Line #111 Music/LynyrdSkynyrd


1	%%One quote is sufficient. Please do not add any additional quotes to the main page.%%
2	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Skynyrdpic7301_528.jpg]]
3	->''"If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?"''
4	-->-- "Free Bird"
5
6	If you live in the American South, you damn well better know Lynyrd Skynyrd.
7
8	Jacksonville friends Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins, Larry Junstrom, Gary Rossington, and Bob Burns formed the band in [[TheSixties 1964]] under the name "The Noble Five". They later renamed themselves "My Backyard" in 1965, "Leonard Skinner" (a rather authoritarian teacher at their former high school who disapproved of male students with long hair) in 1970, and "[[XtremeKoolLetterz Lynyrd Skynyrd]]" in 1972. During their early years, Junstrom left the group and Greg T. Walker replaced him, while Rickey Medlocke joined the band as a second drummer and mandolinist. In 1972, Walker and Medlocke left the group to perform with the band Blackfoot and Leon Wilkeson took Walker's place as the bassist. Meanwhile, roadie Billy Powell joined the group as the keyboardist. The group was eventually discovered by producer Al Kooper and recorded its first album, ''(pronounced 'lĕh-'nérd 'skin-'nérd)'', in 1973 -- in the process, the album forever cemented the song "Free Bird" as a permanent part of the rock'n'roll lexicon. (The next time you hear someone shout "Play 'Free Bird'!" at a concert, you now know who to blame).
9
10	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 (one of the band's backup singers, known as 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.
11
12	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 went on to spend more than 35 years as the bassist for ''38 Special'' (led by Ronnie's other brother Donnie - yes, the brothers' names are [[ThemeNaming Ronnie, Johnny, and Donnie]]), retiring in 2014 and passing in 2019. Rossington was the only founding member still performing with the band before his own death in 2023, marking the end of an era.
13
14	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.)
15
16	----
17	!!Principal Members (Founding members in '''bold''', current members in ''italic''):
18
19	* Kenny Aronoff – drums (1999)
20	* '''Bob Burns''' – drums (1964–1974, died 2015)
21	* ''Michael Cartellone'' – drums (1999–present)
22	* '''Allen Collins''' – guitar (1964–1977, 1979; died 1990)
23	* ''Johnny Colt (Charles Brandt)'' – bass, backing vocals (2012–present)
24	* Kurt Custer – drums (1991–1994)
25	* Mike Estes – guitar (1994–1996)
26	* Donald "Ean" Evans – bass, backing vocals (2000-2009; died 2009)
27	* Steve Gaines – guitar, backing vocals (1976–1977; died in the plane crash) %% Gaines was named in the RRHOF induction.
28	* Randall Hall – guitar, backing vocals (1987–1993)
29	* '''Larry Junstrom''' – bass (1964–1970; died 2019)
30	* ''Peter Keys (Peter Pisarczyk)'' – keyboards (2009–present)
31	* Ed King – guitar, bass (1972–1975, 1987–1996; died 2018)
32	* ''Rickey Medlocke'' – drums, mandolin, guitar, backing vocals (1971–1972, 1996–present)
33	* ''Mark Matejka'' – guitar, backing vocals (2006–present)
34	* Jeff [=McAllister=] – drums (1998–1999)
35	* Billy Powell – keyboards (1972–1977, 1979, 1987–2009; died 2009)
36	* Thomas "Artimus" Pyle – drums (1974–1977, 1979, 1987–1991)
37	* '''Gary Rossington''' – guitar (1964–1977, 1979, 1987–2023; died 2023)
38	* Hughie Thomasson – guitar (1996–2005; died 2007)
39	* ''Johnny Van Zant'' – lead vocals (1987–present)
40	* '''Ronnie Van Zant''' – lead vocals (1964–1977; died in the plane crash)
41	* Greg T. Walker – bass (1971–1972)
42	* Leon Wilkeson – bass (1971–1977, 1987–2001; died 2001)
43
44	!! Studio Discography:
45	* 1973 - ''(Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd)''
46	* 1974 - ''Second Helping''
47	* 1975 - ''Nuthin' Fancy''
48	* 1976 - ''Gimme Back My Bullets''
49	* 1977 - ''Street Survivors''
50	* 1991 - ''Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991''
51	* 1993 - ''The Last Rebel''
52	* 1994 - ''Endangered Species''
53	* 1997 - ''Twenty''
54	* 1999 - ''Edge of Forever''
55	* 2000 - ''Christmas Time Again''
56	* 2003 - ''Vicious Cycle''
57	* 2009 - ''God & Guns''
58	* 2012 - ''Last of a Dyin' Breed''
59	----
60
61	----
62	!! "If I trope here tomorrow, will you still remember me?":
63	* AlliterativeName: '''B'''ob '''B'''urns, '''M'''ark '''M'''atejka and '''E'''an '''E'''vans.
64	* AlternateAlbumCover:
65	** The original release of ''Street Survivors'' depicts the band standing in the middle of a burning city. After Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines, and Dean Kilpatrick died in a plane crash just three days after its release, the album was hastily reissued with a new cover: the front uses a larger version of the photo from the back cover, depicting the band standing in a spotlight, while the new back cover is just plain text atop a black background. The original artwork was eventually reinstated for a 1991 Japanese reissue and all worldwide reissues since 1994.
66	** In TheNew20s, the artwork for two of their albums was edited for streaming releases to remove Confederate iconography in the wake of the George Floyd protests and increased scrutiny towards the normalization of white supremacy in pop culture. The Confederate flag on the cover of ''Southern by the Grace of God'' was replaced with an American flag, and for the soundtrack of ''Freebird: the Movie'', the combined image of the Confederate flag and the band members was replaced with a map.
67	* AntagonisticGovernor: ''Sweet Home Alabama'', whilst a fiery defence of Southern values, does accept that Alabama having one of these (George Wallace) and the fact he was loved by enough people to ensure he remained Governor, was not an especially helpful or progressive thing. It's the only part of the song that comes close to admitting Neil Young might have a point - although the lines about the regressive Wallace are followed up by a dig at the fact a bigger political scandal, Watergate, did ''not'' happen in the South.
68	* 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 played it the night after the plane crash.
69	* AuthorTract:
70	** "All I Can Do Is Write About It" talks about destruction of the Southern environment.
71	** "God and Guns" takes a stand against anti-gun politicians.
72	** "Saturday Night Special" talks about the dangers of readily-available cheap guns.
73	** "Simple Man" extols the virtues of simple, humble living.
74	** "Things Goin' On" shines a light on poverty in the United States and claims it doesn't have enough attention from politicians.
75	** "That Smell" is basically one big warning that being too reckless with drugs and alcohol could be fatal.
76	* BalladOfX: "Ballad of Curtis Loew"
77	* TheBandMinusTheFace: When the band reunited in the 80's, it was without Ronnie Van Zant, [[RealLifeRelative who was replaced by]] [[BandOfRelatives his younger brother]].
78	* {{Bowdlerize}}: Apparently the intended lyric in "Gimme Three Steps" was "Wait a minute mister I didn't even ''stick'' her" but it was changed to "kiss her" in the radio version. Ronnie would still sing the "stick her" line in concert.
79	* BreakupSong: "Tuesday's Gone" and "Free Bird" are both about relationships coming to an end.
80	* BringMyBrownPants: Implied to happen to the narrator of "Gimme Three Steps" as he's staring down the gun of Linda Lou's boyfriend.
81	-->Well the crowd cleared away
82	-->And I began to pray
83	-->And the water fell on the floor
84	* TheBusCameBack: Rickey Medlocke, who played drums for the band from 1971-72, returned as a guitar player in 1996.
85	* CoolOldGuy: The titular Curtis of "The Ballad of Curtis Loew". A fun-loving Bluesman who'd play for a sip of wine.
86	* DoesntLikeGuns: The narrator of "Saturday Night Special".
87	* DrugsAreBad: "That Smell" was written by Ronnie Van Zant after an incident where Gary Rossington narrowly survived a car crash while drunk and high. The band was abusing drugs heavily at the time, with Van Zant drinking heavily to deal with nerves when performing for large crowds; after the accident, he penned the song as a warning to his bandmates and their audience that abusing drugs could mean that "Tomorrow might not be here for you".
88	** "The Needle and the Spoon" also qualifies, with Van Zant warning the listener not to try heroin.
89	--> ''Don't mess with the needle, or a spoon, or any trip to the moon''
90	-->''It'll take you away''
91	* EmptyChairMemorial: After the plane crash that killed Ronnie Van Zant, their next concert had a spotlight shining on an unmanned microphone.
92	* EpicRocking: "Free Bird" (naturally) and "Tuesday's Gone" qualify. Live versions of "Free Bird" often run over ''thirteen'' minutes!
93	* EvilSmellsBad: "That Smell" chorus, with the whole song being about drug addiction.
94	-->''Ooh, that smell.''
95	-->''Can't you smell that smell?''
96	-->''Ooh, that smell.''
97	-->''The smell of death surrounds you.''
98	* GenerationXerox: Years before, drummer Artemus Pyle's father died in a plane crash leaving the Greenville airport, where the band's fatal crash took off from.
99	* HomesicknessHymn: For all the controversies surrounding some of the verses in "Sweet Home Alabama", the song is at least partly about a traveller who is eager to get back to his family and his (likely rose-colored) image of his home state.
100	* IconicSongRequest: "Free Bird", of course, to the point where yelling "Play 'Free Bird'" at a concert or event has become a cliche. Ronnie would lampshade this on their live album ''One More From the Road''. As the crowd yells "Free Bird", Ronnie says "What song is it you want to hear?".
101	* LocationSong: "Sweet Home Alabama" is an AnswerSong about what makes the South wonderful, in reaction to Music/NeilYoung's more pessimistic "Alabama".
102	* LonelyFuneral: "The Ballad Of Curtis Loew" gives a brief mention to old Curtis' lonely memorial.
103	-->''On the day old Curtis died nobody came to pray''\
104	''old preacher said some words''\
105	''they chucked him in the clay''
106	* LongestSongGoesLast: Their debut album, ''(Pronounced_'Leh-nerd_Skin-nerd)'', closes with "Free Bird" (9:09).
107	* LongRunnerCastTurnover: One of the longest-running southern rock bands, having been founded in 1964. In 2023, with the death of Gary Rossington, [[TheseusShipParadox none of the founding members]] [[EndOfAnEra are left]].
108	* MercyLead: "Gimme Three Steps" is about begging a very pissed-off boyfriend whose girl the narrator unknowingly hit on to give one of these.
109	* 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 recalled the injuries on an episode of ''Series/BehindTheMusic''.
110	** 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, as none of the accounts from actual witnesses support this; while stories of Ronnie's last moments differ on some of the finer details, pretty much all of them agree that while he had been napping in the aisle earlier in the flight, he was at least in a seat at the time of impact, and most say that he was in fact buckled in at the time.
111	* PronouncingMyNameForYou: The title of their debut album (''Lynyrd Skynyrd (pronounced 'lĕh-'nérd 'skin-'nérd)'') notes this.
112	* ProperlyParanoid: After an earlier incident where an engine appeared to catch fire, many of the band members were reluctant to board their plane on the day of the crash. Family members and loved ones also expressed concerns, and a few tried to persuade some of the band members not to fly on that plane again.
113	** While in his late 20s, Ronnie Van Zant repeatedly stated that he was certain he would not live to see his 30th birthday. The date of said birthday? January 15, 1978 -- three months after his death.
114	** 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 were shaken by the realization that it could have very easily been them if their manager hadn't been so diligent or had caved to the pressure they tried to put on him.
115	* RaisedLighterTribute: Originated at performances of "Free Bird".
116	* RhymingNames: Lynyrd Skynyrd.
117	* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: The narrator of "Gimme Three Steps" does this in the song's climax as he flees the bar.
118	-->Well, he turned and screamed at Linda Lou\
119	And that's the break I was looking for.\
120	And you could hear me screaming a mile away\
121	As I was headed out towards the door.
122	* ShoutOut: The lyrics of ''Railroad Song'' mentioned Music/JimmieRodgers and Music/MerleHaggard with the reference being that the singer is riding a train to figure out what those two musicians were talking about in their music.
123	** The uses of the letter "Y" in their name is to Music/TheByrds.
124	* SongStyleShift: "Free Bird" shifts from a mournful Southern Rock ballad to pure Guitar Attack rock.
125	* SouthernRock: The TropeCodifier.
126	* StepUpToTheMicrophone: Steve Gaines sings "Ain't No Good Life" and splits "You Got That Right" with Van Zant.
127	* 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:
128	-->"It was always weird for Allen and me because we were up front. And it was Steve and me and Ronnie and I was in the middle of them. And on the other side [of the aisle] it was Allen in the middle of Dean [Kilpatrick] and Cassie. They all died and we didn’t and we always wondered why, you know."
129	** Billy Powell also struggled with this because he actually watched one of the victims, Cassie Gaines, die in his arms as he was helpless to save her.
130	* SweetHomeAlabama: The band's song serves as the TropeNamer, and many fans think of the band as the musical embodiment of the South.
131	* TakeThat: The band put Music/NeilYoung "on blast" in "Sweet Home Alabama". {{Subverted}}, as the members and Neil Young were friends, and Young would publicly say that the criticism was justified.
132	-->''Well I heard Mr. Young sing about her''\
133	''Well I heard ol' Neil put her down''\
134	''Well I hope Mr. Young will remember''\
135	''A Southern man don't need him around anyhow''
136	* TheresNoPlaceLikeHome: "Sweet Home Alabama" expresses the joy of being in their home state, even though they were actually from Florida.
137	* TheseusShipParadox: The band formed in 1964, and the members of the classic lineup gradually disappeared until the last founding member, Gary Rossington, passed away in 2023.
138	* XtremeKoolLetterz

Context Music / LynyrdSkynyrd