History Music / LynyrdSkynyrd

* AnswerSong: "Sweet Home Alabama" serves as one of these (and a TakeThat) to Neil Young's 1970 ProtestSong [[Music/AfterTheGoldRush "Southern Man"]], which criticized the rampant racism in the American South at the time. The song defends the South, directly calls out "Mr. Young", and dismisses his criticism. Young, a friend of Ronnie Van Zant, didn't take the song personally -- hell, he's even performed it on occasion.
** Young especially [[TearJerker played it the night after the plane crash]].

* Kenny Aronoff - drums (1999)

* SurvivorGuilt: Many of the survivors of the plane crash experienced this, but it was particularly difficult for Allen Collins and Gary Rossington because they survived while the people sitting on either side of them did not. As Rossington explained:

* NoOneCouldSurviveThat: The litany of injuries the surviving band members suffered in the 1977 plane crash, along with the utter devastation of the crash itself, makes a lot of people wonder how the hell ''anyone'' could have survived the crash.
--> '''Billy Powell''': That's how Ronnie died: he was catapulted about 80 mph into a tree - died instantly of a massive head injury. I started walking around in a daze. I saw John Gray hanging from a tree, decapitated. Then I saw Cassie, who was cut from ear to ear. She bled to death in front of me.

* RealLifeRelative: Johnny Van Zandt replaced his older brother as the lead singer during their reunion.

* RaisedLighterTribute: Originated at performances of "Free Bird"

As I was headed out towards the door.\\

Allen Collins died in 1990 of pneumonia resulting from a serious car accident four years earlier due to his drug abuse. In 2015, Bob Burns was killed in a car accident at his Georgia home. Larry Junstrom plays bass for ''.38 Special'' (led by Ronnie's other brother Donnie - yes, the brothers' names are [[ThemeNaming Ronnie, Johnny and Donnie]]) and Rossington is the only founding member still performing with the band.

Although the group never topped charts (their biggest hit, "Sweet Home Alabama", topped out at #8 on Billboard), Skynyrd remains beloved by tons of rock fans, especially in the South, where fans embraced the band as a counter to the "protest bands" that popped up in the '60s. ("Sweet Home Alabama" even took a few direct [[TakeThat shots]] at Music/NeilYoung for some of his protest songs, despite the off-stage friendship between Young and Van Zant.)

* Steve Gaines – guitar, backing vocals (1976–1977; died 1977) %% Gaines was named in the RRHOF induction.

* '''Ronnie Van Zant''' – lead vocals (1964–1977)

* '''Allen Collins''' – guitar (1964–1977, 1979, died 1990)

* Donald "Ean" Evans – bass, backing vocals (2000-2009)

* '''Larry Junstrom''' – bass (1964–1970)

* Ed King – guitar, bass (1972–1975, 1987–1996)

* Billy Powell – keyboards (1972–1977, 1979, 1987–2009)

* Hughie Thomasson – guitar (1996–2005)

* Leon Wilkeson – bass (1971–1977, 1987–2001)

If you live in the South, you damn well better know Lynyrd Skynyrd.

** After the plane crash, it came out that Music/{{Aerosmith}} had initially intended to charter that very aircraft, but one of the operations managers saw some things he didn't like and vetoed it. When news of the crash reached Aerosmith, they were very shaken since they had pushed for the band to hire that plane.

** After the plane crash, it came out that Music/{{Aerosmith}} had initially intended to charter that very aircraft, but one of the operations managers saw some things he didn't like and vetoed it, over the objections of the band members. When news of the crash reached Aerosmith, they realized what could have happened.

** After the plane crash, it came out that Creator/{{Aerosmith}} had initially intended to charter that very aircraft, but one of the operations managers saw some things he didn't like and vetoed it, over the objections of the band members. When news of the crash reached Aerosmith, they realized what could have happened.

** FearlessFool: Some stories hold that Ronnie died because he didn't like wearing seatbelts and decided to sit in the middle of the plane's aisle. This appears to be an UrbanLegend, however; while accounts of Ronnie's last moments differ on the details, pretty much everyone agrees that while he had been napping in the aisle earlier in the flight, he was at least in a seat at the moment of impact, and most contend that he was buckled in at the time.

** FearlessFool: Some stories hold that Ronnie died because he didn't like wearing seatbelts and decided to sit in the middle of the plane's aisle. This appears to be an UrbanLegend, however; while accounts of Ronnie's last moments differ on the details, pretty much everyone agrees that while he had been napping in the aisle earlier in the flight, he was buckled into a seat at the moment of impact.

* TakeThat: The band put Music/NeilYoung "on blast" in "Sweet Home Alabama". {{Subverted}}, as the members and Neil Young were friends.

Tragedy struck on October 20, 1977, three days after the band recorded their ''Street Survivors'' album, when their chartered plane crashed in Mississippi. Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, his sister Cassie (a member of the band's backup singers, The Honkettes), and Dean Kilpatrick, a member of the band's production staff, were killed. The band disbanded after the tragedy, with the group reuniting at Charlie Daniels's Volunteer Jam V to perform an instrumental version of "Free Bird" accompanied by Daniels and some of his band members (bassist Charlie Hayward and keyboardist Joel "Taz" [=DiGregorio=]). Rossington, Collins, Wilkeson and Powell formed the Rossington-Collins Band, but Collins was prone to alcoholism and drugs. The band reformed in 1987 with Ronnie's younger brother Johnny and a rotating cast of new blood.

Tragedy struck on October 20, 1977, three days after the band recorded their ''Street Survivors'' album, when their chartered plane crashed in Mississippi. Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, his sister Cassie (a member of the band's backup singers, The Honkettes), and several members of the band's production staff were killed. The band disbanded after the tragedy, with the group reuniting at Charlie Daniels's Volunteer Jam V to perform an instrumental version of "Free Bird" accompanied by Daniels and some of his band members (bassist Charlie Hayward and keyboardist Joel "Taz" [=DiGregorio=]). Rossington, Collins, Wilkeson and Powell formed the Rossington-Collins Band, but Collins was prone to alcoholism and drugs. The band reformed in 1987 with Ronnie's younger brother Johnny and a rotating cast of new blood.

** FearlessFool: Ronnie reportedly died because he didn't like wearing seatbelts and decided to sit in the middle of the plane's aisle

!! The band Lynyrd Skynyrd and its music provide examples of:

* AnswerSong: "Sweet Home Alabama" serves as one of these (and a TakeThat) to Neil Young's 1970 ProtestSong "Southern Man," which criticized the rampant racism in the American South at the time. The song defends the South, directly calls out "Mr. Young", and dismisses his criticism. Young, a friend of Ronnie Van Zant, didn't take the song personally -- hell, he's even performed it on occasion.

* TakeThat: Using songs to put other musicians "on blast" is OlderThanTheyThink. The band did that to Music/NeilYoung in "Sweet Home Alabama". {{Subverted}}, as the members and Neil Young were friends.