Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida. The group originally formed as My Backyard in 1964 and comprised Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom, and Bob Burns (drums). The band spent five years touring small venues under various names and with several lineup changes before deciding on "Lynyrd Skynyrd" in 1969. The band released (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd), its first album, 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.
The Riverbend Festival, also called Riverbend, is a well-known annual music festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which was started in June 1982 as a five-night festival. Over the years, the festival devolved into the three nights of its current run and presently ranks in the top 10 percent of all American festivals. Additionally, Riverbend has won several national awards from the International Festivals and Events Association, including 8 in 2007. The attendance for Riverbend has grown over the years and there are now regularly over 650,000 people that come over the course of the festival from all over Tennessee, the Southeast, the United States, and other countries. Individual nights can see some 80,000 people in attendance. The festival was named for the bend in the Tennessee River on which Chattanooga was established.
CMT Crossroads is an American television program broadcast on CMT that pairs country music artists with musicians from other music genres such as alternative rock, pop, R&B, Rock, soul and more, frequently trading off performing one another's songs, one cover song and also dueting on some numbers.
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.
Ross Copperman is a Grammy-nominated American singer-songwriter and producer with 29 number one radio hits. After his experience as an artist in the UK, Copperman discovered his talent for writing and producing country music. He has written several No. 1 songs including notable hits like Billy Currington's "Don't It", Luke Bryan's "Strip It Down" and Keith Urban's "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16". Copperman has also produced for several artists including Keith Urban, Brett Eldredge, Dierks Bentley, Eli Young Band, Darius Rucker, and Jake Owen among others. Recently, Copperman's song "Woman, Amen" recorded by Dierks Bentley charted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Charts on June 11, 2018. Kenny Chesney's single "Get Along" was also co-penned by Copperman, adding to his list of over 30 total written and produced No. 1 country singles. Copperman continues to impact weekly Billboard country charts in collaboration with Sony Music Publishing in Nashville.
Edge of Forever is the tenth studio album by Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. Released in 1999, it is the last album to feature Leon Wilkeson before his death in 2001.
WE Fest is a three-day country music festival that has been held each year recently on the first weekend in August at the Soo Pass Ranch in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, United States.
The Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center (CMAC), originally the Finger Lakes Performing Arts Center (FLPAC) is an outdoor concert venue in the Town of Hopewell, New York, just east of the City of Canandaigua, on the grounds of Finger Lakes Community College.
God & Guns is the thirteenth studio album by the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, released on September 29, 2009.
Country Jam USA is a 3-day annual country music festival held in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The first festival was held in 1990, making Country Jam USA one of the longest-running festivals in the country.
The Cavendish Beach Music Festival is a music festival held in mid-July in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, Canada. The festival is produced by Whitecap Entertainment. Cavendish is a resort community located 39 kilometres (24 mi) northwest of the provincial capital Charlottetown.
Watershed Music Festival is an annual country music festival held at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington. Produced by Live Nation, the first event was held August 3–5, 2012. Watershed is usually a three day festival. The main attractions of the festival are the multiple stages of live music, featuring a mixture of country music superstars, newcomers and local country performers.
The Boots and Hearts Music Festival is a multi-day country music and camping festival produced by Republic Live Inc. and owned by Stan and Eva Dunford. The festival is held annually at the Burl's Creek Event Grounds in Oro-Medonte, Ontario, Canada. Since its inception in 2012, Boots and Hearts has grown to become Canada's largest country music festival and the second largest music festival in North America behind only the CMA Music Festival.
The Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion is an outdoor amphitheater located in Rogers, Arkansas. The venue opened in June 2005 as a semi-permanent venue, becoming a permanent venue in 2014. Its capacity is now 9,500 fans.
The American Country Countdown Awards were a country music award presentation that was held in 2014 and 2016. Produced by Dick Clark Productions and co-branded with the syndicated radio show American Country Countdown, it featured awards based on album sales, touring data, and radio airplay.
Huka Entertainment is a music festival producer and promoter based in New Orleans, LA. Starting with Hangout Music Festival, the company's festivals now include Tortuga Music Festival, BUKU Music + Art Project, and Hell Yes Fest. Huka Entertainment also has a concerts department spanning the southern and eastern coast of the United States. In October 2015, concert industry publication Pollstar listed Huka Entertainment among the top 50 concert promoters worldwide, based on ticket sales.
Carolina Country Music Fest (CCMF) is an outdoor country music festival that takes place in June of each year in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The festival was founded in 2015 by Charlotte-based company Full House Productions.
Live in No Shoes Nation is the second live album by American country music singer Kenny Chesney. It was released on October 27, 2017 via Columbia Records.
The Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour is a concert tour by American Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. It was originally intended to be the final tour conducted by the band. It began May 4, 2018, at the Coral Sky Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Florida and was scheduled to end on October 24, 2020, at Epic Center Festival in Charlotte, North Carolina. The band utilized a plethora of opening acts, including Bad Company, Kid Rock, and Hank Williams Jr., throughout the tour.
