In the 1970's, a new band took center stage. Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Lynyrd Skynyrd formed among a few high school buddies. Little did they know their names were to be etched into the stone tablets of history alongside the other greats.

Where did the name come from? As with many bands of that era, there is a tale here. Rumor has it that the boys had a coach in high shool named Leonard Skinner. He hated rock music, and the boys didn't care much for him either. After a run-in, they took their revenge by naming the band after him, changing a few letters around to avoid a lawsuit.

Their first album, Pronounced was a refreshing new blend of their country roots and the hard driving rock-and-roll they loved. The song "Free Bird", a powerful rock epic and their theme song throughout their career, made its debut here. The band at this time included lead vocalist Ronnie VanZant, guitarists Gary Rossington, Allen Collins and Ed King, Leon Wilkerson on the bass, Billy Powell on the keyboards, and drummer Bob Burns.

Second Helping was next, proving that the band was more than a one-shot wonder. The music matured, and the term "Southern Rock" was born. This album saw the introduction of many of their legendary tracks, among them "Sweet Home Alabama".

Nothin' Fancy, their third album, saw the replacement of Bob Burns with the new drummer Artimus Pyle. His hard driving beat brought a new dimension to the music, especially when combined with Leon's bass. It also brought an insight into the mind of Ronnie, as the song "Am I Losin'" betrayed his frustration with his fast-paced life.

Lynyrd Skynyrd burst onto the scene fresh again with their fourth album, Gimme Back My Bullets. One of their hardest-driving albums overall, it proved once again that Lynyrd Skynyrd had talent to spare. But it brought with it one sad note. Ed King was no longer playing with the band due to health reasons.

It had to happen, and it happened in the Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia. One More From The Road, the live album, marked not only Skynyrd's first live recorded album, but also introduced Steve Gaines, the brother of one of the back-up singers, Cassie Gaines. Skynyrd was once more complete with three guitarists.

At the height of their career, Street Survivors, Steve Gaines' first studio album, was released. It, like the ones before it, found a public eager for more of the music they had come to expect. They were not disappointed. But the glory was not to last...

In a field outside the small town of McComb, Mississippi, the legend of Lynyrd Skynyrd was brutally halted. Witnesses said the plane disintegrated as soon as it hit the ground. Miraculously, most of the band managed to survive. Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines, and Ronnie VanZant, however, were not so lucky. In the aftermath that pursued, superstition gripped those involved with the band's production, and the original Street Survivors album was pulled form store shelves, to be replaced by a toned-down version. Only a few of these "flaming" covers still survive as collector's items.

Ronnie VanZant had made many friends. His brothers, Donnie VanZant of .38 Special fame, and Johnny VanZant of the Johnny VanZant Band both included memorials to him in their albums. Charlie Daniels wrote a song about him. Although he also honors Elvis Presley and Janet Joplin, it's when he gets to the final verse about Ronnie that his voice seems to soar, with a mourning cry that sent chills up my spine when I first heard it. It ends with these words:

"And Ronnie, my buddy, above all the rest
I miss you the most and I loved you the best,
And now that you're gone, I thank God I was blessed
Just to know you.

Click here to hear a radio broadcast of the crash. Provided by The M-Files.

As a final note, the "ultimate" Lynyrd Skynyrd album was released. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Gold & Platinum was the ultimate compilation of their greatest hits and most loved favorites in a two-record set. Even today, it is recognized by many as "the" Skynyrd album.

With any normal band, that would have been the end. Ronnie VanZant, the heart of Lynyrd Skynyrd, was gone. Steve Gaines, the new and promising guitarist, was gone. Leon Wilkeson was in intensive care, and almost every other member of the band was injured. The psychological scars ran as deep, if not deeper, than the physical ones. Fans the world over mourned.

But this was no ordinary band, nor was it ordinary music. Lynyrd Skynyrd was to see some very rocky roads ahead, but they would not, they could not give up. Their message was needed too much, and they would not be able to just walk away from it.

Using some of the recordings from earlier Skynyrd that were never released, MCA released Skynyrd's First And ...Last, one of their most unique albums ever. It contains songs from the period when Rick Medlocke, who went on to form Blackfoot played with the band. It is also filled with personal snapshots of the band members from pre-Skynyrd days until the end.

After three years, the band decided to try to re-form. Taking a new name, the Rossington-Collins Band reunited the remaining members of Lynyrd Skynyrd with a new-found style and morality. Dale Krantz-Rossington, wife of Gary Rossington, took over the vocals while Barry Harwood replaced Steve Gaines on the guitar. Artimus Pyle was replaced by Derek Hess on the drums. With Dale's Joplin-esque vocals and the familiar Skynyrd beat, the band was soon gaining acceptance again. In concert, the band honored their fallen leader with a special rendition of "Free Bird". Dale would leave the stage stating, "This one's for you, Ronnie" and the lights would dim. A lone spotlight would shine on the empty mike stand, atop which sat Ronnie VanZant's signature hat. The band would begin a slow, mournful instrumental version of "Free Bird", and at every silent vocal, the band members would dip toward Ronnie's place. Touching does not describe it. The meaning was clear - "Free Bird" was Ronnie's song, and no one else could sing it...or could they?

But it was not to last. After two albums, Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere and This Is The Way, the pressure of the road took hold. Allen Collins finally walked out, leading to the disintegration of the band. Pressure was an eternal enemy for Skynyrd, and Allen was simply its latest victim.

Allen Collins formed his own band after that, aptly named the Allen Collins Band. The music was definitely worthy of a Skynyrd member, but tensions at MCA had grown between Allen and the management. Only one album, Here, There, And Back was ever produced. The career of the great Allen Collins came to an end with a car crash in 1986 which left him paralyzed from the waist down. On January 23, 1990, his life ended as well. His decreased lung capacity gave way to pneumonia, and he passed away in a Jacksonville, Florida hospital.

Artimus Pyle was busy producing his own band, too. The Artimus Pyle Band, like Rossington-Collins, produced two albums, Artimus Pyle Band and Night Caller. It was another band which inherited the legendary Skynyrd sound, yet faded into oblivion.

Meanwhile, Gary Rossington and Dale Krantz-Rossington were busy trying to build their own band. Initially billed as the Rossington-Rossington Band They produced one album for MCA, titled (what else?) Rossington-Rossington. Switching to Atlantic, they changed the name to The Rossington Band, producing the album Rossington.

During all this commotion, MCA released an album made up of pre-released hits from the earlier years, combined with a few previously un-released studio recordings. Best Of The Rest was eagerly snatched up by hoardes of impatient Skynyrd fans, but overall sales had begun to slide, as the spin-off bands competed for the audience. It would be the last Skynyrd album for several years.

But even then, even with the bands disintegrating or fading away, even with the loss of Allen Collins' talents, Skynyrd would survive. Fans remembered, and kept the music alive. And in the background, shadows of things yet to come were emerging...

Ronnie's brother, Donnie VanZant, was occasionally rumored to be the coming replacement for Ronnie. But Donnie had his own hands full with his band, .38 Special. They were riding a popularity wave of their own, temporarily filling some of the void left by the loss of Lynyrd Skynyrd. But Donnie was not the only brother. Still younger was Johnny VanZant, who was playing with his band, the Johnny VanZant Band, and with minimal success. His band stopped recording after 1982, leaving Johnny free.

In 1987, ten years after the now infamous plane crash, A tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd was arranged at the Charlie Daniel's Volunteer Jam XIII. Gary Rossington, Leon Wilkeson, and Billy Powell were joined by Artimus Pyle and Ed King. Allen Collins, while unable to play, hand-picked his replacement - Randall Hall, who played with his now-defunct band. But the brightest and most hopeful addition was that of Johnny VanZant as the new lead vocalist.

But it soon grew beyond just a tribute. One night turned into one week, and one week turned into a full tour. Skynyrd fans around the country gave one resounding message: DON'T STOP! Lynyrd Skynyrd, after ten years, was reborn. The album Southern By The Grace Of God was produced from this impromptu tour.

The lesson was clear. Lynyrd Skynyrd was not about any one band member. It was about what they stood for - friends taking a stand for what they believed, singing about the troubles and victories of the common man's life. It took all of the band members to make up Lynyrd Skynyrd, not just one or two.

But Rome was not built in a day. The new Lynyrd Skynyrd band needed time to prepare for their public. So two more albums from the early days were produced. Legends had the most previously un-released tracks of any post-crash album so far, with only one cut, "Simple Man", being a known song. Then came another greatest hits album, titled Skynyrd's Innyrds.

The album Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991 was released in 1991, with the band billing themselves under the new name, Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991. Whatever the reason, it didn't go over as well as expected. Despite having the same music as the classic Lynyrd Skynyrd, the songs lacked the range of Ronnie VanZant's era. Some more work was needed.

While the new band was readying, the Box Set of Lynyrd Skynyrd was released. With 47 tracks on 3 CDs, 15 of the tracks new and un-released, it covered the gamut of Lynyrd Skynyrd's long history. But the story was about to begin anew...

Then finally, almost twenty years after the plane crash, Lynyrd Skynyrd was back. Keeping the name of their legendary days, and with Johnny VanZant still as the lead vocalist, they once again played to sellout crowds across the country. This was not a shadow of what once was, it was Skynyrd, back together as though nothing had ever happened. With a sendoff by Donnie VanZant to help get them started, they are once again the premier band of Southern Rock.

Their first new album, The Last Rebel left no doubt of this. Except for the almost imperceptable vocal differences between Ronnie and Johnnie VanZant, it was indistinguishable from earlier Skynyrd. The title cut, The Last Rebel, did for the new what Free bird had done for the old. It is a powerful guitar opus that laments about the changing times and those who are left behind. And the live performances by Johnie proved beyond any shadow of a doubt that yes, there is one other person who can sing Free Bird.

The second new album Endangered Species, was the "unplugged" album. Recreating songs from Pronounced to The Last Rebel and adding some new ones, Skynyrd once again had produced a classic album.

Twenty years after the infamous plane crash, the album Twenty was released. Ed King, once again is conspicuous in his absence, having suffered heart problems, but is replaced with Rick Medlocke from the now-disbanded Blackfoot. Rick not only plays, but resumes his earlier role as backup vocals, and collaborates on many of the fresh new titles.

Once again, the band shows their performing ability live with Lyve From Steel Town. As with One More From The Road, it is a powerful live version of the entire range of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

If anyone ever had a doubt that this was indeed Lynyrd Skynyrd re-born, all they need do is attend one concert. The fans are still as rowdy, the beer still flows, and the magic is still there. There are many bands today who sound good on tape, but have mediocre concerts. Lynyrd Skynyrd is not one of them. The band is at its best standing before a sea of fans and playing their hearts out. A Skynyrd concert cannot be expressed in words, it must be experienced.

There are a few more albums, mostly imports from other countries, but to list them all would take up too much room. So we'll just leave it at that for now.

Lynyrd Skynyrd is a legendary band that has survived a fatal plane crash, disco, rap music, and the prejudice aimed at the South throughout their lifetime. In today's politically-correct environment, they have found a voice of the people, a simple message that rings forth as clearly as the bird chirps in their signature song: We're back and we're here to stay!

Not the end, just another beginning.

Click on any of the above album covers for more info on them.
Or click here for more great Lynyrd Skynyrd sites!

Lynyrd Skynyrd Songlist - Arranged Alphabetically or by Release Date

This LYNYRD SKYNYRD Web Ring Site is owned by The Redneck [ Last | Skip Last | Skip Next | Next ] [ Random | Index | Join | Home ]

More Lynyrd Skynyrd Webrings
or
Southern Rock Webrings

This site is humbly dedicated to the memory of Ronnie VanZant, Allen Collins, Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines and the rest of the victims of the 1977 airplane crash.
Their memory will live on.

I would also like to acknowledge and thank the past and present members of the band for giving us of themselves through over twenty-five years of music.

The Home Of (Kick-Ass) Southern Rock

The Redneck's Home Page

Site design ©1998 by James Douglas Tubbs.