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Lynyrd Skynyrd
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YEARS OF EXISTENCE: 1965-1977; 1987-present YEARS OF DECENT EXISTENCE: Would anybody who owns Black Flag records really define this band as "decent?" BEST RECORDS: Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd (1973) , Gimme Back My Bullets (1976) WORST RECORDS: Who cares? If you're a fan, you're gonna hate me at the end of this column, anyway. GO DOWNLOAD: "Sweet Home Alabama," "Poison Whiskey," "Gimme Back My Bullets," "I Know A Little," "Saturday Night Special," "Free Bird" FILE UNDER: The Original Southern-Fried Rock Line Cooks SIMILAR-SOUNDING DINOSAURS: Charlie Daniels Band, Black Oak Arkansas, Blackfoot, Marshall Tucker Band, Molly Hatchet, the Outlaws (who, admittedly, did a pretty good version of Elvis Costello's "Miracle Man") THE MUSIC: Before getting signed in 1972, Jacksonville, Florida's Lynyrd Skynyrd (jokingly named after a hardass high school gym teacher who hated longhairs) plied their hard-rockin', long-winded jams of standard blues changes to rubes who didn't "get" the vastly superior Allman Brothers. Led by charismatic frontman/songwriter Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Gary Rossington, Skynyrd practically owned every FM playlist in America, with tracks like "Sweet Home Alabama" and their signature song (and longtime standard rock-crowd heckle) "Free Bird." In October 1977, the band were in a plane crash on the way to a gig, killing Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and his sister Cassie, a back-up singer. The band broke up, but 10 years later, regrouped with Rossington and Van Zant's brother Johnny front and center. They continue to be worshiped to this day by people who have a hard time using a calendar. WHAT THEY SAY: "They will forever be associated with the Southern Rock revival of the '70s, but Skynyrd drew on far more disparate influences." - Rock, The Rough Guide WHAT I SAY: Skynyrd didn't move the earth, but they succeeded in psychically moving the Mason-Dixon line further up the country for most of the decade, resulting in legions of dullard teens and 20-nothings aspiring to become acne-encrusted Dukes Of Hazzard wannabes. In the afterlife, these jamokes will have their asses beat by their great-great-great-great grandparents who fought for the North in the Civil War. WHY YOUR (GRAND)PARENTS LIKE THEM: They wanted to drink grain alcohol and pack their lips full of Skoal to something faster and heavier than straight country music. In hindsight, "Free Bird" does make for an appropriate Appalachian wedding march for a union between a buck-toothed, five-month-pregnant bride and her groom who brings a date to the ceremony. CURRENT WHEREABOUTS: LynSkyn Park recently embarked on a benefit tour to raise funds for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame (where I'm sure they were completely stoked over the Clash and Warped Tour exhibits). This past July, they played a benefit for autism awareness. Which is not surprising: After all, 30 years ago, all their fans looked that way. Jason Pettigrew |
