presidential Medal of Freedom. His rendition of "How Sweet it is to be Loved by You," was probably the first dance at your cousin's wedding. He makes me nostalgic for North Carolina and I've never even lived there, except for in my mind.

But on the other hand, you've got Jimmy Buffett. And he is such a household name that he has blenders named after him.

Can I let you in on a little secret? I think Buffett could very well win this whole tournament. Parrotheads are everywhere. They live among us like a simmering threat in an M. Night Shaymalan movie. They listen to "Cheeseburger in Paradise" while driving to McDonalds. They hum "Five O'Clock Somewhere" every day at half past 12. Their 43rd birthday parties took place at a Margaritaville. They're like Beyonce's Beyhive, if the Beyhive wore pastel-colored beach shirts and puka shells. They've probably voted for Jimmy 100 times before you finished reading this. -John Hammontree

(5) Patsy Cline vs. (12) D'Angelo

When I was in sixth grade, my dad purchased Patsy Cline's greatest hits CD. I remember actively trying to climb out of the window of his Ford F-150 just to get away from those songs.

But at that age, you dislike everything your parents like, because at that age you're stupid. Or at least I was. Because Patsy Cline is straight fire. "Crazy" and "She's Got You" are such heartbreaking breakup songs, I had to call my wife to make sure we were still married after I finished listening to them.

Speaking of breakup songs, don't be shocked if your girlfriend leaves you for Cline's fellow Virginian and reluctant sex symbol, D'Angelo. The neo soul pioneer made a name for himself with this sensual debut album "Brown Sugar" and the "Untitled (How Does it Feel)" music video that a coworker described as "pure sex." After a long hiatus, D'Angelo released the universally acclaimed "Black Messiah" in 2014 as a response to the Ferguson and Eric Garner cases. I have a sneaking suspicion if you play enough D'Angelo songs and Patsy Cline songs back to back, you'll basically have the plot of a Joseph Gordon Levitt movie. -John Hammontree

(4) The Allman Brothers Band vs. (13) Missy Elliott

I once skipped two days of classes to perfect the Allman Brothers' "Jessica" on Guitar Hero. I am very cool.

As a kid, I remember my neighbor had their "Decade of Hits" album and we would spend hours listening to every single guitar riff. I never really understood the appeal of Molly Hatchet or .38 Special, but songs like "Ramblin' Man" and "Midnight Rider" I could feel deep down in my Southern bones. Sorry, Skynyrd, but to me the Allman Brothers will always be the sound that defines Jacksonville - well, that or the sound of 45 Harley-Davidsons pulling into a Cracker Barrel just off of I-95.

But head up I-95 and cut over on VA-58 and you'll find Portsmouth, Virginia, the home of Missy Elliott. She's the hip-hop queen who deployed the all-time best use of an elephant sound in "Work it," which also caused thousands of people (myself included) to google how to spell" ti esrever dna ti pilf, nwod gniht ym tup." Her groundbreaking first album, "Get Ur Freak On," predicted how millennials would spell 10 years later, and she was the most visible and successful female hip-hop artist for most of the 2000s, blazing paths in R&B and hip-hop production. -John Hammontree

(6) Nina Simone vs. (11) Charlie Daniels

Oh Lord. Please don't let me be misunderstood, but I'm guessing there isn't much overlap in the fan bases of Charlie Daniels and Nina Simone. The two artists, who each found the basis for their music careers in the churches of North Carolina, vocalized the fears and concerns of two different sides of the political spectrum.

Daniels, who is best known for the fiddle-fueled classic "Devil Went Down to Georgia" (which some high-school jam band is probably butchering right this very minute), has become an increasingly vocal conservative firebrand. His song "In America" became a staple in the wake of 9/11 - although it was actually written during the Iran Hostage Crisis - and he has used his website to criticize evolution, Democrats and political correctness.

Simone, by contrast, is a civil rights icon, with songs like "Mississippi Goddam" and "Old Jim Crow" becoming anthems in the wake of the murder of Medgar Evers in Mississippi and Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. But she was also an insanely prolific jazz artist. Recording at least 40 albums over the span of her life, Simone inspired artists from Elton John and John Lennon to Kanye West and David Bowie. -John Hammontree

(3) Lynyrd Skynyrd vs. (14) Ryan Adams

Call this the Battle of the Jacksonvilles (or at least, that's what I'm doing). Lynyrd Skynyrd may sing Alabama's unofficial anthem, but the band formed in Jacksonville, Florida. Although it was one of several Southern rock bands to come out of the city in the '60s, Skynyrd is arguably the best and most memorable. (No one shouts "Hold On Loosely" at other bands' concerts, after all.) You might deduct points for the band's continued touring--and continued display of the Confederate flag--but the original lineup's influence shows up today in bands such as Drive-By Truckers and Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires.

Three decades later, Jacksonville, North Carolina, inspired (or depressed) a musician who would become its iconic voice. Ryan Adams emerged onto the indie rock scene as the front man of Whiskeytown, and since 2000 he's blended his Southern singer-songwriter sensibilities with diverse influences. His wide-ranging catalog includes alt-country and heavy metal. But will that range be enough to take down the darlings of Southern rock? -Carla Jean Whitley

(7) Bill Monroe vs. (10) Emmylou Harris

How do you compare two legends? That's precisely what we're forced to do as bluegrass and folk luminaries Bill Monroe and Emmylou Harris face off.

Let's start with Monroe: Without him, one of Harris' primary genres wouldn't exist. The Kentuckian grew up in a family that played what we now consider traditional bluegrass instruments (his was mandolin). Over the years, he assembled a number of bands that featured fast-paced instrumentation and vocal harmonies. The genre ultimately took its name from his Blue Grass Boys--an ode, of course, to Monroe's home state.

Harris, who was born in Birmingham, was raised in Virginia and North Carolina before studying theater and music at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. She learned and embraced folk music, and ultimately dropped out of school to pursue a musical career. Her first album was solo, but Harris' second recording effort established her as a recognizable harmony singer. That work, with Gram Parsons, was the first of many, many collaborations. She's released 26 studio albums on her own.

Harris' name may be more recognizable to the general listening public. Will that be enough to carry her to victory over the Father of Bluegrass? -Carla Jean Whitley

(2) Tom Petty vs. (15) My Morning Jacket

At a glance, it seems almost unfair to pit My Morning Jacket against Tom Petty. OK, yes, I know that's how seeding works. But I often argue that Petty is the best thing to come out of Gainesville, Florida. (I'm a Florida State graduate. Go figure.) His work, with and without the Heartbreakers, is threaded through the collective consciousness of the past 40 years.

I'm interested to see how newer artists throughout this bracket hold their own against those who are nearing or have achieved legendary status. But with almost two decades of music and a devoted following, My Morning Jacket is well down that path itself.

They represent different ends of the rock spectrum, but the bands aren't dissimilar, really. They both feature memorable front men. Both of those guys have notable solo careers, although Jim James' isn't yet quite as memorable as Petty's. Heck, they've even both been part of super groups: Petty, the Traveling Wilburys, James with Monsters of Folk. In both cases, other band members are also accomplished outside of the main unit.

So maybe this isn't an obvious choice, after all. -Carla Jean Whitley

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