Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd in concert, 2008
Background information
Also known as	Skynyrd
Origin	Jacksonville, Florida, USA
Genres	Rock, southern rock, boogie rock, blues rock, country rock, hard rock
Years active	1964–1977, 1979 (reunion), 1987–present
Labels	MCA, Atlantic, Capricorn, SPV, CMC International, Sanctuary, Universal, Roadrunner/Loud & Proud
Associated acts	.38 Special, Van Zant, Rossington Collins Band, Allen Collins Band, The Rossington Band, Outlaws, Kid Rock, ZZ Top, Black Crowes
Website	www.lynyrdskynyrd.com
Members
Gary Rossington Rickey Medlocke Johnny Van Zant Michael Cartellone Mark Matejka Peter Keys Johnny Colt
Past members
See Former members

Lynyrd Skynyrd (pronounced /ˌlɛ-nərd ˈskɪn-nərd/ LEN-ərd-SKIN-ərd) is an American rock band best known for popularizing the Southern rock genre during the 1970s. Originally formed in 1964 as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, "Free Bird". At the peak of their success, three members died in an airplane crash in 1977, putting an abrupt end to the band's most popular incarnation.

Surviving members re-formed in 1987 for a reunion tour with lead singer Ronnie Van Zant's younger brother Johnny as frontman. A version of the band continues to tour and record, with only Gary Rossington of its original members remaining as of 2012. Lynyrd Skynyrd was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 13, 2006.^[1]

History[link]

Early years[link]

In the summer of 1964, teenage friends Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins, and Gary Rossington formed the band "The Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida. The band changed in 1965 to "My Backyard", when Larry Junstrom and Bob Burns joined. In 1968, the group won a local Battle of the Bands contest and the opening slot on several Southeast shows for the California-based psychedelic rock band Strawberry Alarm Clock.^{[citation needed]}

In 1970, Van Zant sought a new name. "One Percent" and "The Noble Five" were each considered before the group settled on "Leonard Skinner", a mocking tribute to a physical-education teacher at Robert E. Lee High School, Leonard Skinner,^[2] who was notorious for strictly enforcing the school's policy against boys having long hair.^[3][4] Rossington dropped out of school, tired of being hassled about his hair.^[5] The more distinctive spelling was adopted before they released their first album. Despite their high-school acrimony, the band developed a friendlier relationship with Skinner in later years, and invited him to introduce them at a concert in the Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum.^[6]

Skinner allowed the band to use a photo of his Leonard Skinner Realty sign for the inside of their third album.^[7] Skinner died on September 20, 2010, at age 77 after suffering with Alzheimer's disease.^[8]

In 1970, the band auditioned for Alan Walden, who would later become their manager on the newly formed Hustler's Inc. Walden worked with the band until 1974, when management was turned over to Pete Rudge. The band continued to perform throughout the South in the early 1970s, further developing their hard-driving, blues-rock sound and image, and experimenting with making studio recordings.

During this time, the band experienced some lineup changes for the first time. Junstrom left and was briefly replaced by Greg T. Walker on bass. At the same time, Ricky Medlocke joined as a second drummer. Some versions of the band's history also have Burns leaving the band for a short time during this period of time. The band played some shows with both Burns and Medlocke participating, utilizing a dual-drummer approach similar to that of The Allman Brothers. In 1971, they made some recordings at the famous Muscle Shoals Sound Studio with Walker and Medlocke serving as the rhythm section, without the participation of Burns. Medlocke grew up with the founding members of Lynyrd Skynyrd. When Blackfoot's attempts to move north and play New York and New Jersey were not successful enough for him, he called up Ronnie Van Zant and was asked to play drums for Lynyrd Skynyrd. Medlocke and Walker did not appear on any album until 1978, when came out "First and... Last", which collected the band's recordings in the biennium 1971-1972. This album was considered essential by most fans.

Medlocke and Walker left the band to play with another southern rock band, Blackfoot, and when the band made a second round of Muscle Shoals recordings in 1972, Burns was featured on drums and Leon Wilkeson was Larry Junstrom's permanent replacement on bass. Also in 1972, roadie Billy Powell became the keyboardist for the band.

Peak years (1973–1977)[link]

In 1972 the band (now Van Zant, Collins, Rossington, Burns, Wilkeson, and Powell) was discovered by musician, songwriter, and producer Al Kooper of Blood, Sweat, and Tears, who had attended one of their shows at a club in Atlanta, GA. They changed the spelling of their name to "Lynyrd Skynyrd",^[9] and Kooper signed them to his Sounds of the South label that was to be distributed and supported by MCA Records, producing their first album (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd). Leon Wilkeson temporarily left the band during the early recording sessions for the album only playing on two tracks. Wilkeson rejoined the band shortly after the album's release at Van Zant's invitation and is pictured on the album cover.^{[citation needed]} Strawberry Alarm Clock guitarist Ed King joined the band and played Wilkeson's bass parts on the rest of the album, which Wilkeson had already written, along with some guitar. King stayed in the band and switched to guitar after the album's release, allowing the band to replicate the three-guitar mix used in the studio for their live performances. Released August 13, 1973,^[10] the album featured the hit song "Free Bird", which received national airplay, eventually reaching #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

Lynyrd Skynyrd's fan base continued to grow rapidly throughout 1973, largely due to their opening slot on The Who's Quadrophenia tour in the United States. On their 1974 follow-up, Second Helping, the band successfully avoided any sophomore slump, with King, Collins and Rossington all collaborating with Van Zant on the songwriting. The album was the band's breakthrough hit, and featured their most popular single, "Sweet Home Alabama" (#8 on the charts in August 1974), a response to Neil Young's "Alabama" and "Southern Man". (Young and Van Zant were not rivals, but fans of each other's music and good friends; Young even wrote the song "Powderfinger" for the band, but they never recorded it.^[11] Van Zant, meanwhile, can be seen on the cover of Street Survivors wearing a Neil Young t-shirt.) The album reached #12 in 1974, eventually going multi-platinum. In July of that year, Lynyrd Skynyrd was one of the headline acts at The Ozark Music Festival at the Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia, Missouri.

In January 1975, Burns left the band and was replaced by Kentucky native Artimus Pyle on drums. Lynyrd Skynyrd's third album, Nuthin' Fancy, was released the same year. The album had lower sales than its predecessor. Kooper and the band parted by mutual agreement after the raucous recording of the LP. Kooper was left with the tapes to complete the mix before release. Midway through the tour, Ed King left the band, citing tour exhaustion. In January 1976, backup singers Leslie Hawkins, Cassie Gaines and JoJo Billingsley (collectively known as The Honkettes) were added to the band, although they were not considered official members. Lynyrd Skynyrd's fourth album Gimme Back My Bullets was released in the new year, but did not achieve the same success as the previous two albums. Van Zant and Collins both felt that the band was seriously missing the three-guitar attack that had been one of its early hallmarks. Although Skynyrd auditioned several guitarists, including such high-profile names as Leslie West, the solution was closer than they realized.

Soon after joining Skynyrd, Cassie Gaines began touting the guitar and songwriting prowess of her younger brother, Steve. The junior Gaines, who led his own band, Crawdad (which occasionally would perform Skynyrd's "Saturday Night Special" in their set), was invited to audition onstage with Skynyrd at a concert in Kansas City on May 11, 1976. Liking what they heard, the group also jammed informally with the Oklahoma native several times, then invited him into the group in June. With Gaines on board, the newly-reconstituted band recorded the double-live album One More From the Road at the Fox Theatre (Atlanta, Georgia) in Atlanta, and performed at the Knebworth festival, which also featured The Rolling Stones.

Both Collins and Rossington had serious car accidents over Labor Day weekend in 1976 which slowed the recording of the follow-up album and forced the band to cancel some concert dates. Rossington's accident inspired the ominous "That Smell" – a cautionary tale about drug abuse that was clearly aimed towards him and at least one other band member. 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. Van Zant, at least, was making a serious attempt to clean up his act and curtail the cycle of boozed-up brawling that was part of Skynyrd's reputation.

1977's Street Survivors turned out to be a showcase for guitarist/vocalist Steve Gaines, who had joined the band just a year earlier and was making his studio debut with them. Publicly and privately, Ronnie Van Zant marveled at the multiple talents of Skynyrd's newest member, claiming that the band would "all be in his shadow one day." Gaines' contributions included his co-lead vocal with Van Zant on the co-written "You Got That Right" and the rousing guitar boogie "I Know A Little" which he had written before he joined Skynyrd. So confident was Skynyrd's leader of Gaines' abilities that the album (and some concerts) featured Gaines delivering his self-penned bluesy "Ain't No Good Life" – the only song in the pre-crash Skynyrd catalog to feature a lead vocalist other than Ronnie Van Zant. The album also included the hit singles "What's Your Name" and "That Smell". The band was poised for their biggest tour yet, with shows always highlighted by the iconic rock anthem "Free Bird".^[12] In November, the band was scheduled to fulfill Van Zant's lifelong dream of headlining New York's Madison Square Garden.

The song, "Freebird", in the movie "Freebird the Movie" was actually filmed on July 2, 1977, at the Oakland Coliseum, and not on Monday, July 4 as proclaimed by Bill Graham and listed in the credits.^{[citation needed]}

Plane crash (1977)[link]

On October 20, 1977, just three days after the release of Street Survivors, and five shows into their most successful headlining tour to date, Lynyrd Skynyrd's chartered Convair CV-300 ran out of fuel near the end of their flight from Greenville, South Carolina, where they had just performed at the Greenville Memorial Auditorium, to LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Though the pilots attempted an emergency landing on a small airstrip, the plane crashed in a forest in Gillsburg, Mississippi.^[13] Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary and co-pilot William Gray were killed on impact; the other band members (Collins, Rossington, Wilkeson, Powell, Pyle, and Hawkins) and road crew suffered serious injuries.

Following the crash and the ensuing press, Street Survivors became the band's second platinum album and reached #5 on the U.S. album chart. The single "What's Your Name" reached #13 on the single airplay charts in January 1978.

The original cover sleeve for Street Survivors had featured a photograph of the band, particularly Steve Gaines, engulfed in flames. Out of respect for the deceased (and at the request of Teresa Gaines, Steve's widow), MCA Records withdrew the original cover and replaced it with a similar image of the band against a simple black background.^[14] Thirty years later, for the deluxe CD version of Street Survivors, the original "flames" cover was restored.

Lynyrd Skynyrd disbanded after the tragedy, reuniting just once to perform an instrumental version of "Free Bird" at Charlie Daniels' Volunteer Jam V in January 1979. Collins, Rossington, Powell and Pyle performed the song with Charlie Daniels and members of his band. Leon Wilkeson, who was still undergoing physical therapy for his badly broken left arm, was in attendance, along with Judy Van Zant, Teresa Gaines, JoJo Billingsley and Leslie Hawkins.

Hiatus (1977–1987)[link]

Rossington, Collins, Wilkeson and Powell formed The Rossington-Collins Band, which released two albums between 1980 and 1983. Deliberately avoiding comparisons with Ronnie Van Zant as well as suggestions that this band was Lynyrd Skynyrd reborn, Rossington and Collins chose a woman, Dale Krantz, as lead vocalist. However, as an acknowledgment of their past, the band's concert encore would always be an instrumental version of "Free Bird". Rossington and Collins eventually had a falling out over the affections of Dale Krantz, whom Rossington married and with whom he formed the Rossington Band, which released two albums in the late 1980s and opened for the Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Tour in 1987–1988.

The other former members of Lynyrd Skynyrd continued to make music during the hiatus era. Billy Powell played keyboards in a Christian Rock band named Vision, touring with established Christian rocker Mylon LeFevre (who, like Skynyrd, had once opened for The Who). During Vision concerts, Powell's trademark keyboard talent was often spotlighted and he spoke about his conversion to Christianity after the near-fatal plane crash. Pyle formed The Artimus Pyle Band in 1982, which occasionally featured former Honkettes JoJo Billingsley and Leslie Hawkins.

In 1980, Allen Collins's wife Kathy died of a massive hemorrhage during a miscarriage of their third child. He formed the Allen Collins Band in 1983 from the remnants of the Rossington-Collins Band, releasing one tepidly-received album, but many around him believed that the guitarist's heart just wasn't in it anymore. Most point to his wife's death as the moment that Collins' life began to spin out of control; he spent several years binging on drugs and alcohol. In 1986, Collins crashed his car while driving drunk near his home in Jacksonville, killing his girlfriend and leaving him permanently paralyzed from the chest down. Collins eventually pled no contest to DUI manslaughter, but was not given a prison sentence since his injuries made it obvious that he would never drive or be a danger to society again.

Return (1987–present)[link]

In 1987, Lynyrd Skynyrd reunited for a full-scale tour with five major members of the pre-crash band: crash survivors Gary Rossington, Billy Powell, Leon Wilkeson and Artimus Pyle, along with guitarist Ed King, who had left the band two years before the crash. Ronnie Van Zant's younger brother, Johnny, took over as the new lead singer and primary songwriter. Due to Collins' paralysis from a 1986 car accident, he was only able to participate as the musical director, choosing Randall Hall, his former bandmate in the Allen Collins Band, as his stand-in. As part of his plea deal, Collins would be wheeled out onstage each night to explain to the audience why he could no longer perform (usually before the performance of "That Smell", which had been partially directed at him). Collins was 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. The fact that the band chose to continue after the 1987 tribute tour caused legal problems for the survivors, as Judy Van Zant Jenness and Teresa Gaines Rapp (widows of Ronnie and Steve, respectively) sued the others for violating an agreement made shortly after the plane crash, stating that they would not "exploit" the Skynyrd name for profit. As part of the settlement, Jenness and Rapp collect nearly 30% of the band's touring revenues (representing the shares their husbands would have earned had they lived), and hold a proviso which forces any band touring as "Lynyrd Skynyrd" to include at least two from the pre-crash era.

The reconstituted Lynyrd Skynyrd has gone through a large number of lineup changes and continues to record and tour today. One by one, the members of the pre-crash band have left, been forced out, or have died. Artimus Pyle left the band in 1991 and his place has been taken by a variety of drummers since, with Michael Cartellone finally becoming his permanent replacement. Randall Hall was replaced by Mike Estes in 1993. Ed King had to take a break from touring in 1996. In his absence, he was replaced by Hughie Thomasson. King has stated that his break from the band was to be temporary, but the band did not let him rejoin after he recovered^{[citation needed]}. At the same time, Mike Estes was replaced by Rickey Medlocke, who was briefly the second drummer and a vocalist (playing also mandolin) with the band in the early 1970s. Leon Wilkeson, Skynyrd's bassist since 1972, was found dead in his hotel room on July 27, 2001; his death was found to be due to emphysema and chronic liver disease. He was replaced in 2001 by Ean Evans. The remaining members released a double album called Thyrty which had songs from the original line up to the present. Lynyrd Skynyrd also released a live DVD of their Vicious Cycle Tour and on June 22, 2004, Lynyrd Skynyrd released the album Lyve: The Vicious Cycle Tour. On December 10, 2004, Lynyrd Skynyrd did a show for CMT, Crossroads, a concert featuring country duo Montgomery Gentry and other genres of music. In the beginning of 2005 Hughie Thomasson left the band to reform his disbanded Southern Rock band Outlaws. Thomasson died in his sleep on September 9, 2007 of an apparent heart attack in his home in Brooksville, Florida. He was 55 years old.

On February 5, 2005, Lynyrd Skynyrd did a Super Bowl party in Jacksonville with special guests 3 Doors Down, Jo Dee Messina, Charlie Daniels and Ronnie and Johnny Van Zant's brother Donnie Van Zant of 38 Special. On February 13 of that year Lynyrd Skynyrd did a tribute to Southern Rock on the Grammy Awards with Gretchen Wilson, Tim McGraw, Keith Urban and Dickey Betts. On May 10, 2005, Johnny and Donnie Van Zant released a country album called Get Right with the Man which featured the hit single "Help Somebody". In the summer of 2005, lead singer Johnny Van Zant had to have surgery on his vocal cord to have a polyp removed. He was told not to sing for three months. On September 10, 2005, Lynyrd Skynyrd performed without Johnny Van Zant at the Music Relief Concert for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, with Kid Rock standing in for Johnny. In December 2005, Johnny Van Zant returned to sing for Lynyrd Skynyrd. The band performed live at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky, as a part of their 2007 tour. The concert was recorded in high definition for HDNet and premiered on December 1, 2007.

The band in 2008

Mark "Sparky" Matejka, formerly of the country music band Hot Apple Pie, joined Lynyrd Skynyrd in 2006 as Thomasson's replacement. On November 2, 2007, the band performed at the University of Florida's Gator Growl, the world's largest student-run pep rally, in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium – also known as "The Swamp." The event's 50,000-person attendance marked the largest crowd that Lynyrd Skynyrd had ever played in front of in the United States, until the July 2008 Bama Jam in Enterprise, Alabama where more than 111,000 people were in attendance.^[15]

On January 28, 2009, keyboardist Billy Powell died at age 56 at his home near Jacksonville, Florida. Powell called 911 at 12:55 a.m., complaining of shortness of breath. He had previously missed his doctor's appointment on the day before his death; the appointment was for a checkup on his heart. The EMS responders found Powell unconscious and unresponsive, with the telephone still in his hand. Rescue crews performed CPR, but he was pronounced dead at 1:52 a.m. Although a heart attack was suspected, and it was originally reported that an autopsy was to be performed, none in fact was ever done. Powell's death left Gary Rossington as the sole pre-crash member of the band, unless Rickey Medlocke's brief stint with the band in the early 1970s is counted.

On March 17, 2009, it was announced that Skynyrd had signed a worldwide deal with Roadrunner Records, in association with their label, Loud & Proud Records, and released their new album God & Guns on September 29 of that year. They toured Europe and the United States in 2009 with Peter Keys of the 420 Funk Mob on keyboards and Robert Kearns of The Bottle Rockets on bass (in place of Ean Evans, who died of cancer at age 48 on May 6, 2009, at his home in Columbus, Mississippi).^[16] Scottish rock band Gun performed as special guests for the UK leg of Skynyrd's tour in 2010. ^[17]

In addition to the tour, Skynyrd appeared at the Sean Hannity Freedom Concert series in late 2010. Hannity had been actively promoting the God & Guns album, frequently playing portions of the track "That Ain't My America" on his radio show.

The band continued to tour throughout 2011, in a tour known as "Rebels and Bandoleros" playing alongside ZZ Top and The Doobie Brothers.

On 2 May 2012, the band announced the impending release of a new studio album, Last of a Dying Breed, along with a North American and European tour.^[18]

Recognition[link]

Honors[link]

In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the group #95 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.^[19][20]

On November 28, 2005, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced that Lynyrd Skynyrd would be inducted alongside Black Sabbath, Blondie, Miles Davis, and the Sex Pistols. They were inducted in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Manhattan on March 13, 2006. Lynyrd Skynyrd had been nominated 7 times.^{[citation needed]}

On March 13, 2006, Lynyrd Skynyrd was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the 21st annual induction ceremony. The inductees included Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins, Gary Rossington, Ed King, Steve Gaines, Billy Powell, Leon Wilkeson, Bob Burns, and Artimus Pyle (no post-crash members of the band were inducted, nor were any of the Honkettes). The current version of Skynyrd, augmented by King, Pyle, Burns and former Honkettes JoJo Billingsley and Leslie Hawkins, performed "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Free Bird" at the ceremony, which was also attended by Judy Van Zant Jenness and Ronnie's two daughters, Teresa Gaines Rapp and her daughter Corinna, Allen Collins' daughters, and Leon Wilkeson's mother and son.

In September 2010, Lynyrd Skynyrd was named #77 VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

In October 2008, Lynyrd Skynyrd's song Free Bird's solo was named the 3rd greatest guitar solo by Guitar World.

Tributes[link]

• In 1994, various country music artists united to record a Skynyrd tribute album titled Skynyrd Frynds.
• In 2010, another country tribute album was produced, primarily by Jay Joyce, entitled Sweet Home Alabama – The Country Music Tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd. This album features a more modern country flavor than the 1994 tribute, featuring Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson, Eric Church, Eli Young Band, Uncle Kracker, Ashley Ray, Randy Montana, and Shooter Jennings.^[21]
• Ronnie Van Zant's widow, Judy Van Zant Jenness, operates a Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute website for the educational purpose of sharing the original Lynyrd Skynyrd band's history,^[22] as well as Freebird Live,^[23] a live music venue in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.
• The Drive-By Truckers dedicated their album Southern Rock Opera to Lynyrd Skynyrd.^[24]
• Progressive metal band Dream Theater pay tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd on their live album Once in a LIVEtime, whereby the song "Take the Time" is modified to include the solo from "Free Bird".
• Kid Rock, who frequently performed with (post-reform) Skynyrd '"All Summer Long"; he mentions "Sweet Home Alabama" in the chorus of the song and even had Billy Powell duplicate his distinctive piano solo for the song's conclusion.
• Taj Mahal once covered "Gimme Back My Bullets" at a show in Charlottesville
• Bo Bice, an avowed Skynyrd fan, performed with Skynyrd on American Idol and on several awards shows.
• There are also a few tribute bands all over the globe, paying tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd only. The main bands are: the European "Leonard Skinner Band" located in Barcelona, Spain; "Poison Whiskey" in Rochester, NY, USA; and "Leotard Skynyrno" in Tokyo, Japan.
• The bands Shinedown, The Deftones and Gov't Mule covered the song "Simple Man".
• Metallica covered the song Tuesday's Gone as the 10th track from the first CD on their Garage Inc. album.
• Grey Ghost album by The Henry Paul Band was mostly a tribute to Skynyrd, especially the song Grey Ghost.
• Zakk Wylde, with Black Label Society, covered the song "I Never Dreamed" in their own rendition on their album Mafia.
• Widespread Panic occasionally covers the song "None of Us Are Free" in concert.
• "Under the Influence: A Jam Band Tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd" (2004) features Les Claypool, Galactic, Gov't Mule, North Mississippi Allstars, John Hiatt, Blues Traveler, Drive-By Truckers, Big Head Todd & the Monsters, The Disco Biscuits, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Particle.
• "An All-Star Tribute To Lynyrd Skynyrd (2007) features Molly Hatchet with Charlie Daniels, Outlaws (band) (feat. Hughie Thomasson), Artimus Pyle, Ed King & The Honkettes, Great White, Canned Heat, Blackfoot (band) (Feat. Rickey Medlocke), Walter Trout, Jim Dandy's Black Oak Arkansas, Pat Travers, Dangerous Toys, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Rick Derringer, Sky Saxon (of The Seeds) & Joey Covington (of Jefferson Airplane)

Members[link]

Current members

• Gary Rossington – guitars (1964–1977, 1979, 1987–present)
• Rickey Medlocke – vocals, drums, mandolin (1970–1971), guitars, backing vocals (1996–present)
• Johnny Van Zant – lead vocals (1987–present)
• Michael Cartellone – drums (1999–present)
• Mark Matejka – guitars (2006–present)
• Peter Keys – keyboards (2009–present)
• Johnny Colt – bass (March 2012–present)

Current touring members

• Dale Krantz-Rossington – backing vocals (1987–present)
• Carol Chase – backing vocals (1991–present)

Former members

• Ronnie Van Zant – lead vocals (1964–1977; died 1977)
• Allen Collins – rhythm and lead guitars (1964–1977, 1979; died 1990)
• Bob Burns – drums (1964–1970, 1972–1974)
• Larry Junstrom – bass (1964–1970)
• Greg T. Walker – bass (1970–1971)
• Leon Wilkeson – bass, backing vocals (1972–1973, 1973–1977, 1987–2001; died 2001)
• Billy Powell – keyboards (1972–1977, 1979, 1987–2009; died 2009)
• Ed King – rhythm and lead guitars, bass, backing vocals (1972–1975, 1987–1996)
• Artimus Pyle – drums, percussion (1974–1977, 1979, 1987–1991)
• Steve Gaines – rhythm and lead guitars, backing vocals (1976–1977; died 1977)
• Randall Hall – rhythm and lead guitars, backing vocals (1987–1993; previously touring member: 1970)
• Kurt Custer – drums, perscussion (1991–1994)
• Mike Estes – rhythm and lead guitars (1993–1996)
• Owen Hale – drums, percussion (1994–1998)
• Hughie Thomasson – lead and rhythm guitars, backing vocals (1996–2005; died 2007)
• Jeff McAllister – drums (1998–1999)
• Kenny Aronoff – drums (1999)
• Ean Evans – bass, backing vocals (2001–2009; died 2009)
• Robert Kearns – bass, backing vocals (2009–2012)

Former touring members

• Leslie Hawkins – backing vocals (1975–1977)
• JoJo Billingsley – backing vocals (1975–1977; died 2010)
• Cassie Gaines – backing vocals (1975–1977; died 1977)
• Robert (Bob) Brown – guitars (1982–1984)
• Carol Bristow – backing vocals (1987–1991)
• Tim Lindsey – bass (1993; filled in for Leon Wilkeson on tour)
• Joey Huffman – keyboards (2008; filled in for Billy Powell on tour)

Discography[link]

References[link]

Literature[link]

• Brant, Marley (2002). Freebirds: The Lynyrd Skynyrd Story. Billboard Books. p. 256. ISBN 0-8230-8321-7. http://books.google.com/?id=mQO9RghlcZoC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Freebirds:+The+Lynyrd+Skynyrd+Story#PPA11,M1. Retrieved October 18, 2008. 
• Check-Six (2007-05). "The 'Lynyrd Skynyrd' Crash". http://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/LynyrdSkynyrd-N55VM.htm. Retrieved July 5, 2008. 
• Davis, Stephen (1997). Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith. HarperCollins. p. 304. ISBN 0-380-97594-7. http://books.google.com/?id=k3xeHAAACAAJ&dq=Walk+This+Way:+The+Autobiography+of+Aerosmith. Retrieved October 18, 2008. 
• "Freebird Live – Premier Live Concert Venue – Jacksonville Beach, FL – Home Page". http://www.freebirdlive.com. Retrieved October 18, 2008. 
• Hood, Patterson. "Drive-By Truckers – Southern Rock Opera – Writeup". http://www.drivebytruckers.com/writeup_sro.html. Retrieved October 18, 2008. ^{[dead link]}
• Kirkland, Kay. (June 8, 2008). "111,000 jam at Bama Jam with Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hank Jr.". Southeast Sun. http://www.zwire.com/news/newsstory.cfm?newsid=19755979&title=111%2C000%20jam%20at%20Bama%20Jam%20with%20Lynryd%20Skynyrd%2C%20Hank%20Jr.&BRD=1145&PAG=461&CATNAME=Top%20Stories&CATEGORYID=410. Retrieved July 7, 2008. 
• "Robert E. Lee High School History". http://www.dreamsbeginhere.org/lee/history.html. 
• Odom, Gene, with Frank Dorman. Lynyrd Skynyrd: Remembering the Free Birds of Southern Rock. Broadway Books. ISBN 0-7679-1026-5. 
• Simmons, Sylvie (February 7, 2003). Neil Young: Reflections in Broken Glass. Canongate Books. p. 240. ISBN 1-84195-317-2. http://books.google.com/?id=uEOM7-oX-K0C&pg=PA114&lpg=PA135&dq=Neil+Young:+Reflections+in+Broken+Glass+%2B135. Retrieved May 10, 2008. 
• "Skynyrd History Lessons – Name Changes and Ten Dollar Gigs". The Official Lynyrd Skynyrd History Website. http://www.lynyrdskynyrdhistory.com/less2.html. Retrieved October 18, 2008. 
• "The Immortals: The First Fifty". Rolling Stone Issue 946. Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5939214/the_immortals_the_first_fifty. Retrieved October 18, 2008. 
• "The Original Lynyrd Skynyrd Band". Lynyrd Skynyrd History. Judy VanZant Jenness. http://www.lynyrdskynyrdhistory.com/index.html. Retrieved October 18, 2008. 
• "U.S. Certifications". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS. Retrieved October 18, 2008. 
• U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (June 19, 1978). "Aircraft Accident Report – L & J Company, Convair 240, N55VM, Gillsburg, Mississippi, October 20, 1977" (PDF). National Technical Information Service. p. 27. http://www.airdisaster.com/reports/ntsb/AAR78-06.pdf. Retrieved September 22, 2010. 

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Lynyrd Skynyrd

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lynyrd Skynyrd

• Official website
• Official discography on lynyrdskynyrd.com
• Lynyrd Skynyrd: Behind The Music Remastered @ VH1.com
• Soergel, Matt. "Leonard Skinner: Honoring a namesake," The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville, FL), Wednesday, January 21, 2009.
• Soergel, Matt. "Leonard Skinner, Lynyrd Skynyrd inspiration, dies at 77," The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville, FL), Monday, September 20, 2010.

v t e Lynyrd Skynyrd Johnny Van Zant Gary Rossington Rickey Medlocke Michael Cartellone Mark Matejka Peter Keys Johnny Colt Ronnie Van Zant Allen Collins Billy Powell Steve Gaines Cassie Gaines Leon Wilkeson Hughie Thomasson JoJo Billingsley Bob Burns Kurt Custer Ean Evans Randall Hall Leslie Hawkins Larry Junstrom Ed King Artimus Pyle Owen Hale Robert Kearns Studio albums (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) Second Helping Nuthin' Fancy Gimme Back My Bullets Street Survivors Skynyrd's First and... Last Legend Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991 The Last Rebel Twenty Edge of Forever Vicious Cycle God & Guns Last of a Dying Breed Live albums One More from the Road Southern by the Grace of God Lyve from Steel Town Lynyrd Skynyrd Lyve: The Vicious Cycle Tour Live from Freedom Hall Compilations Gold & Platinum Skynyrd's Innyrds Best of the Rest Lynyrd Skynyrd (Box Set) A Retrospective Endangered Species Old Time Greats Extended Versions: The Encore Collection The Essential Lynyrd Skynyrd 20th Century Masters Solo Flytes All Time Greatest Hits Christmas Time Again Collectybles Then and Now Thyrty Greatest Hits What's Your Name Greatest Hits Icon Video Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Tour Freebird... The Movie Lyve From Steel Town Lynyrd Skynyrd Lyve: The Vicious Cycle Tour Lynyrd Skynyrd: Live from Austin, TX Tours Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd Tour Second Helping Tour Nuthin' Fancy Tour Gimme Back My Bullets Tour One More From The Road Tour Street Survivors Tour Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Tour Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991 Tour The Last Rebel Tour Lynyrd Skynyrd Twenty Tour Edge of Forever Tour Vicious Cycle Tour God & Guns Tour Spin-off bands The Rossington-Collins Band The Rossington Band Allen Collins Band Artimus Pyle Band Related articles Discography Band Members Skynyrd Frynds The Honkettes Convair 240 N55VM crash Ronnie Van Zant Memorial Park Leonard Skinner "All Summer Long"

v t e Lynyrd Skynyrd singles Singles "Michelle / Need All My Friends" "Gimme Three Steps / Mr. Banker" Simple Man "Don't Ask Me No Questions / Take Your Time" "Sweet Home Alabama" "Take Your Time (demo)" "Free Bird / Down South Jukin" "Saturday Night Special / Made in the Shade" "Double Trouble / Roll Gypsy Roll" "Gimme Back My Bullets / All I Can Do Is Write About It" "Gimme Three Steps (live) / Travelin' Man (live)" "What's Your Name? / I Know A Little" "You Got That Right / Ain't No Good Life" "Down South Jukin / Wino" "Truck Drivin' Man" "Swamp Music" "Smokestack Lightning" "Keeping The Faith" "Good Lovin's Hard To Find" "Born To Run" "Travelin' Man" "Bring It On" "Preacher Man" "Red White & Blue (Love it or Leave)" "Still Unbroken" "Simple Life" "Skynyrd Nation" "That Ain't My America"