Download Free Apps & Games @ PHONEKY.com
Download Free Apps & Games @ PHONEKY.com
Subject: Lynyrd Skynyrd (bio)
Replies: 10 Views: 636
toddster 16.02.08 - 12:51pm
Formed: 1965 in Jacksonville, Florida
Years Active: 1965 through 1977 & 1987 to present
Group's Main Members: Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Bob Burns, Billy Powell, Leon Wilkeson, Ed King, Artimus Pyle, Steve Gaines *
toddster 16.02.08 - 12:52pm
When you think of southern rock n roll, one of the first bands to come to mind is Lynyrd Skynyrd. Their blues-hard rock, three-guitar weaving line-up was a Southern image hard to forget. The band was formed by a bunch of high school friends in 1965, vocalist/songwriter Ronnie Van Zant, guitarists Gary Rossington and Allen Collins, bassist Larry Jungstrom and drummer Bob Burns. *
toddster 16.02.08 - 12:52pm
They played the first few years under various different names (Noble Five, Wildcats, Sons Of Satan and My Backyard), after they released a single in 1968, they changed their name to Lynyrd Skynyrd. The name came as a mock against their high school gym teacher Leonard Skinner, who was notorious for punishing male students with long hair and proclaimed that Van Zant and his friends would never amount to anything good in life. *
toddster 16.02.08 - 12:52pm
Shortly after they changed their name Leon Wilkeson joined the group on bass replacing Jungstrom and also around this time they added keyboardist Billy Powell. The group was discovered in Atlanta by Al Kooper in 1972 while they were playing a gig and he signed them to his Sounds Of The South label. As they began work on their first alb*m guitarist Ed King (formerly of Strawberry Alarm Clock) join and their triple guitar attack lineup was now in place. *
toddster 16.02.08 - 12:52pm
Their debut album, pro nounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd, was a big hit, and was stronger than any other debut alb*m released by any other band. Being the opening act for The Who's Quadrophenia tour in 1973 also help expose the band too. But it was the song Free Bird, a tribute to the recently deceased Duane Allman, with it's great guitar ending that really got the band going. The song is still today considered one of rock's best ever. *
toddster 16.02.08 - 12:53pm
As great a song as Free Bird was, it would not turn out to be their biggest hit. The single Sweet Home Alabama, which appeared on their second alb*m Second Helping in 1974, would. Although a tongue-in-cheek song, it would solidify their redneck image. In the song the lyric I hope Neil Young will remember, southern man don't need him around anyhow, was a amusing shot at Young who had wrote the songs Southern Man and Alabama. But the band and Young were best of friends and Skynyrd even opened some shows for him. *
toddster 16.02.08 - 12:53pm
After the release of Second Helping, Burns left the band and Artimus Pyle took over on the drums. By the end of '74 King would also leave and for a time Skynyrd would be a s*xtet. They released their third alb*m Nuthin' Fancy in 1975 and it was a Top Ten hit. *
toddster 16.02.08 - 12:53pm
In 1976 they had a new producer, Tom Dowd for their next alb*m Gimmie Back My Bullets and after heavy yearly touring, they now had a strong following on the road. This would lead to another alb*m release in '76, the live alb*m One More For the Road, which also was a huge hit. This alb*m also would feature King's replacement, guitarist Steve Gaines and a trio of female backup singers, and it became Skynyrd's second Top Ten album. *
toddster 16.02.08 - 12:54pm
Things were going great for the band in 1977 as they recorded their next studio album, Street Survivors, which would turn out to be one of the band's biggest hits. But only a few days after its release, on October 20, tragedy would hit. The band was on tour and on their way to a show in Louisiana when their plane crashed, killing Van Zant, Gaines, his sister Cassie (one of the three backing singers) and manager Dean Kilpatrick. The rest of the band was seriously injured. Lynyrd Skynyrd broke up after this devastating crash. *
toddster 16.02.08 - 12:54pm
n 1980 The Rossington-Collins Band was formed, featuring four surviving Skynyrd members. But another tragic event would take place in 1986 when Collins was in a bad car crash which killed his girlfriend and left him paralyzed; four years later, he died of respiratory failure. *
toddster 16.02.08 - 12:55pm
In 1987 Lynyrd Skynyrd would reform for a reunion tour featuring Rossington, Powell, Pyle, Wilkeson and King, with Ronnie's brother Johnny Van Zant on vocals and Randell Hall added on guitar. Pyle would leave after the 1991 alb*m Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991 with no real permanent replacement for the time being. They would regroup again in the mid 90s with former Blackfoot guitarist Rickey Medlocke replacing King, ex Outlaw Hughie Thomasson replacing Hall and new drummer Michael Cartellone. They continued to record and tour to this day with a loyal following, but not quite like it was in the old glory days of Ronnie Van Zant and company.
In July of 2001, Leon Wilkeson would also pass away, yet another free bird. *
This topic is locked.
rock Forum
