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Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American Southern rock band,
described by All Music Guide's Stephen Thomas
Erlewine as "the definitive Southern rock band,
fusing the overdriven power of blues-rock with a
rebellious, Southern US|Southern image and a hard
rock swagger."
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:51
u67uu0h0jd~T1  The band reached prominence during
the 1970's, under the leadership of vocalist and
primary songwriter Ronnie Van Zant, until his
death in 1977.

==History==

===The formative years, 1964-1969===
The band, first called My Backyard, was formed in
Jacksonville, Florida in the summer of 1964 by
teenage friends Ronnie Van Zant (vocals), Allen
Collins (guitar), Gary Rossington (guitar), Larry
Junstrom (bass), and Bob Burns (drums). Their
early influences included British Invasion bands
such as Free, The Yardbirds, and The Beatles, as
well as Southern US|Southern blues and country &
western.

During the 1960's, the band changed names several
times (most notably The Noble Five and One
Percent) while playing local dances and clubs in
Jacksonville. In 1968 they won a local Battle of
the Bands contest, using the prize money to record
the songs "Need All My Friends" and "Michelle",
the former released as their debut single on
Jacksonville-based Shade Tree Records. They also
won the opening slot on several Southeast shows
for California-based psychedelic rock band
Strawberry Alarm Clock. 

===The classic years, 1970-1977===

In 1970, the band began constant rehearsals at
"Hell House", an isolated farm in Green Cove
Springs, Florida|Green Cove Springs, a small city
in Clay County, Florida|Clay County on the
outskirts of Jacksonville. Roadie Billy Powell
joined as keyboardist around this time. The final
band name also came about, inspired as a mocking
tribute to Rossington's and Burns' gym coach at
Robert E. Lee High, Leonard Skinner. Skinner would
strictly enforce the school's dress code, which
did not allow boys to have long hair touching the
collar or sideburns below the ears. After being
punished several times, the bandmates played a
show, still as One Percent, but Van Zant jokingly
announced from the stage that they were now called
Leonard Skinner. The name stuck, soon becoming
Lynard Skynard, and finally Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Lynyrd Skynyrd continued to perform throughout the
South in the early 1970's, further developing
their hard-driving, blues-rock sound and image. In
1972, Leon Wilkeson replaced Junstrom on bass.
Strawberry Alarm Clock guitarist Ed King was also
added, and soon the band's triple-guitar attack
became a signature sound. Van Zant married
girlfriend Judy Van Zant|Judy Seymour in 1972.

Producer Al Kooper was impressed with the band
during a performance at an Atlanta club called
Funocchio's in 1972, and signed them to MCA
Records. He produced their first album, 1973's
Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd, which featured the
song "Free Bird", a tribute to recently deceased
Duane Allman of The Allman Brothers Band. "Free
Bird" began to receive national airplay,
eventually reaching #19 on the Billboard Hot 100
charts. The song has also become the subject of a
Rock and Roll cliché, which is the shouting of a
request to hear the song at almost any live
concert, regardless of the performer. This
practice has become so commonplace at live
concerts it has largely evolved into a parody of
itself.

Lynyrd Skynyrd's fan base continued to grow
rapidly during 1973, due in large part to their
opening slot on the The Who's Quadrophenia tour in
the United States|U.S.. Their second album, 1974's
Second Helping, was the band's breakthrough hit.
It featured their most popular single "Sweet Home
Alabama (song)|Sweet Home Alabama" (#8 on the
charts in August 1974), an answer song to Neil
Young's "Alabama" and "Southern Man". The belief
that Van Zant and Young were rivals is incorrect;
they were actually fans of each other's music and
talked of collaborations together. Young has
covered Lynyrd Skynyrd songs at his own live
concerts as a tribute to Van Zant. Second Helping
reached #12, eventually going multi-platinum. The
band also toured the U.K. in 1975 with Golden
Earring and in 1976 with The Rolling Stones.

In 1975, King and Burns left the band, and Burns
was replaced by Artimus Pyle. The new lineup's
first album, Nuthin' Fancy, was released, becoming
their first Top Ten album. It features the hit
song "Saturday Night Special" (#27 on the
Billboard Hot 100 chart). Gimme Back My Bullets
followed in 1976, but didn't reach the same
success as the previous two albums. Guitarist
Steve Gaines, brother of backup singer Cassie
Gaines, replaced King in 1976, just in time to
record the double-live album One More From the
Road, the band's second Top Ten hit. 

Lynyrd Skynyrd's sixth album, Street Survivors,
was released in October of 1977.  It would be the
final album released by the original line-up.



===The tragic plane crash, 1977===
Lynyrd Skynyrd's legend is grounded in a tragic
plane crash that occurred on October 20, 1977,
three days after the release of Street Survivors. 
A plane carrying the band between shows from
Greenville, South Carolina to Baton Rouge,
Louisiana, crashed outside of Gillsburg,
Mississippi. The crash killed Ronnie Van Zant,
Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines, and assistant road
manager Dean Kilpatrick, as well as pilot Walter
McCreary and co-pilot William Gray. The other band
members were injured. The original pressing of the
cover of Street Survivors was a photograph of the
band standing in flames; the flames were removed
after the crash in honor of the deceased.

Lynyrd Skynyrd disbanded after the airplane
tragedy. Street Survivors became a huge hit soon
after, and the single "What's Your Name" reached
#13 on the charts in January of 1978.

===Hiatus, 1977-1986===
Rossington and Collins formed The
Rossington-Collins Band between 1980 and 1982,
releasing two albums. Pyle formed The Artimus Pyle
Band in 1982. Collins formed The Allen Collins
Band in 1983. Tragedy struck the band again in
1986 when Collins crashed his car while driving
drunk near his home in Jacksonville, killing his
girlfriend and leaving him permanently paralyzed
from the waist down.     

===The reunion years, 1987-present===
Rossington, Powell, King, and Wilkeson reunited
Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1987 with Van Zant's younger
brother, Johnny Van Zant, taking over as the new
lead singer and primary songwriter. Due to
Collins' condition, he was only able to
participate as the musical director. He became
stricken with pneumonia in 1989 and died on
January 23, 1990. 

The reunited band was meant to be a one-time
tribute to the original lineup, captured on the
double-live album Southern By The Grace Of
God/Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Tour - 1987, but
because of an overwhelmingly positive reaction by
fans, the band decided to stay together and record
new material. The reunited Lynyrd Skynyrd has gone
through several lineup changes and continue to
record and tour today. Leon Wilkeson, Skynyrd's
bassist since 1972, died of lung and liver failure
on July 27, 2001. Ronnie Van Zant's widow, Judy
Van Zant, currently owns and operates The Freebird
Cafe, a live music venue and restaurant in
Jacksonville Beach, Florida.

==Controversy==
*Fans of Lynyrd Skynyrd have been increasingly
vocal about the band being overlooked for
induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Some fans attribute this to their controversial
Southern US|Southern image, which includes use of
the Confederate flag, perceived to be racist by
some. However it should be noted that this was
also used by other contemporary Southern artists,
including Elvis Presley and Dolly Parton.  Another
speculated reason is the fact that only two
original members still remain in the band, leading
to criticisms that the current band is merely a
shadow of the original band. Interestingly enough,
the song "Free Bird" does make The Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll
list. Country singer Charlie Daniels posted an
online letter and petition
http://www.petitiononline.com/CDB2005/petition.htm
l directed to the Hall of Fame in February 2005,
encouraging fans to sign it in support.

*Since his death in 1977, rumors have existed that
Ronnie Van Zant was buried in a Neil Young T-shirt
as a supposed curse against him, although
truthfully there was no feud between the two (see
above, band history). Some fans believe this rumor
was the reason the gravesites of Ronnie Van Zant
and Steve Gaines were broken into on June 29,
2000, in Orange Park, Florida. Others believe that
this desecration was motivated by the 1986 Dead
Kennedys track A Commercial
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/6558/BEDTIME_
.HTM#15 which mockingly refered to exhuming the
bodies of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Van Zant's casket was
dragged onto the grounds, but was not opened.
Gaines' cremated remains, which were in a plastic
bag in an urn, were scattered on the ground near
his site. 99% of his ashes were recovered.  The
families decided to move their remains to an
undisclosed location, leaving the mausoleums as
memorials for fans to visit.

==Trivia==
*Southern Rock Opera, a critically-acclaimed 2001
album by alt-country band Drive-By Truckers, is
based on the mythology surrounding Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Song titles include "Ronnie and Neil",
"Birmingham", "Cassie's Brother", and "Greenville
to Baton Rouge".

==Band members==

===Classic lineup===
*Ronnie Van Zant, lead vocals & primary songwriter
(from 1964 until death in 1977)
*Allen Collins, guitar (from 1964 to 1977)
*Gary Rossington, guitar (from 1964 to present)
*Bob Burns, drums (from 1964 until 1974)
*Larry Junstrom, bass (from 1964 to 1972)
*Leon Wilkeson, bass (from 1972 until death in
2001)
*Ed King, guitar (from 1973 to 1975)
*Steve Gaines, guitar (from 1976 until death in
1977)
*Billy Powell, keyboard (from 1973 to present)
*Artimus Pyle, drums (from 1975-1992)
*Cassie Gaines, JoJo Billingsley and Leslie
Hawkins, background vocals

===Present lineup===
*Johnny Van Zant, lead vocals
*Gary Rossington, guitars
*Billy Powell, keyboard
*Ean Evans, bass
*Rickey Medlocke, guitar (also played drums
briefly in 1971)
*Michael Cartellone, drums
*Dale Krantz Rossington and Carol Chase,
background vocals

==Discography==

===Classic lineup===
====Studio albums====
#Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd - 1973
#Second Helping - 1974
#Nuthin' Fancy - 1975
#Gimme Back My Bullets - 1976
#Street Survivors - 1977

====Compilations====
* Skynyrd's First And... Last - 1978, collection
of early demos
* Gold & Platinum - 1980, best of
* Best Of The Rest - 1982, best of
* Legend - 1987, unreleased demos, b-sides
* Skynyrd's Innyrds - 1989, best of
* Box Set - 1991, collection
* The Essential Lynyrd Skynyrd - 1998, collection
* Lynyrd Skynyrd's Greatest Hits - 2000. best of
* Thyrty : 30th Anniversary Collection - 2003,
collection

====Lives and videos====
* One More From The Road - 1976 live album
* Freebird The Movie - 1995 video of live concert
footage
* Freebird The Movie - 1996 video soundtrack


===Present lineup===

====Studio albums====
#Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991 - 1991
#The Last Rebel - 1993
#Endangered Species - 1994
#Twenty - 1997
#Edge Of Forever - 1999
#Christmas Time Again - 2000
#Vicious Cycle - 2003

====Compilations====
* Then and Now  - 2000

====Lives and videos====
* Southern By The Grace Of God/Lynyrd Skynyrd
Tribute Tour - 1987 - 1988 live album
* Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Tour - 1988 tour video
* Lyve From Steel Town - 1998 live album
* Lyve From Steel Town - 1998 tour video
* Lynyrd Skynyrd Lyve : The Vicious Cycle Tour -
2004 live album
* Lynyrd Skynyrd Lyve : The Vicious Cycle Tour -
2004 tour video


===Singles===

Shade Tree Records
* 1968 "Need All My Friends"
* 1971 "I've Been Your Fool"

MCA Records
* 1973 "Free Bird"
* 1973 "Gimme Three Steps"
* 1974 "Don't Ask Me No Questions"
* 1974 "Sweet Home Alabama (song)|Sweet Home
Alabama" #8 US
* 1975 "Free Bird" reissue, #19 US
* 1975 "Saturday Night Special" #27 US
* 1976 "Double Trouble" #80 US
* 1976 "Gimme Back My Bullets"
* 1977 "Free Bird (Live)" #38 US
* 1977 "What's Your Name" #13 US
* 1977 "You Got That Right"
* 1978 "That Smell"
* 1978 "Down South Jukin'"
* 1978 "When You Got Good Friends"

==See also==
*Best selling music artists

== External links ==
* http://www.lynyrdskynyrd.com Official Lynyrd
Skynyrd site
* http://www.skynyrd.com Official Freebird
Foundation site
* http://www.freebirdcafe.com Official Freebird
Live/Freebird Cafe site
* http://www.thrasherswheat.org/jammin/lynyrd.htm
Lynyrd Skynyrd and Neil Young: Friends or Foes?
*
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/0,,SB11110251
1477881964-ZkAKwALO87RaHLbFJrSJSA_i9xg_20050415,00
.html?mod=blogs Wall Street Journal: Rock's Oldest
Joke: Yelling "Free Bird!" In a Crowded Theater
*
http://www.petitiononline.com/CDB2005/petition.htm
l Charlie Daniels' Online Petition to the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame
* http://www.glidemagazine.com/articles139.html
""Induct Skynyrd!" - A Legendary Hall Of Fame
Injustice" by Ross Warner