Lynyrd Skynyrd is a Southern rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 1964, the group originally included vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, guitarists Gary Rossington and Allen Collins, bassist Larry Junstrom and drummer Bob Burns. The current lineup features guitarist and vocalist Rickey Medlocke (from 1971 to 1972, and since 1996), lead vocalist Johnny Van Zant (since 1987), drummer Michael Cartellone (since 1999), guitarist Mark Matejka (since 2006), keyboardist Peter Keys (since 2009) and bassist Keith Christopher (since 2017) The band also tours with two backing vocalists, currently Dale Krantz-Rossington (since 1987) and Carol Chase (since 1996) and guitarist Damon Johnson (since 2021). [1]
Lynyrd Skynyrd was formed under the name My Backyard in 1964, which was later changed to The Noble Five, and again to One Percent. [2] The group originally included vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, guitarists Gary Rossington and Allen Collins, bassist Larry Junstrom and drummer Bob Burns, all of whom were students at Robert E. Lee High School. [3] After performing live for several years, the band recorded for the first time in 1971, when Junstrom and Burns were replaced by Greg T. Walker and Rickey Medlocke, respectively. [4] The following year, Walker was replaced by the band's original choice of bassist Leon Wilkeson, and Medlocke moved to third guitarist as Burns returned on drums. [5] Medlocke had left by the end of the year. [6] Billy Powell had also been added as the group's first keyboardist, having worked as a roadie since 1970. [7]
Shortly before recording began for the band's debut album (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) , Wilkeson left Lynyrd Skynyrd and was replaced by Ed King. [8] Later during the sessions the bassist returned, with King subsequently taking up the role of third guitarist. [9] Burns remained for 1974's Second Helping , but left in January 1975 due to touring fatigue, with Artimus Pyle taking his place. [10] King left on May 26, 1975, two months after the release of Nuthin' Fancy . [11] He was replaced the following year by Steve Gaines, who was recommended by his sister Cassie Gaines after she had recently joined as one of the band's touring backing vocalists, The Honkettes. [12] [13]
On October 20, 1977 – three days after the release of the band's fifth studio album Street Survivors – a chartered plane on which the members and crew were travelling crashed in Gillsburg, Mississippi. [14] Six people died in the accident, including band members Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines and Cassie Gaines; many of the other passengers on board were seriously injured, including Wilkeson who was left in a critical condition and reportedly declared dead three times. [15] The group disbanded after the crash. [14] In 1978, a collection of previously unreleased recordings from 1971 and 1972 was released as Skynyrd's First and... Last . [16] The following year, the surviving members (with the exception of Wilkeson) reunited at Volunteer Jam for a performance of "Free Bird" with Charlie Daniels and his band. [17]
In July 1987, Lynyrd Skynyrd announced their reforming for the Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Tour, [18] with returning members Rossington, King, Wilkeson, Pyle and Powell joined by new lead vocalist Johnny Van Zant, Ronnie's younger brother. [19] Collins, who was unable to join the reunited group after a car accident the previous year left him paralyzed from the waist down, chose Randall Hall from Collins's eponymous band to take his place on guitar. [20] After the band's first post-reformation studio album Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991 , Pyle left suddenly after a show in August, [21] with Kurt Custer taking his place. [19] Hall left in 1993 after the release of The Last Rebel , [22] later suing the remaining members of the band for $500,000. [23] Custer followed Hall out of the group the next year in order to focus on his solo career. [24]
Hall and Custer were replaced by Mike Estes and Owen Hale, respectively, [25] both of whom performed on the 1994 album Endangered Species . [26] King was forced to leave the band in 1996 due to health problems, with Hughie Thomasson brought in to take his place; Estes left around the same time, with former drummer Medlocke returning to the band on guitar as a result. [25] Hale left in late 1998 after the Twenty Tour; [27] he was replaced first by Jeff McAllister. [28] Kenny Aronoff played on Edge of Forever but did not join [29] and Michael Cartellone took over in 1999 after the dissolution of the Damn Yankees. [30] On July 27, 2001, longtime bassist Leon Wilkeson died in his sleep of natural causes. [31] He was replaced by Ean Evans, who had earlier substituted for Wilkeson at several shows the previous year. [32]
Thomasson left Lynyrd Skynyrd in 2005 to reform his previous band Outlaws, [33] with his replacement Mark Matejka joining early the next year. [34] The band was forced to change its lineup twice in 2009 due to deaths in the group – first, longtime keyboardist Billy Powell died of a heart attack on January 28; [35] and later, bassist Evans died of cancer on May 6. [36] Peter Keys was later brought in to replace Powell, [37] while Evans was replaced by Robert Kearns. [38] Kearns remained until 2012, when he was replaced by former Black Crowes bassist Johnny Colt. [39] Keith Christopher replaced Colt in mid-2017. [40] Gary Rossington, the band's last founding member died on 5 March 2023. [41]
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Rickey Medlocke |
|
|
| |
Johnny Van Zant |
| lead vocals | all Lynyrd Skynyrd releases from Southern by the Grace of God (1988) [45] onward | |
Michael Cartellone | 1999–present [30] |
| all Lynyrd Skynyrd releases from Edge of Forever (1999) [46] onward | |
Mark Matejka | 2006–present [34] |
| all Lynyrd Skynyrd releases from God & Guns (2009) [47] onward | |
Peter Keys | 2009–present [37] |
| all Lynyrd Skynyrd releases from Last of a Dyin' Breed (2012) [48] onward | |
Keith Christopher | 2017–present [40] | bass |
|
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Gary Rossington |
| guitar | all Lynyrd Skynyrd releases | |
Allen Collins | 1964–1977 (musical director, 1987–1990) (until his death) [3] [14] | all Lynyrd Skynyrd releases from "Need All My Friends" / "Michelle" (1968) [51] to Legend (1987) [52] | ||
Ronnie Van Zant | 1964–1977 (until his death) [3] [15] | lead vocals | ||
Bob Burns |
| drums |
| |
Larry Junstrom | 1964–1971 (died 2019) [3] [4] | bass |
| |
Greg T. Walker | 1971–1972 [4] [5] |
|
| |
Leon Wilkeson |
|
| ||
Billy Powell |
|
| all Lynyrd Skynyrd releases from (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) (1973) [53] to Live from Freedom Hall (2010) [58] | |
Ed King |
|
|
| |
Artimus Pyle |
|
| all Lynyrd Skynyrd releases from Nuthin' Fancy (1975) [59] to Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991 (1991), [55] except Skynyrd's First and... Last (1978) [43] | |
Steve Gaines | 1976–1977 (until his death) [12] [13] [15] |
|
| |
Randall Hall |
|
| ||
Kurt Custer | 1991–1994 [19] [24] | drums | The Last Rebel (1993) [63] | |
Mike Estes | 1993–1996 [25] |
|
| |
Owen Hale | 1994–1998 [25] [27] |
|
| |
Hughie Thomasson | 1996–2005 (died 2007) [25] [33] |
| all Lynyrd Skynyrd releases from Twenty (1997) [44] to Lynyrd Skynyrd Lyve: The Vicious Cycle Tour (2003) [66] | |
Jeff McAllister | 1998–1999 [28] | drums | none | |
Kenny Aronoff | 1999 [29] | Edge of Forever (1999) [46] | ||
Ean Evans | 2001–2009 (until his death) [32] [36] |
| all Lynyrd Skynyrd releases from Vicious Cycle (2003) [57] to Live from Freedom Hall (2010) [58] | |
Robert Kearns | 2009–2012 [38] [39] | none | ||
Johnny Colt | 2012–2017 [39] [40] |
|
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dale Krantz-Rossington |
| backing vocals | all Lynyrd Skynyrd releases from Southern by the Grace of God (1988) [45] onward | |
Carol Chase | 1996–present [70] | all Lynyrd Skynyrd releases from Twenty (1997) [44] onward | ||
Damon Johnson | 2023–present [71] (touring substitute 2021–2023) [1] | guitar | With Rossington's brief hiatus to have emergency heart surgery in July 2021, Damon Johnson has been filling in for Rossington live. He continues to do so following Rossington's death in March 2023. | |
Stacy Michelle | 2023–present [72] (touring substitute 2022–2023) | backing vocals | Stacy Michelle substituted for Dale during Rossington's recovery and has stayed on touring. |
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cassie Gaines | 1975–1977 (until her death) [73] [15] | backing vocals |
| |
JoJo Billingsley | 1975–1977 [74] (died 2010) [75] | |||
Leslie Hawkins | 1975–1977 [76] | |||
Carol Bristow | 1987–1988 [77] | Southern by the Grace of God (1988) [45] | ||
Debbie Bailey | 1991–1994 [78] | none | ||
Debbie Davis-Estes | 1994–1996 [79] |
|
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Byron Glover |
| guitar | Glover performed with the band after Ed King's departure and also substituted later on. He also appeared on:
| |
Greg Martin | 1992 | Martin filled in for Ed King on several dates of the band's 1992 tour due to an injury. [81] | ||
Tim Lindsey | 1993 | bass | Lindsey substituted for Wilkeson at several shows in 1993 during The Last Rebel Tour. [82] | |
Rick Wills | 1999 [83] | Wills substituted for Wilkeson at several shows in July 1999 during the Edge of Forever Tour. | ||
Pat Buchanan | 2007 [84] | guitar | Filled in for Gary in 2007. | |
Raquel Jonsen (Johnson) | 2007, [84] 2021–2022 | backing vocals | Raquel substituted for Dale during Gary's recovery at various points. | |
Joey Huffman | 2008 [85] [86] | keyboards | Huffman substituted for Powell at several shows in 2008 during the Rock & Rebels Tour. |
Period | Members | Releases |
---|---|---|
June 1964 – February 1971 [3] [4] |
|
|
February 1971–April 1972 [4] |
|
|
April 1972 - June 1972 [5] [6] |
| none |
June 1972 - August 1972 [6] [7] |
|
|
August 1972 - October 1972 [7] [8] |
| |
October 1972 – June 1973 [8] [9] |
| |
June 1973 – January 1975 [9] [10] |
|
|
January – May 1975 [10] [11] |
|
|
May 1975 – June 1976 [11] [12] [13] |
|
|
June 1976 – October 1977 [12] [13] [14] |
|
|
Band inactive October 1977 – January 1979 | ||
January 1979 [17] |
| none – one show |
Band inactive January 1979 – June, 19 1987 | ||
June 19, 1987 – August 1991 [19] [20] [21] |
|
|
August 1991 – June 1993 [19] [22] |
|
|
August 1993-March 1994 [25] [24] |
| none |
April 1994 – May 1996 [25] |
|
|
May 1996 – October 1998 [25] [27] |
|
|
October 1998 – February 1999 [28] |
| none |
February– April-1999 [29] |
|
|
April -1999 – July 2001 [30] [31] |
|
|
August 2001 – April 2005 [32] [33] |
|
|
April 2005 – March 2006 [34] |
| none |
March 2006 – January 2009 [34] [35] |
|
|
February – May 2009 [37] [36] |
| none |
June 2009 – May 2012 [38] [39] |
| |
May 2012 – June 2017 [39] [40] |
|
|
June 2017 – March 2023 [40] [41] |
| |
March 2023 – present [41] |
| none |
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964. The group originally formed as My Backyard and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (vocals), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom (bass), and Bob Burns (drums). The band spent four years touring small venues under various names and with several lineup changes before deciding on "Lynyrd Skynyrd" in 1968. The band released its first album, (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd), in 1973. By then, they had settled on a lineup that included bassist Leon Wilkeson, keyboardist Billy Powell, and guitarist Ed King. Burns left and was replaced by Artimus Pyle in 1974. King left in 1975 and was replaced by Steve Gaines in 1976. At the height of their fame in the 1970s, the band popularized the Southern rock genre with songs such as "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Free Bird". After releasing five studio albums and one live album, the band's career was abruptly halted on October 20, 1977, when their chartered airplane crashed, killing Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and backup singer Cassie Gaines, and seriously injuring the rest of the band.
Edward Calhoun King was an American musician. He was a guitarist for the psychedelic rock band Strawberry Alarm Clock and guitarist and bassist for the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1987 to 1996.
"Free Bird", also spelled "Freebird", is a song by American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, written by guitarist Allen Collins and lead singer Ronnie Van Zant. The song was released on their 1973 debut studio album. Released as a single in November 1974, "Free Bird" debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 on November 23 at No. 87 and became the band's second Top 40 hit in early 1975, peaking at No. 19 on January 25. A live version of the song re-entered the charts in late 1976, eventually peaking at No. 38 in January 1977.
Larkin Allen Collins Jr. was an American guitarist, and one of the founding members of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He co-wrote many of the band's songs with frontman and original lead singer Ronnie Van Zant.
(Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) is the debut studio album by American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, released on August 13, 1973, by MCA Records. Recording took place in Doraville, Georgia at Studio One, following a lengthy period of rehearsals. Prior to the album's conception, many of its songs were already featured in Lynyrd Skynyrd's live repertoire. To promote it, the band released "Gimme Three Steps" and "Free Bird" as singles; these, along with "Simple Man" and "Tuesday's Gone", are among the band's best-known songs.
Leon Russell Wilkeson was an American musician. He was the bassist of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1972 until his death in 2001.
One More from the Road is a live album by Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, capturing three shows recorded in July 1976 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. Since 1974 Lynyrd Skynyrd had supported rock promoter Alex Cooley so that the theatre could be saved from demolition. This record was the band's first live album, and the only live album from the band's classic era of 1970 to 1977, prior to the plane crash that killed lead singer and songwriter Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and backing singer Cassie Gaines. The album was released in September 1976. It was certified gold by the RIAA on October 26, 1976, platinum on December 30, 1976 and 3× platinum on July 21, 1987.
Lynyrd Skynyrd is the first box set by American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. It features outtakes, demos and live versions of songs from their first six albums. It was certified gold by the RIAA in November 1997.
Freebird... The Movie is an in-depth look at Southern rock band, Lynyrd Skynyrd. Released on video on August 30, 1996, it is part documentary and part concert footage. Charlie Daniels was involved as "creative consultant".
Robert Lewis Burns Jr. was an American drummer who was in the original lineup of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Vicious Cycle is the twelfth studio album by Lynyrd Skynyrd, released in 2003. It was the first album recorded by the band following the death of original bassist Leon Wilkeson, who appears on two songs, "The Way" and "Lucky Man", and the song "Mad Hatter" is a tribute to him. The album is the first to feature bassist Ean Evans, the first mainstream album with Michael Cartellone on drums, and the last album that guitarist Hughie Thomasson played on before he died. It included the single "Red, White & Blue" which peaked at number 27 on the US Mainstream Rock charts.
Twenty is the ninth studio album by American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, released in 1997. The title of the album refers to the fact that it had been twenty years since the plane crash which killed original lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and backup singer Cassie Gaines.
Skynyrd's First and...Last was the original name of the posthumous compilation album first released in 1978 by the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. In 1998, it was repackaged, renamed and re-released as Skynyrd's First: The Complete Muscle Shoals Album, being expanded to include eight additional tracks – four of which were previously unreleased and four which would be re-recorded for (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd). As the renamed title suggests, the album was recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama. Originally intended to be their debut album it was shelved, making (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) their actual debut. The album was certified Gold on September 8, 1978 and Platinum on November 10, 1978 by the RIAA.
Southern by the Grace of God is a live album by southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, recorded during the Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Tour in 1987. These live concerts were a 10-year anniversary tribute by Lynyrd Skynyrd to the members of the band who had died in a 1977 plane crash. The plane crash killed frontman Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, backing vocalist Cassie Gaines and road manager Dean Kilpatrick.
Lyve from Steel Town is a live album by the 'post-plane crash' lineup of American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. It has two discs; the last two tracks on the second disc are exclusive interviews with the band. The concert was also released as a live VHS and DVD. The tracks were recorded at Star Lake Amphitheatre in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, on July 15, 1997. Both the album and the video were certified Gold by the RIAA.
Edge of Forever is the tenth studio album by Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. Released in 1999, it is the last album to feature bassist Leon Wilkeson before his death in 2001.
Christmas Time Again is the eleventh studio album by American Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, released in 2000.
God & Guns is the thirteenth studio album by the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, released on September 29, 2009.
The Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Tour was a tour that was undertaken to pay tribute to the original band members who died in a plane crash in 1977. The tour began in the fall of 1987, in honor of the 10-year anniversary of the plane crash. A number of surviving members reunited for the tour. Original members Gary Rossington, Billy Powell and Leon Wilkeson were joined by Ed King, Artimus Pyle, Randall Hall and Johnny Van Zant.
The Edge of Forever Tour was a concert tour by Lynyrd Skynyrd in support of their album, Edge of Forever. The band performed shows with a number of other artists including Ted Nugent and Deep Purple.