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"Free Bird" (often spelled "Freebird", including by the band itself on the cover of the single) is a song by the American southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. It first featured on the band's debut album in 1973, and has been included on subsequent albums released by the band, including the previously unreleased, unfaded-ending version of the original recording (featured on Skynyrd's Innyrds). Amazon.com music reviewer Lorry Fleming calls it "the most-requested song in the history of rock music."^[2]

Released as a single in November 1974, "Free Bird" became the band's second Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1975, where it peaked at No. 19.^[3] A live version of the song also reached the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1977, peaking at No. 38.^[3] Free Bird also achieved the No. 3 spot on Guitar World's 100 Greatest Guitar Solos.^[4]

It is used as a finale by Lynyrd Skynyrd during their live performances, and is their longest song, often going well over 14 minutes when played live.

Origins[link]

The lyrical portion of the song was written early in the group's history. Roadie Billy Powell was discovered as a keyboardist for the band when he played the intro piece to "Free Bird" at a high school prom. Lead vocalist Ronnie Van Zant noted his talent and invited him to join.

Allen Collins's then-girlfriend, Kathy, who he later married, asked him, "If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?" Collins jotted the question down and it eventually became the opening line of "Free Bird".^[5]

Slide guitar[link]

Gary Rossington played a Gibson SG and used a glass Coricidin bottle for a slide on this song to emulate one of his heroes, Duane Allman.^[6] This was the only song for which he used a guitar other than a Les Paul. He also stuck a nail-like piece of metal under the strings near the nut to raise the action of the guitar when playing slide.^[6] The guitar's B string was tuned down to a G during this song. Rossington currently uses two G strings tuned to G instead of tuning down a B string.^[6]

Reception[link]

"Free Bird" is included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll, and at number 191 in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2009 it was named the 26th best hard rock song of all time by VH1.^[7]

The song—half ballad, half up-tempo guitar solo—quickly became a staple for Lynyrd Skynyrd at their live performances. Many recognize its 5:12 triple guitar solo section that closes it out. It often turned into an extended jam session at concerts. The band would consistently play it as the last song of every show, as it was their biggest crowd pleaser. Overall the song proved to be a huge hit for Lynyrd Skynyrd and it remains a fan favorite to this day. It is also a classic rock radio staple.

Following the plane crash in 1977 in which several band members were killed, all of the songs played by surviving members were performed as instrumentals beginning with the Charlie Daniels Volunteer Jam V in 1979. When "Free Bird" came up, a solitary microphone with a single spotlight would be at center stage while the band played the instrumental version. This tradition lasted until 1989, when an almost-rioting audience coerced Rossington to urge Johnny Van Zant to sing the song for the first time – something he had vowed never to do on stage during the Tribute Tour.^{[citation needed]} The current version has a shortened solo similar to the original studio version.

Legacy[link]

It has become something of a humorous tradition for audience members at concerts to shout "Free Bird" as a request to hear the song, regardless of the performer or style of music.^[8] The phenomenon began earlier in the 1970s with The Allman Brothers Band's epic "Whipping Post",^{[citation needed]} but then took off to a much greater extent with "Free Bird", which was very popular by 1979. This can be traced back to Skynyrd's first live album, 1976's One More from the Road. For their second encore, Van Zant asked the crowd, "What song is it you wanna hear?", which was immediately followed by several shouts of "Free Bird", to which the band responded with a 14-minute rendition of the song. The spoken interaction was reproduced on the album as an introduction to the song.

The song is included on the rhythm game Rock Band 3 as the hardest song for Guitar and one of the hardest songs for Band. It was previously featured as the final song of Guitar Hero 2.

Chart performance[link]

Personnel[link]

(Studio version) – 1973

• Ronnie Van Zant – vocals
• Allen Collins – lead guitar, acoustic guitar
• Gary Rossington – rhythm guitar, slide guitar
• Ed King – bass
• Billy Powell – piano
• Bob Burns – drums
• "Roosevelt Gook" (Producer Al Kooper) – organ, mellotron

Cover versions[link]

The American dance-pop group Will to Power created a medley of this song and the 1976 Peter Frampton song "Baby, I Love Your Way" in 1988. Titled "Baby, I Love Your Way/Freebird Medley", it spent one week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.^[3] It was also covered by Wynonna on the 1994 tribute album Skynyrd Frynds.

Finalist Juliet Simms performed a version of the song on May 7, 2012 during season 2 of the American television show The Voice.

Singer Bo Bice performed a version of the song live on the television show American Idol.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Wall Street Journal: Rock's Oldest Joke: Yelling 'Free Bird!' In a Crowded Theater

Owen Wilson
Wilson at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival
Born	Owen Cunningham Wilson (1968-11-18) November 18, 1968 (age 43) Dallas, Texas, United States
Occupation	Actor, voice-over artist, writer, producer
Years active	1994–present
Partner	Jade Duell (present)
Children	Robert Ford Wilson
Parents	Robert Andrew Wilson Laura Cunningham Wilson

Owen Cunningham Wilson (born November 18, 1968)^[1] is an American actor, screenwriter, and producer known for his roles in the films The Haunting, The Royal Tenenbaums,^[2] Zoolander, Starsky & Hutch, Meet the Parents, Wedding Crashers, You, Me and Dupree, Bottle Rocket, the Cars series, Marmaduke, The Darjeeling Limited, Marley & Me, Midnight in Paris, Shanghai Noon, Behind Enemy Lines, and Drillbit Taylor.

Early life[link]

Wilson was born in Dallas, to photographer Laura Cunningham Wilson and Robert Andrew Wilson, an advertising executive and operator of a public television station. He has an older brother, Andrew, and a younger brother, Luke. Both brothers were also involved in filmmaking.^[3] His family, originally from Massachusetts, is Irish American and Catholic.^[4] Wilson attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English.^[5]

Career[link]

Wilson debuted as an actor in the role of "Dignan" in the Wes Anderson film Bottle Rocket, which he co-wrote with Anderson. He also worked with Anderson as a creative collaborator on his next two directorial efforts, Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums, for which they were nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

Wilson subsequently landed a role in The Cable Guy, directed by Ben Stiller, an early admirer of Bottle Rocket. After minor appearances in action films like Anaconda, Armageddon and The Haunting, Wilson appeared in two dramatic roles: supporting actor in Permanent Midnight, which starred Stiller as a drug-addicted TV writer; and the lead role as a serial killer in The Minus Man, in which future girlfriend, singer Sheryl Crow was a co-star. He also made a cameo in the Girl Skateboards video Yeah Right! in 2003.

Wilson at the London premiere of You, Me and Dupree, 2006

Wilson got his big break with the 2000 comedy action hit Shanghai Noon, starring opposite Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan. The film grossed nearly US$100 million worldwide. His fame continued to rise after starring alongside Ben Stiller and Will Ferrell in the 2001 film Zoolander.

Gene Hackman took notice of Wilson's performance in Shanghai Noon and recommended Wilson to co-star in the 2001 action film Behind Enemy Lines. Also in 2001, Wilson and Anderson collaborated on their third film, The Royal Tenenbaums, which was a financial and critical success. The comedy featured an all-star cast, including Gene Hackman, Ben Stiller, Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Danny Glover, Seymour Cassel and brother Luke. Owen Wilson had a memorable supporting role in the film as Eli Cash, a drug-addled bon vivant who becomes a literary celebrity. It earned the writing team an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

Wilson returned to the buddy-comedy genre in 2002 with the action comedy I Spy, co-starring Eddie Murphy. This big-screen remake of the television series flopped at the box office. He then reunited with Chan to make Shanghai Knights (2003) and the film remake of the television series Starsky & Hutch (2004). Due to his busy schedule as an actor and an ongoing sinus condition, Wilson was unavailable to collaborate on the script for Wes Anderson's fourth feature, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. The 2004 film was ultimately co-written by filmmaker Noah Baumbach. However, Wilson did star in the film as Bill Murray's would-be son, Ned Plimpton; a role written specifically for Wilson.^[6] In 2004 Wilson worked with his brother Luke Wilson in the 2004 film Around the World in 80 Days as the Wright brothers.

Wilson in May 2007

Wilson partnered with Vince Vaughn in the 2005 Wedding Crashers which grossed over $200 million in the US alone. Also in 2005, Owen collaborated with his brothers by appearing in The Wendell Baker Story, written by brother Luke, directed by Luke and brother Andrew.^[7] In 2006, Wilson provided the voice of Lightning McQueen in the Disney/Pixar film Cars, starred in You, Me and Dupree with Kate Hudson, and appeared with Stiller in Night at the Museum as Jedediah, the cowboy, an uncredited role.

Wilson has appeared in ten films with Stiller (a long-time friend) to date: The Cable Guy (1996), Permanent Midnight (1998), Meet the Parents (2000), Zoolander (2001), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Starsky & Hutch (2004), Meet the Fockers (2004), Night at the Museum (2006), and the sequels Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) and Little Fockers (2010).

Wilson appeared in another Wes Anderson film, The Darjeeling Limited, which screened at the 45th annual New York Film Festival, the Venice Film Festival and opened September 30, 2007, co-starring Jason Schwartzman and Adrien Brody.^[8] Wilson next starred in the Judd Apatow comedy, Drillbit Taylor, released in March 2008. He appeared in a film adaptation of John Grogan's best-selling memoir, Marley & Me (2008), co-starring Jennifer Aniston.^[9]

The Darjeeling Limited, starring Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman was selected for a DVD and Blu-ray release by The Criterion Collection in October 2010.^[10]

Wilson provided the voice for the Whackbat Coach Skip in Wes Anderson's version of Fantastic Mr. Fox. He starred in the film The Big Year, an adaptation of Mark Obmascik's book The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession.^[11] The film was released in October 2011 from 20th Century Fox and co-starred Jack Black, JoBeth Williams, Steve Martin, and Rashida Jones.

Wilson is a member of the comedic acting brotherhood colloquially known as the Frat Pack. His films have grossed more than $2.25 billion domestically (United States and Canada), with an average of $75 million per film. Wilson made a guest appearance on the NBC comedy Community with fellow Frat Pack member Jack Black.^{[citation needed]}

Most recently, Wilson starred as a nostalgic writer in the romantic comedy Midnight in Paris. Written and directed by Woody Allen, the film has become Allen's highest grossing film at the box office^[12] and was also well received by critics.^[13] In March 2012 Wilson landed the leading role in the John Erick Dowdle Thriller "The Coup".^[14] In the film he'll be playing the father of an American family that moves to Southeast Asia, only to find themselves embroiled in a sweep of rebel violence that's taking over the city. Wilson's role in the upcoming thriller marks his return to the action genre for the first time since his gig in 2001's Behind Enemy Lines.^[15]

Personal life[link]

Wilson at the Hall Pass Red Carpet 2011

The 2002 release of the album C'mon C'mon by former girlfriend Sheryl Crow features the song Safe and Sound which is dedicated to Wilson in the liner notes and is said to be an autobiographical account of Wilson's and Crow's relationship.

On August 26, 2007, Wilson was taken to St. John's Health Center amid reports of a suicide attempt. He was later transferred to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.^[16] His lawyer later confirmed that he had been undergoing treatment for depression.^[17] A few days later, Wilson withdrew from starring in Tropic Thunder, produced by and starring his friend and frequent collaborator Ben Stiller.^[18] He dated Kate Hudson in 2006, but the pair broke up and it was widely reported that he allegedly tried to commit suicide in 2007 after the relationship with Hudson ended. In 2008, it was reported the pair were to marry. ^[19] However the two would again break up and make up a number of times over 2008 and 2009. ^[20] Following the suicide attempt, Wilson had participated in limited publicity and promotion for his films.^[21]

On January 10, 2011, Wilson's representative announced that Wilson and his girlfriend, Jade Duell, were expecting a baby.^[22] Just four days later, on January 14, it was confirmed that Duell had given birth in Hawaii to a baby boy, Robert Ford Wilson.^[23][24]

Wilson is a fan of several Dallas-area professional sports teams, and has been spotted at Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks and Texas Rangers games.^{[25] [26]} He is also a supporter of English Football team, Chelsea.

Wilson's bumped nose is the result of two breaks of it, once during a high school scuffle, and once playing football with friends.^[27]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Owen Wilson

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Owen Wilson

• Owen Wilson at the Internet Movie Database
• Owen Wilson at People.com
• Owen Wilson at Yahoo! Movies