Lynyrd Skynyrd

[Eduardo]

No, they weren't fans of each other... Sweet Home Alabama was written as a direct response to Southern Man, by Neil Young, which criticized the southern people

[mrlee]

No, they weren't fans of each other... Sweet Home Alabama was written as a direct response to Southern Man, by Neil Young, which criticized the southern people

it was actually a joke, neil young confirms this as a joke they did, he even phoned up the singer, who he was friends with to tell him he got it.

The singer was also buried with a neil young t-shirt on.

[2112]

No, they weren't fans of each other... Sweet Home Alabama was written as a direct response to Southern Man, by Neil Young, which criticized the southern people

Neil Young often performed/performs Sweet Home Alabama at his shows. He wrote a song for Lynyrd Skynyrd, but the plane crasch took place a couple of months before the song was written, so it ended up on Rust Never Sleeps instead.
They were no feuds or stuff. They used to talk about collaborations.

[Eduardo]

My bad then! I didn't knew that!

[Malcolm]

Fans gorge on Southern-fried rock

Fans gorge on Southern-fried rock
38 Special, Skynyrd, Hank Jr. put on a skull-rattling' show
Friday, April 13, 2007
By CHRIS WELCH
Times Entertainment Writer chris.welch@htimes.com

Here's the challenge that more than 6,000 fans faced at the Von Braun Center Arena on Wednesday night:
First, they stood for an hour or so of great Southern rock from 38 Special. And that even included a virtually unheard of encore for an opening band when it returned to play "Hold on Loosely."

Then they stood another 90 minutes for the amp-blowing, guitar-driven rock from the legendary and recently Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted Lynyrd Skynyrd. That included whipping themselves into a frenzy when "Sweet Home Alabama" came on followed by a 15-minute encore of "Freebird."

By this time, many in the crowd were worn out, full of beer, stumbling up the stairs and generally out of it and they still had another hour or so left for one of country's legendary singers, Hank Williams Jr.

And all this on a school or a work night.

No doubt, there were a lot of bleary-eyed folks reporting to work Thursday morning - or not - after more than four hours of the aptly named Rowdy Frynds Tour.

The 20-city tour opened here with three legit headliners. 38 Special, led by Donnie Van Zant, brother of Skynyrd lead singer Johnny Van Zant, warmed up the crowd quickly with hits such as "Wild Eyed Southern Boys, "Fantasy Girl," Second Chance," "Caught up in You" and a medley of songs that included "Back to Paradise," "Somebody Like You" and "Teacher, Teacher."

Skynyrd then took the stage and never slowed down. It opened with, as Van Zant says, a song that gives him chill bumps - "Travelin' Man." As he sang, a video showed black-and-white footage of his late brother, Ronnie, singing the same song. The band went into "That Smell" and "Simple Man" - Van Zant's favorite.

Skynyrd ran through a medley of its hits, including "Needle and Spin," "Curtis Loew," "Cry for the Bad Man" and "Tuesday's Gone." Van Zant tied an American flag to the mic and dedicated "Red White and Blue" to the troops, followed by "Gimme Three Steps," "Call Me the Breeze" and "Sweet Home Alabama." (The crowd added its own "Roll Tide Roll" after each chorus.)

When Skynyrd returned for the encore, Van Zant said: "What song do you want to hear?" With that, fans raised their lighters, and the group raised the roof with the rock anthem "Freebird."

"It was amazing, tantalizing, epic, skull-rattling," said Patrick Billingsley, a high school student who plays in the Cove United Methodist Church Liquid band. "It's one of the best concerts I've seen, which puts them up in the rankings with the likes of Motley Crue, Kiss, Aerosmith, to name a few."

At 10:15, Williams had the unenviable task of trying to recharge a crowd that had gotten totally juiced from Skynyrd and 38 Special. Williams came out alone, dressed in a sleeveless Pittsburgh Steelers shirt, and showed the skills of the talented guitarist/musician he is, changing gears and slowing the pace to his country-fied style.

He opened with a few acoustic songs, including "Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound" and "Dinosaur," before the band joined him for "Country Boy."
He followed with "If Heaven Ain't a Lot Like Dixie" and followed with the hit he did with Gretchen Wilson and the Van Zants, "That's How They do it in Dixie."

He hollered, "This will be year No. 17!" and kicked into his theme from "Monday Night Football" - "All My Rowdy Friends Are Comin' Over Tonight" as NFL highlights played on a video screen. He also played "Old Habits" and did his best imitation of ZZ Top on the cover of "La Grange." He rattled off some chords from Ted Nugent's "Cat Scratch Fever" and Aerosmith's "Walk this Way" before breaking into "Family Tradition," which the audience really got into.

Surprisingly, he didn't return for an encore, but maybe that was best - it was 11:15, and everybody was worn out from a great night of music.

? 2007 The Huntsville Times.


I really wish these southern rock bands would come to Canada...I friggen love Skynyrd and want to see them before they call it quits...This would be such an awsome show to see...Hank is a god to

[Malcolm]

Anyone seen Garys new look? He got most of his hair cut off, He kinda dresses like Richie Sambora now...Looks pretty badass anyways, Man I want Skynyrd to come to Toronto

[bazgnr]

Oddly enough, they're coming to my backyard in a few weeks.  Why play Toronto when they can play the Crawford County Fair?   

[Malcolm]

Vintage Tune May Grace New Skynyrd Album

A previously unreleased song featuring Lynyrd Skynyrd's original lineup may surface on the Southern rock band's next studio album, which is expected out in early 2009.

Guitarist Gary Rossington tells Billboard.com that he recently unearthed the song, "Cottonmouth Country," from the archives. "It has Ronnie Van Zant singing and Leon (Wilkerson) on bass and Bob Burns is on drums," Rossington says. "It's a cool track, pretty cool lyrics -- it's about the swamps. And we never put it out with (producer) Al Kooper on the first or second album. We just kind of let it sit there and never finished it. It's pretty well done, but the recording isn't as good as it could be. So we might put that out as a bonus track -- a whole new Skynyrd song nobody's heard."

As for the rest of the album -- Skynyrd's first of new material since 2003's "Vicious Cycle" -- Rossington says that he, frontman Johnny Van Zant and guitarist Rickey Medlocke have been spending time in Nashville working with songwriters.

"We're not doing a country album," Rossington says, "but Skynyrd's always had a little bit of country blood in us. That's where we come from." He says the group has at least 20 songs ready for consideration and hopes to hit the studio in April or May. The group hasn't yet determined who will be producing, though Rossington says the band members will likely co-produce with whomever they choose.

Skynyrd has plenty else going on at the moment. It recently released a deluxe edition of "Street Survivors," the 1977 best-seller released shortly before the plane crash that killed Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and his sister, backup singer Cassie Gaines.

Skynyrd is also gearing up for another leg of the Rowdy Frynds Tour with Hank Williams, Jr., and .38 Special, which begins April 4 in Hershey, Pa., and to be part of Kid Rock's Rock N Roll Revival show on May 15 at New York's Madison Square Garden and subsequent dates later this summer.

[Malcolm]

LYNYRD SKYNYRD keyboardist Billy Powell died Wednesday morning at his home near Jacksonville, Florida. The cause of death has not been revealed. He was 56.

Orange Park police told WJXT-TV, Jacksonville, Fla., Powell called 911 just before 1 a.m. complaining he was having trouble breathing, but paramedics arrived to find him unresponsive.

It is believed the musician suffered a fatal heart attack, but an autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of his death, Ross Schilling, a publicist with Vector Management, told WJXT. Powell had skipped an appointment with his cardiologist Tuesday, police said.

Powell's death was confirmed on the band's web site. "A great loss ? beloved pianist for the LYNYRD SKYNYRD band, Billy Powell, passed away last night. We will post more info shortly. The family and band request your respect and understanding during this difficult time. Thank you," reads a message posted on the site.

Powell joined LYNYRD SKYNYRD in 1973 and stayed with the band until 1977 when he survived a plane crash that killed singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, backup singer Cassie Gaines and other crew members. He suffered critical injuries, but was the only band member able to attend the funerals.

He joined the Christian rock band VISION in the 1980s. Powell reunited with LYNYRD SKYNYRD in 1989 and remained with them until his death.

Guitarist Gary Rossington is now the only surviving original LYNYRD SKYNYRD member.


This is really to bad, he looked like he was doing great when i seen him from front row in Toronto this summer with Kid Rock...Skynyrd kicked major ass

[CIAT]

Bump for this epic epic band

[Malcolm]

Bump for this epic epic band

Amen..Seen these guys with Kid Rock (was more excited to see them), front row, right before billy powell died...what an amazing show

[Malcolm]

Loud & Proud/Roadrunner Records has set an August 21 release date for "Last Of A Dying Breed", LYNYRD SKYNYRD's first studio album since the September, 2009 release of "God & Guns", which debuted at No. 18 on The Billboard 200 chart and gave the band their highest debut since 1977. "Last Of A Dying Breed" reunites the band with producer Bob Marlette, who helmed "God & Guns".

"It was great to get back in the studio with Bob for this new album," said Gary Rossington. "We kind of went back old school this time. All of us playing together in the studio as a band, tracking songs and creating licks. We had a lot of fun and the music really flowed for us, so that's when you know you are on to something good. We can't wait to let the fans hear these songs and play 'em live."

Led by core members Gary Rossington (guitar), Johnny Van Zant (vocals) and Rickey Medlocke (guitar), along with longtime drummer Michael Cartellone, LYNYRD SKYNYRD have recorded an album that continues the tremendous legacy that began over 35 years ago in Jacksonville, Florida, a legacy that was halted for a decade after the 1977 plane crash that killed three bandmembers, including Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines. Since then, the band tragically lost Billy Powell, Ean Evans, Allen Collins, Leon Wilkeson and Huey Thomasson, yet they rock on.

Joining LYNYRD SKYNYRD will be bass player Johnny Colt, an original member of THE BLACK CROWES, who has also played with TRAIN and ROCK STAR SUPERNOVA. When asked about receiving a phone call from Rickey Medlocke on behalf of LYNYRD SKYNYRD to join the band, Johnny said, "What else do you say to Medlocke, Rossington and Van Zant? We're talking southern rock royalty. We're talking LYNYRD SKYNYRD. The only thing out of my mouth was when and where!"

With a catalog of over 60 albums, sales beyond 30 million worldwide and their beloved classic American rock anthem "Sweet Home Alabama" having over two million downloaded ringtones, Rock And Roll Hall Of Famers LYNYRD SKYNYRD remain a cultural icon that appeals to all generations.