Lynyrd Skynyrd: Their Life and Legacy
“Skynyrd was nothing but rockers, and they were Southern rockers to the bone. This didn’t just mean that they were rednecks, but that they brought it all together — the blues, country, garage rock, Southern poetry.” ~Thomas Erlewine
A Southerner’s Note:
As Tim O’Brien said, “It wasn’t a war story, it was a love story.” Lynyrd Skynyrd is known today for their hit song “Sweet Home Alabama” and their infamous plane crash. But while their crash was tragic, what most people overlook is how their lives were represented by so much more than a faulty engine. They defined Southern rock, they brought pride to their nation, they lived their lives wildly and fully, and their hard work let them lead a life that they were proud of and happy with, which few people can say. Their plane crash was one of the darkest moments in rock and roll history, but their lives were far more rich than any black abyss might seem. The spirits and souls of the members who died continue to live through their songs. When most people die, they are lost in history, but Lynyrd Skynyrd will never be lost in history nor time. They mattered. And nothing about that is tragic.
Table of Contents:
* Quick Facts
1) Members
2) Top Five Best Selling Songs* Early Years (1964–1973)
1) The Formation
2) Where Does the Name Lynyrd Skynyrd Come From?
3) Replacements and New Additions
4) Their First Album
5) The Story Behind “Free Bird”* The Years Up to the Plane Crash (1973–1977)
1) Their Second Album
2) The Story Behind “Sweet Home Alabama”
3) Replacements and New Additions
4) Why Ed King Left
5) Their Third Album
6) The Car Crashes
7) The Story Behind “What’s Your Name”
8) Their Fourth Album* The Plane Crash
1) The Plane Crash
2) Deaths
3) After the Crash* Stories From the Band
1) The Munich, Germany Bar Fight
2) Rickey Medlocke’s Surprise
3) Gary Rossington Got a Pie Smashed in His Face* Facts About the Band
1) Mississippi Kid
2) Southern Guns
3) Hall of Fame* My Resources
Quick Facts
“When we were kids, we said the Pledge of Allegiance because we were proud of this country, and we said prayer. You know, we thanked the good Lord above.” ~Johnny Van Zant
The list of past and present members is so extensive that I am just going to direct you to the Wikipedia page dedicated to their members. Click here to see it.
* Sweet Home Alabama (Peaked at 8 on 10/26/1974)
* What’s Your Name (Peaked at 13 on 3/11/1978)
* Free Bird (Peaked at 19 on 1/25/1975)
* Saturday Night Special (Peaked at 27 on 8/2/1975)
* You Got That Right (Peaked at 69 on 4/29/1978)
Early Years (1964–1973)
The Formation
To put things into perspective, the Beatles landed in America for the first time on February 7, 1964, the same year that the earliest version of Lynyrd Skynyrd formed as My Backyard. It would be another eight years before the The Marshall Tucker band formed and another fifteen years before the Allman Brothers formed.
It was summer in Jacksonville, Florida when Ronnie Van Zant, Bob Burns, and Gary Rossington first played music together. The three had met while playing baseball. Zant had hit a line drive into Burns’ head, and his first words to a horrified Gary Rossington were: “I think it’s funny as hell!” After the incident, some afternoon later, the three somehow ended up in Burns’ parents garage after deciding that they wanted to play music together. They ran through a popular Rolling Stones song and realized that they weren’t bad. The band that defined southern rock had just formed, although, they weren’t quite finished, they still needed to recruit second guitarist, Allen Collins, and bassist Larry Junstrom. Recruiting Collins had not been an easy task though.
“Van Zant and Burns both had a reputation for trouble, and Collins fled on his bicycle and hid up a tree when he saw them pull up in his driveway.” (From Wikipedia)
But after the situation was explained, Collins agreed to join the band. Larry Junstrom also joined, completing the original lineup.
Where Does the Name Lynyrd Skynyrd Come From?
Originally, the band called themselves The Nobel Five, but this didn’t stick, and they had changed it to The One Percent by 1968. Wikipedia writes that they dropped the latest name because Zant became “tired of taunts from the audiences that the band had “1% talent.”” Bob Burns was the one who suggested the name Lynyrd Skynyrd (originally spelled Leonard Skinnerd) because of both the song “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh” by Allan Sherman and their gym teacher who they intended to mock, Leonard Skinner, by adding a ‘d,’ making Skinnerd. Skinner had a reputation for hating rock and enforcing a policy with an iron fist that said boys attending Robert E. Lee, the high school that the boys attended, could not have long hair. Rossington actually dropped out because he was tired for his teachers giving him trouble for his hair. Later though, Skinner and the Skynyrds became friendly and he was even invited to one of their concerts. Skinner also allowed the band to use a picture of his Realty sign for the inside of their third album, Nuthin’ Fancy. The picture above shows Skinner holding the album. It was in the early 1970s that the spelling morphed from Leonard Skinnerd to Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Replacements and New Additions
By 1972, Leon Wilkeson (bassist) had taken a brief break from the band due to having reservations about their rising fame. Ed King, a former member of Strawberry Alarm Clock, had joined in 1973, right in time to fill the bass part for (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-’nérd ‘Skin-’nérd)’s “Simple Man,” the only part not written for the song yet. When he returned, King moved to guitar, creating what the band called Skynyrd’s three-guitar army.
Their First Album
(Pronounced ‘Lĕh-’nérd ‘Skin-’nérd) was the band’s first full length album comprised of eight songs, including their famous “Free Bird” and my favorite, “Simple Man.” It was released on August 13, 1973.
The Story Behind “Free Bird”
Oddly, Ronnie Zant was not impressed with “Free Bird” the first time that it was mentioned. Gary Rossington said, “He complained that the opening chord progression was too complicated, and he couldn’t find a melody for it.” But when Allen Collins played it during practice one day, Zant said that he liked it. Rossington later says, “And he wrote the lyrics in three or four minutes — the whole damn thing!”
Facts Behind the Song
- “Free Bird” is the story of a a man telling a girl the reason he can’t stop and settle. The first line of the song is, “If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?” Song Facts says that these lyrics “were inspired by Allen Collins’ girlfriend Kathy, who had asked him this very question during a fight.”
- Although the song is nine minutes and eight seconds, the last word is said at 4:55.
- After Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers band died in 1971, almost a decade after “Free Bird” was written, Skynyrd, when preforming the song, would sometimes dedicate the song to the Allman. Song Facts also writes, “The double guitar solo at the end is the same style as many early Allman Brothers songs on which Duane played.”
- “Free Bird” is always the last song played at their concerts.
The Years Up to the Plane Crash (1973–1977)
Their Second Album
Second Helping was the band’s second album (also comprised of eight songs) and included their most successful song, “Sweet Home Alabama.” It was released on April 15, 1974.
The Story Behind “Sweet Home Alabama”
It’s widely known that “Sweet Home Alabama” was written in contrast to Neil Young’s “Southern Man” and “Alabama,” which were songs that many say stereotyped the South. In them, Young complained about the racists he saw, but many feel as though the song sends a bad message, that the South is only a place of sin. “Sweet Home Alabama” was written to highlight the beautiful parts of Alabama as well as call out the North through a lyric about Watergate, trying to convey that the North also has problems they need to fix.
Facts Behind the Song
- Neil Young and Ronnie Zant actually liked and respected one another. It is a myth that the two were feuding. Zant and Young could even be seen on stage wearing t-shits with their “rivals” face on them during concerts. Zant also said, talking about the lyrics mentioning Young, “Ain’t that funny.’ We love Neil Young. We love his music.”
- The guitar solo is actually in the wrong key. Ed King played the solo in G, not D.
- The opening lyric, “Turn it up,” sung by Zant was not planned. He was literally telling one of the engineers in the studio to turn the volume on his headset up. But they thought that the words blended well into the song, so it was left in the final version.
- When “Sweet Home Alabama” was released, the Governor of Alabama was George Wallace. But despite the “Boo! Boo! Boo!” lyrics that came right after “In Birmingham they love the governor,” Wallace didn’t seem to notice them. He even made the band honorary Lieutenant Colonels in the state militia.
“We’re not into politics, we don’t have no education, and Wallace don’t know anything about rock and roll.”
Replacements and Additions
In 1975, Bob Burns left the band during a European Tour after experiencing a mental breakdown. He never rejoined and was replaced by a Kentucky native, Artimus Pyle. Ed King also left in 1975 due to a clash between Zant and himself. King returned later, after the plane crash though, in 1987, for a tour. Steve Gaines, a guitarist, was invited to play with the band on May 11, 1976 for the first time and became one of the prominent members of the group. He filled King’s position until his death in the 1977 plane crash.
In 1976, Leslie Hawkins, Cassie Gaines (the sister of Steve Gaines), and JoJo Billingsley (backup singers known as The Honkettes) preformed with the band although they were never considered official members.
Why Ed King Left
After Zant and King’s guitar roadie ended up in jail the previous night, King had to play on old string during a performance. They broke, and as a result his performance was shabby. This was the last straw for King after a long train of belittling comments made by Ronnie towards him. He was done and returned home.
Their Third Album
Nuthin’ Fancy (surprise, surprise, comprised of eight songs) is their third album. This is the album where Leonard Skinner’s picture appears on the inside. It was recorded in only seventeen days and released on March 24, 1975.
The Car Crashes
It was the Labor Day weekend of 1976 when Collins and Rossington were both seriously inquired during car crashes (one per member). The experience of Rossington’s car crash inspired the song “That Smell.” Regarding the song, Wikipedia writes,
“Rossington has admitted repeatedly that he was the “Prince Charming” of the song who crashed his car into an oak tree while drunk and stoned on Quaaludes.”
In 1976, Melody, Rossington’s daughter was born and he tried to become sober. Straying from his lifestyle was harder than was expected though not only because the detachment from drugs was physically hard, but also because the band’s image took a hit. They were known for being crazy and wild, and the drugs were part of that image.
Their Fourth Album
Street Survivors was released three days before the plane crash on October 17, 1977. The album highlighted the newest member of the band, Steve Gaines’s talent. Zant was in awe of Gaines and even remarked that the Skynyrd bandmates would “all be in his shadow one day”. The first cover was replaced by a picture that had originally been shown on the back of the album in respect for the lives lost in the plane crash. In 2007, the original cover was displayed once again.
The Story Behind “What’s Your Name”
Inspired by a true incident, “What’s Your Name” is Skynyrd’s second most popular song. The song was written in Miami after one of the band’s roadies got into a bar fight. The band was kicked out, but they just went up to their room and ordered champagne.
Facts Behind the Song
- The first line of the song is “It’s 8 o’clock in Boise, Idaho,” but the song was not written in Idaho, and the event that inspired the song did not happen in Idaho.
- This was released as a single in January 1978.
- “What’s Your Name” mentions the state Idaho, and according to Song Facts, “is the biggest hit song to mention the state in the lyrics.”
The Plane Crash
On October 20, 1977, three days after Street Survivors was released, Skynyrd’s plane crashed. Following a concert in Greenville, South Carolina, the band boarded a small, private plane that was headed to the Louisiana for a concert the following night where they would be appearing at LSU. The plane ran out of fuel northeast of Gillsburg, Mississippi. Band members Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines were killed upon impact as well as Steve’s older sister and backup singer, Cassie Gaines. The assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, and the piolet and co-piolets were also killed. Collins, Rossington, Wilkeson, Powell, Pyle, and Hawkins, Ron Eckerman (tour manager), and many others were severely inquired.
There was a rumor that Ronnie Van Zant was holding a bottle of whiskey when the plane crashed, although drummer, Artimus Pyle, said that he never saw Zant holding whiskey.
“…Just minutes before we actually went into the trees, Ronnie came back up the aisle and stopped right by my seat, and I looked up at Ronnie, and we gave each other to old hippie handshake, not a regular handshake, the old’ thumb-around-thumb hippie handshake, and so Ronnie smiled, this incredible smile, he had a beautiful smile…” (From Metalheadzone)
Ronnie Van Zant spent his last few moments going up and down the rows, saying goodbye to his friends, bandmates, and colleagues.
When Zant left to go back up the isle, he was holding a red, velvet pillow that had been on the plane, not whiskey.
Coincidently, Pyle’s father, a former Marine named Del Pyle was killed in a plane crash in Albuquerque in 1971 while flying over property that he planned to build real estate on. Artimus Pyle had been taking flying lessons from the Marines prior to this.
The Street Survivor’s album cover had featured the band standing in a street consumed by flames where Steve Gaines was almost completely concealed by the fire. This cover was replaced with a simple shot of the band, but the original cover returned thirty years later.
Deaths:
- Ronnie Van Zant
- Steve Gaines
- Cassie Gaines
- Dean Kilpatrick (assistant road manager)
The pilot and co-piolet were also killed.
After the Crash
In 1987, ten years after the plane crash, Gary Rossington, Billy Powell, Leon Wilkeson, Artimus Pyle, and Ed King, reunited to go on what was supposed to be their last tour (although they continued playing even after it was over). Johnny Van Zant, Ronnie’s younger brother, preformed with the band as the new lead singer. Allen Collins had been paralyzed in a car crash in 1986 and could no longer preform. He chose Randall Hall, a guitarist from one of his former bands, to stand in for him. He died in 1989 at only age thirty-seven of pneumonia. This left “Rossington and Junstrom as the only remaining founding members” according to Wikipedia. Sadly, Junstrom died on October 6, 2019. As of January 24, 2021, Rossington is the only original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd that is still alive.
Stories From the Band
The Munich, Germany Bar Fight
Zant and Burns were known for being rough fighters before they started a band (hence the famous story of Collins hiding in a tree to avoid being beat up by the two). But there is a more gruesome story from a tour while in Munich, Germany.
Following a bar fight, the band went back to their hotel room where Zant broke a bottle on the head of a roadie(a person who tours with a band to help them set up equipment) and then continued to slice Gary Rossington’s hands. Both went on to preform the following night even though Zant also had some inquires, broken bones from punching someone.
Rickey Medlocke’s Surprise
From 1971 to 1972, Rickey Medlocke played as a second set of drums with Skynyrd. The first tour that he went on with the band after he came back from a brief hiatus, he mentioned to an interviewer how happy he was to be back with the group that first day. “I was like, ‘Wow, I’m back with a family,’ you know?” he said. But Johnny Van Zant also had something to say about that day. He said,
““Was that the same night the girl was naked, running naked through the bus?” He added, “And one of the guys had his wife with him, so she was like, ‘Oh my God. Does this happen every night, honey?’ It was a fan. Yeah, she followed us to the hotel.”” ( From IHeart Radio)
Gary Rossington Got a Pie Smashed in His Face
On Rossington’s birthday in 1973, the band was on tour with The Who during their Quadrophenia Tour in America. Pete Townshend, the lead vocalist for The Who, came up to Rossington after a show and smashed a cake in his face. They were heading out to do interviews.
Facts About the Band
Mississippi Kid
Ronnie Van Zant’s nickname was Mississippi Kid, but when the band mates were asked why they called him this, they said they didn’t know. The ironic part of his nickname is that he died in Mississippi right outside of Gillsburg.
Southern Guns
Lynyrd Skynyrd is a Southern rock band, no question, and they are proud of the fact, but although many Southerners generally support gun ownership rights, Skynyrd disagreed. A lyric in one of their songs, “Saturday Night Special,” defends this, “I think they ought to throw ’em all away,” Zant sings, referring to guns.
Hall of Fame
On March 13, 2006, Lynyrd Skynyrd was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside other rock stars such as Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, and Blondie.
Dedication:
I dedicate this to the patriots. To the farmers who work hours longer than their afternoon shadows, and the accents which people say makes us sound dumb. The hate we are given for our ancestors sins, and the music which we brought you. The families we raise, the intelligence we surrender to our nation, and the ideals we breed: family and hard work. I dedicate this to the recipe in your cookbook. I dedicate this to my country. I dedicate this to my home, to the livestock and tractors, and faint rustle of the wind moving the trees. To the long fields and dense forests. To the sun which rests upon your face. To the peaches and apples and soil and grain. I dedicate this to the family I don’t know as much as the one who I share blood with. I dedicate this to our veterans. I dedicate this to our hope, and to the culture I hope we can sustain. This is not a message for the people who think they understand this message; who feel only pride. This is for the people who feel an ache in their bones, as if gravity tries to crush them, when they are separated from this place. This is for people who want to live well and broadly, but for people who someday want to return. I dedicate this to Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Resources
- Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Tragic Real-Life Story
- Former Lynyrd Skynyrd Member Reveals How He Survived the Plane Crash
- Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Wikipedia Page
- Lynyrd Skynyrd on Their Most Memorable & Wild Tour Stories
- Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Discography
- Allen Collin’s Wikipedia Page
- 6 Things We Learned From the Lynyrd Skynyrd Documentary
- 2006 Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Inductees
- Lynyrd Skynyrd Trivia: 20 Fascinating Facts About the Band!
- Free Bird Song Facts
- Sweet Home Alabama Song Facts
- The Real Story Behind the Song “Sweet Home Alabama”
- What’s Your Name Song Facts
- What’s Your Name Wikipedia Page
